Bmw R1200gs
BMW R1200GS
RIDING IMPRESSION
The original adventure bike gets water cooling and lots of new technology
YOU WANT AUTHENTIC? There was no adventure-touring class before the first BMW R80G/S rolled out of Munich as a 1981 model. Since then, the Germans have refined and expanded what a big adventure-tourer is. And 2013 might be the most important year of all, because BMW finally added liquid cooling to the 90-year-old flat-Twin that, in its various forms, has been powering BMW’s bikes since the R32 of 1923.
Yes, the all-new R1200GS is the biggest leap ever for the GS line. We’ll start with the electronics package. Five riding modes (switchable on the fly) influence all the rider aids: Dynamic, Road, Rain, Enduro and Enduro Pro. The first four are part of the options package, whereas Enduro Pro must be unlocked with an additional plug-in.
Each mode varies settings for the ride-by-wire “E-gas” throttle response, ABS and ASC (BMW’s traction control) intervention, as well as how the “semi-active” Dynamic ESA varies com-
pression and rebound damping as you ride. But the rider can still select Soft, Normal or Hard ranges within each mode; spring preload is also push-button adjustable.
The electronics package helps the improved chassis and suspension make this the best handling GS ever. Road or dirt, slightly more aggressive steering geometry and a stiffer frame work with the new Telelever front and left-side-mounted, two-inchlonger EVO Paralever rear suspension to make this a more solid-feeling platform than the previous GS. Bigger Metzeier Tourance Next tires (on wider rims) help improve grip and communication from the contact patches, while their profiles help keep the bike neutral-steering even when trail-braking hard.
Overall, the new GS is more responsive to steering input and feels more connected to the road. It’s not “big supermoto” in the way that the Ducati Multistrada is, but it is a swift machine on a backroad.
Great Brembo brakes
(with Monobloc front calipers) aid the cause.
The character of the new, liquid-cooled, counterbalanced 1170cc flat-Twin is very similar to that of the previous version, only amplified. Bore and stroke are unchanged at 101.0 x 73.0mm, but almost everything else is different, from “vertical-flow” cylinder heads to the front-of-enginemounted wet slipper clutch (with very light pull) to the more compact overall dimensions. It’s a classic BMW Boxer but much snappier and more powerful across most of the rev range. If there is any loss, the old engine’s luggability has been diminished. Claimed output is 125 horsepower (up from 110). Overall, this is a faster, smoother GS.
It’s also more comfortable. Adjustable ergonomics (seat height, footpeg position, handlebars) complement the knob-adjustable windscreen in what is an all-day comfortable riding position.
Base MSRP is $15,800; the Premium Plus Package, with Dynamic ESA, Enduro ASC and an LED headlight, comes in at $18,870.
In an ever-more-crowded market segment, the original adventure bike’s updates for 2013 have expanded its capabilities and kept it at the top of its class. □
Feels lighter
Dynamic Electronic Suspension Adjustment really works
Faster and easier to ride, street or dirt
At 525 lb., it isn't actually lighter than the orevious model
Might make you quit your job to ride to Panama
New LED headlight/running lights not visible from the riders seat
