Gelände Strasse
GELÄNDE STRASSE
BMW refines the Swiss Army Knife of motorcycles, the R1200GS Adventure
JEFF BUCHANAN
WHEN BMW INTRODUCED THE FIRST GS IN 1980, one doubts the German manufacturer, even in its wildest aspirations, could have envisioned what the Gelände Strasse ("terrain/street") would evolve into during the ensuing years.
That first GS would prove to be the genesis ot a two-wheel movement that has blossomed into an entire subculture, the unique machine branded as the integral protagonist of the category it gave birth to, the Adventure class.
Utilizing the grueling Paris-Dakar Rally, BMW thrashed the GS through its early development years in
the toughest race on Earth to inject some respectable DNA into the project. Frenchman Hubert Auriol won the motorcycle division on the new GS in 1981 and 1983 before factory rider Gaston Rahier-the diminutive Belgian-took the reins, winning the prestigious event in 1984 and 1985. BMW has continued to evolve the machine (which accounts for a large percentage of the company's sales) into an all-around two-wheel work horse with a multitude of applications.
Despite the kudos and impressive achievements, how ever, no other modern motorcycle-save perhaps the idio syncratic Confederate Wraith-is more misunderstood.
In essence, the GS is a touring platform with off-road capa bilities. The machine's quirky appearance is derivative of its purpose-built mandate, a case of substance over style, which, ironically, is exactly what gives the GS its defacto chic. But the enigmatic motorcycle tends to polarize the public, with detrac tors on one side, ardent devotees on the other.
I’m speaking from experience.
For years I discounted the GS, viewing it as a kind of misguided concept, an ugly duckling, reminiscent of a homely aunt the family regards with quiet pity. You know, the one who never married. After several stints in South Africa flogging through the Baviaanskloof and a 30-day soul-searching sojourn in Spain, though, I am now a true believer, a convert to the legion of GS fans.
For 2008, motorcycling’s globetrotting ambassador, the R1200GS Adventure, received a handful of mechanical refinements and some new cosmetic brushstrokes, most notably a larger front fender and sharpened angles in its plastic, plus stainless-steel gas-tank deflectors and LED taillights. Most significant on the tech side is the optional Electronic Suspension Adjustment carried over from BMW’s touring machines and adapted to off-road use. Dubbed Enduro ESA, the $ 1895 upgrade (as part of a larger options package) has
onand off-road settings that allow the rider, via a handlebar-mounted switch, to select various modes of spring preload and damping for a total of 15 possible settings.
Aesthetically, the Adventure differs from its standard GS brethren by its mammoth 8.7-gallon fuel tank and tubular-steel brush/crash guards that wrap around the engine, lending a rugged, go-anywhere persona. BMW suggests that if you cruise the Adventure at 55 mph it will render a “theoretical” range of about 465 miles. No matter how you slice it, with that much petrol on board, you’re going to get deep into the Great Elsewhere.
The GS is laden with the signature, stalwart Boxer powerplant. The air-cooled, 1170cc opposed-Twin possesses a bore/stroke of 101.0 x 73.0mm and four valves per cylinder.
The motor gets a bump in power for 2008, up 5 percent to 105 hp at 7500 rpm, with the flat-Twin tagging redline at eight grand. The additional horsepower is a welcome trait, especially given the GS’s weight, tipping the scales at a claimed 564 pounds fully fueled. The Boxer reaches maximum torque of 85 ft.-lb. at 5750 rpm but there’s plenty of muscle and low-end grunt right off idle. This is where the GS is happiest and most compliant, just plodding along, rolling serenely over the terrain like a pachyderm.
In the twisties, though, the GS is no Dumbo. It’s surprising> iy agile-as shocked sportbike yahoos have come to know. It also possesses the kind of long-distance comfort traditionally associ ated with luxury-touring mounts. Two-up? The GS hardly feels the extra weight. And although for some it's hard to accept the notion of the GS as a true off-road machine due its weight, it performs quite well within the adventure realm. The real advantage of the GS is that it tackles a wide spectrum of possibilities, from canyons and backroads to monotonous Interstate to urban assault and a variety of off-road terrain, with equal aplomb. You wouldn't want to get caught out on a gnarly single-track or serious hill climb aboard a GS, but keep it sane and this bike will deliver you to some fantastic destinations.
The Adventure sports the familiar tubular-steel trellis frame, stretching over a 59.5-inch wheelbase and cradling the Boxer Twin, which is further protected with engine guards and a manly sized bashplate underneath. The armor instills confidence that vital mechanical workings have something between them and the ground. Additionally, aluminum guards protect valve covers from impacts.
The bridgework that makes up the luggage rack provides myriad tie-down points if you choose to use the Adventure as a pack mule and load the bike beyond the capacity of the optional aluminum side bags. Here is a GS phenomenon: The heavy-duty boxes are perhaps the only luggage in motorcycling that looks okay with scratches and minor
dents. And rest assured, if you’re using the Adventure in the way it was intended, the bags will be accumulating their share of battle scars.
Although other manufacturers have entered the adventure-touring fray, thus far, only KTM has produced a big-bore machine on par with the GS. That said, KTM has yet to build the kind of subculture that has sprung up around the BMW. The GS crowd is an eclectic breed, ardent motorcyclists expressing the kind of deep loyalty previously reserved for pre-1980 Moto Guzzi fanatics and Grateful Dead fans.
With the GS' base price of $16,600 and a healthy spattering of factory options (not to mention the plethora of aftermarket add-ons), an owner can drive the eventual price for an Adventure to well over $20K in a hurry. Buy into the bike’s level of
engineering sophistication-not to mention character, not to mention versatility-though, and the price tag doesn’t seem so exorbitant. After all, it may be the only bike you’ll ever need.
The Adventure is available in Magma Red or Magnesium Metallic, but odds are-if you’re using the bike as it was intended-it will be permanently dusted with a layer of dirt.O
