Bmw Adventure Gs

BMW ADVENTURE GS

Round-the-World Beemer

Back-country tourers of the world unite, your ride is ready! BMW’s R1150GS Adventure, all 550 pounds of It, may just be the ground-poundingest, rock-crunchingest dual-sporter ever to strap on a set of knobbies.

Based on the standard GS, the Adventure is rigged for desert duty with the addition of burlied-up suspension, especially at the rear, which features a long-travel WP shock. Autobahns being in short supply in the outback, the bike gets a shorter sixth gear. First gear is also lower, the better for crawling over nasty boulders. A bigger bashplate comes in handy here, too. Third World travelers will be happy to know that the GS can be programmed to run on leaded, low-octane fuel. And leaded or un-, the new model packs an extra 2 gallons over the base 1150. A dash-mounted 12-volt plug-in Is GPS-compatible.

Options are many, including ’roo bars for the cylinders, fog lamps and mil-spec metal luggage-have to say, though, the Land Rover-esque headlamp grille does look a little poney. Sadly, flare guns, emergency beacons and solar water stills seem to have been left off the extras list. Take care not to get stranded in the Sahara.

Adventure seekers should drop into their local BMW outfitters sometime this spring with $16,000 or so In their money belts-passport and proof of inoculations not required.

David Edwards