BMW converted too 2 wheel drive ?

I do not know of any such kit. You will have a problem converting a Ural because the Ural rotates the other way.

If you solve that problem there is the fact that the Ural unit is not engineered for that much power.

If you use the right tires and learn off road skills You can do in almost every situation with one wheel drive.

The only thing you will lack is the reverse.

Toyman - 2/13/2015 9:45 PM
Is it possible to convert any particular model BMW bike into a 2 wheel drive....
A modern shaft drive bike like a GS with fuel injection & electronic ignition etc.
If a kit is available to convert a bike where do you get these?

Mobec over in Germany has a two-wheel drive conversion for late model GS's: http://www.mobec-international.com/specials/gal2wd.html

Phelonius - 2/13/2015 11:55 PM

  I do not know of any such kit.  You will have a problem converting a Ural because the Ural rotates the other way. 

   If you solve that problem there is the fact that the Ural unit is not engineered for that much power.

  If you use the right tires and learn off road skills You can do in almost every situation with one wheel drive.

  The only thing you will lack is the reverse.

Phelonius, I appreciate your reply. You must me a very wise Uralist to bring up such valid points.

I had no idea the rotation was anything different than what a potential BMW bike might have. As far as the ruggedness of the hacks drive; I figured these were engineered fairly rugged for all they were put through during the war even with an under powered bike.

As far as the need of two wheeled propulsion I can only compare this benefit to what I have experienced with other forms of off road transportation. More traction equates to going more places and with less effort. Even though you may not need it full time it can make the difference if you make it through an area at all.

I like to go places that are extremely challenging to traverse and also very remote. Hence the need for dependability, power and traction.

With reveres also being a desirable function I'm led to believe a well prepared Ural 2wd is the best choice for a sidecar rig to go extreme off road.

SwampFox - 2/14/2015 7:42 AM

Toyman - 2/13/2015 9:45 PM
Is it possible to convert any particular model BMW bike into a 2 wheel drive....
A modern shaft drive bike like a GS with fuel injection & electronic ignition etc.
If a kit is available to convert a bike where do you get these?

Mobec over in Germany has a two-wheel drive conversion for late model GS's: http://www.mobec-international.com/specials/gal2wd.html

Swampfox, you found exactly (and then some) what I have been envisioning.

The Series III Superdrive R1200 GS Adventure bike looks amazing! I didn't search to see what one cost. Has to be BIG bucks.

The Duo drive systems look to be engineered very well.

Mobec has some very interesting looking sidecars.

Possibly there already is a BMW bike built this way, not overly priced and readily available?

If so where do I get one?

Well, then MOBEC´s not the company you should call, I guess.
The MOBEC superdrive is from $ 28,5000. Not including the bike and not including the tub. (that was the price in 2012)
A BMW r1200GS is from $ 16,000 in Germany and the tub is from $ 3500 if it´s a Mobec.
So we´re talking about something close to 50k. I personally think that´s quite pricey

Claus - 2/14/2015 9:12 AM

Possibly there already is a BMW bike built this way, not overly priced and readily available?

If so where do I get one?

Well, then MOBEC´s not the company you should call, I guess.
The MOBEC superdrive is from $ 28,5000. Not including the bike and not including the tub. (that was the price in 2012)
A BMW r1200GS is from $ 16,000 in Germany and the tub is from $ 3500 if it´s a Mobec.
So we´re talking about something close to 50k. I personally think that´s quite pricey

Wow! It looked pricey.
That's a whole lot newspapers I'd have to deliver to afford one of these!
Now if I could just win a big lottery............shoot you gott'a play to win.

Ne, ne Toyman...that doesn't work out neither...
once upon the time I dreamt my lottery number. 78, (7 years married, 8 years with that woman) Now much more years with the same one still / no model change planned neither...

I bought that number 3 times in a row...it came in the forth week!
Someone from Netherlands made a 3 wheel drive rig based on toothbelts like in Harleys...much cheaper, but only good for asphalt road...that nuts distributes the power to 3 wheels as he burns tires if he conects only one at a time to his dragster style rig.

You want something universal good for a plow? think about hydraulic drive...like this one...I dream long years about something in this direction.
http://thekneeslider.com/hydrostatic-2-wheel-drive-diesel-motorcycle-raccoon/

Sven

We can do 2wd on the R1200GS or the water cooled R1200GS however in practice on a bike with the power of a BMW and the tire size that the BMW runs on the back for all practical purposes all you get with 2wd is a lighter wallet, bragging rights and stuck about 50 feet further along then you would be with out sidecar wheel drive.
I was running a dual sport event several years ago running one of our M72D sidecars on a BMW R1100GS. At the end of the event a bunch of sidecar riders were talking about the event, one by one the Ural riders spoke of a difficult place on the event where they had to use 2wd, after about the 3rd person spoke about this difficult point I finally figured out where they were talking about so when it came my turn to talk about this one place all I said was "more throttle" some thing the Ural riders did not have the option of.
It really gets down to the old Jeep vs Dune buggy argument. Yes there are some places where you can crawl really slowly with the Ural in 2wd that a single wheel drive will not go, but at the end of the day, are these really places you would want to take a nice bike like a GS? For these rare places where 2wd might be handy for a few feet we do offer winches. My own bike in the photo's below "and is for sale" has front and rear Warn 3500 lbs winches with synthetic cables, the only time I have ever used a winch on my bike was to recover another bike that had gone off a bank.
You also asked about kits, we have sidecar kits for every gs ever made except for the HP 2 as every one who has wanted a sidecar for an HP 2 I have told them that the standard GS is a better sidecar bike so they have just purchased another bike. We of course also have kits for the KLR. I prefer the KLR in an off road situation as I will never really care about a KLR and as such will take it places that I will not take the GS not that the GS could not do it, I just treat GS bikes better then the KLR.
Jay G
DMC sidecars
www.dmcsidecars.com
866-638-1793

The simplest way to go 2wd is find a Ural and graft a BMW whatever into it. Seen a few of these and they work pretty good.
J.R.
Sec.
Tex. rep

Toyman, in Post #1 you say you want to take a shaft drive BMW hack offroad. I don't know what kind of offroad riding is available in Kansas, but I've been all over the Far West on my shaft drive GS hack (a highly-modified 1150GS Adventure with a DMC sidecar) and I hardly ever go offroad. The occasional farm field, if it's not muddy and fairly flat, or maybe a fairly easy offroad approach to a river bank. But generally never. I'll tackle rocky roads, and muddy roads, and rutted roads, and steep scary roads, and even two-track roads. I've been to a bunch of fire lookouts, and back country high altitude passes, and I even rode the northern half of the Continental Divide Trail (ride report link HERE ). I've ridden thousands of miles on gravel and dirt and rock roads with my GS rig. But to leave the road and just go whooping and hollering through the bush? I don't think I'd get very far. You can get to some amazing places in a regular one-wheel drive GS hack, but I think going offroad is just not very feasible.

I'll toss in a pic. Here's my rig on a dirt road near Yakima, WA with Mt. Rainier in the background and my navigator Kirby in the foreground. Would I like to take a right and just head off into the woods? No.

I'm beginning to believe that the extreme level of off roading I plan to do is best left to my Jeep and Razors. I've viewed some off road videos and it looks to be quite physical and extremely difficult to operate a hack in many situations especially without a monkey.

Thanks to all for your reply's.

Very interesting hack on the KLR Jay. I have the same bike solo but a wee bit more scared up. I've found these bikes to be the best compromise for dual purpose.

Hey Sven, that guy on the one wheeler has obviously done some fine engineering!

Hello Bob,
He realized the idea I always had. Now take a Roccon with sidecar and put the same front wheel drive on the s/c wheel and you got a tank like vehicle.
If the distances wouldn't be so long and traffic so nuts I would love to have a Roccon rig with a good winch here.
Sven