I've been riding an 08 bam 1 for 2 seasons now. It's my first FR bike and I haven't spent much time on any other long travel bikes, but the bam is a decent bike for sure. Seems to be a good all around bike, I've been running it mostly stock with a DRS and have ridden it for everything from lift-served DH (90% of my riding on that bike) to an XC ride or two when my light bike needed repair. As far as comparing to other bikes, I really haven't ridden any others enough to have a good solid comparison. I did have to have the rear end replaced under warranty after the chainstay broke due to a material defect, Jamis took care of it very quickly. Since then I've been riding it a lot harder and haven't had any further issues.
Knowing what I know now, would I buy it again? Probably not-I would likely look for a lightly used bike better suited for pure DH since that's mostly what I ride. Indeed, if you are looking at buying one new, keep your options open. You might be able to find a better frame/complete bike used for the same price or less.
