BMW motorcycles have a loyal following and legions of admirers. However, aside from last year's Rockster, I haven't found a BMW boxer-twin that I truly like. That's what I would have told you a month ago, if you'd asked me what I thought about Beemers with cylinders jutting out of their sides. That was then... Ask me today, and I'm more likely to reply with something like

"Man, that new R 1200 GS is a neat bike."

Though I have said less than kind things about them in the past, BMW was gracious enough to invite me to the intro for their new R 1200 GS "Adventure Tourer" and I'm glad they did. Aside from a few niggling development issues, this new GS is ready to compete with the latest adventure touring bikes from Triumph, Aprilia and Suzuki. More than just an ugly new face and decal project, the new R 1200 GS is significantly lighter, faster and less quirky than the R 1150 GS it replaces. It steers lightly, shreds twisties, does great wheelies, cruises comfortably, buzzes lightly and generally acts like a modern 85Hp motorcycle should.

Much of the credit for this newfound functionality goes to a thorough redesign of the entire power train, chassis and engine. BMW claims that the R 1200 GS makes 100Hp at the crank. MO dynoed our test unit and it put an honest 85Hp to the ground, so this number is completely believable. Slightly less believable is BMW's claim that the new GS weighs 496Lbs dry and is "Lighter than every full-fledged competitor out there." I wonder what bikes BMW classifies as "Full Fledged" competitors? Harley Electra Glides perhaps? Surely, a Suzuki V-Strom is lighter. Ok, I'll be nice. Fact is, the 1200 does feel considerably lighter than the 1150 GS and its asphalt canyon and off-road performance is much improved. It is now good enough that I would need to do a back-to-back comparison test, to determine the best all-around bike between an R 1200GS, V-Strom, Tiger, and 950 Adventure. Hmmm.... Perhaps a grand MO comparo / adventure tour is in order!

Antique Roadshow, I mean, FACEOFF! Because we can, we dyno tested a local 90K mile 1988 R 100 GS with our 2005 GS - just in case you were considering the upgrade!

When the Press Ride starts, I'm immediately impressed with how much stiffer and more responsive the 1200 GS feels. Riding from the hotel to the highway, it's fun to toss around and I do a couple of wheelies, lest some of the other journalists confuse me with a professional. After we get to the highway, we spend a heck of a lot of time droning along in a straight line. This is tedious but serves to underline how comfortable the bike is, as well as highlighting its enhanced horsepower when we merge with traffic, or pass truckers. On this long drone, the new boxer-twin proves to be a bit smoother than the old 1130cc engine. More importantly, there is no evidence of the "surging" that has plagued oil head boxers in the past. About the time I start wondering if this ride is going to be an Iron Butt event, we turn-off the freeway and head up into the mountains for some canyon strafing.

Actually strafing is far from what we're doing, seeing as how the group pace wouldn't put any pressure on an 85 year old grandma in an 55 year old Buick on bald tires. At this relaxed pace, I am able to notice the beautiful scenery and concentrate on the weather, my navel, the dirty email that my fiancé sent me from home, and most importantly, our upcoming lunch stop. Funny enough, after 100+ miles in the saddle, I'm still completely relaxed and content to hold my place in the group.

I smile in my helmet at the realization that this "funky" new BMW does a fairly decent impression of a soulless Japanese appliance. Fortunately it is only an act, like all good entertainers, the R 1200 GS can play many roles. I find this out later in the day, when I escape from the group's clutches and get a chance to blast through a twisty and deserted back road, alone. The engine note won't cut it on the MotoGP grid, but the GS is highly entertaining nonetheless. Its canyon performance is similar to a V-Strom, which is to say that it's fun and easy to ride fast. The servo-assisted partially-linked ABS brakes are powerful and up to the sporting task.

Page2While the smooth torque delivery makes it somewhat safer to get on the gas, when I'm still leaned way-over. The new GS' lower un-sprung weight and stiffer frame are of particular note in this environment, and the bike responds crisply to input through its wide handlebars. I'm having so much fun, that I regret having to slow down when I catch-up to the group. Once everybody is accounted for, we take a long highway ride back to the hotel and the R 1200 GS thrums along happily through mile after endless mile of Nevada desert. When we arrive back at the hotel, I find that I am still fresh and ready for more. It's a good thing I'm still fresh, because BMW has chosen to take us to Las Vegas' new Hoffbrau House, for singing, drinking and all the wiener schnitzel we can eat. I like good beer and sausage as much as the next guy, but on your next trip to Lost Wages, do yourself a favor and skip the Hoffbrau House. Better yet, go to Munich and visit the original.

Press Intro day 2 dawns hot and dry, which is a bad thing, when I realize that Day 2 will be spent almost entirely in the desert's dirt, at the Jimmy & Heather Lewis off-road riding school. Another freeway ride takes us out to the school which is located adjacent to Buffalo Bill's Wild West Casino, Amusement Park, Latte Bar, Arcade, Buffet, Outlet Mall, Gas Station, Ice Cream Parlor, Beauty Parlor, Funeral Parlor, Massage Parlor, did I mention Casino and Hotel, in sunny (oh so sunny) Stateline Nevada. This is Jimmy's first taste of the new R 1200 GS (after racing older GS racebikes in the Paris-Dakar Rally) and he seems impressed by its lightness and stability. The day's school begins with a brief orientation, followed by a "chalk-talk", before we head out onto a nearby dry lakebed for off-road drills.

Once in the dirt, the GS proves to be stable (no surprise there) but surprisingly agile and capable of any 2-D maneuver you wish to try. Just like in high school, I have great fun straying from the syllabus, doing wheelies, power slides, hackies, and all sorts of tom-foolery that the old GS didn't take to nearly so kindly. After the drills and a quick lunch, we divide into three groups (Advanced, Intermediate and "Take the Highway Home") and set off cross-country, for a 50-mile dirt ride back to our hotel. Being the super-macho-moto-stud that I am (that's a joke people, please keep the hate mail to yourselves),

I bravely chose the "Advanced" group and set off hot on Jimmy's tail. Our route includes a very technical and entertaining rock wash, several miles of fast power line roads, a mountain pass with a mild ascent and fairly steep descent, a bit of open desert and of course an obligatory state highway leg. At this point, I think it is only appropriate to thank Jimmy Lewis, for keeping the pace sane and not allowing us to form any 500Lb cart-wheeling balls of death. Though I didn't crash, the ride wasn't entirely without incident. Another journalist managed to drop his GS onto its left-cylinder's head. Unfortunately, his bike tipped-over onto a softball-sized rock, which cracked the head. The bike still ran fine with the cracked head, but on the ride back to the hotel, it gave his left boot a nice coating of oil. Tip-overs DO happen on the trail, so if you are considering a 1200GS for off-road use, please invest in a set of head-guards. After an otherwise exhilarating ride, we returned to the hotel hot, dirty and grinning from ear-to-ear.

Lest I give you the impression that this is a true dual-purpose bike, it is important to note that this thing still weighs over 500Lbs and is equipped with tires that are designed for pavement use and well-groomed fire roads. Overall, the GS is perfectly capable in the dirt, as long as one keeps the bike's weight, tires and suspension in mind. When ridden sanely, the GS will go almost anywhere you wish to explore. Though it is lighter and more capable than the old GS, if you try to ride the 1200 like an XR-650, you will soon, find the suspension bottoming harshly, while you blow your knees apart, trying to save it from frequent front-end washouts.

As you can see from the photos, I've been lucky enough to ride the big GS in all types of environments, from cold mountain streams to flat desert sand and rock to long highway drones and tight canyon blasts. Much of my test riding was like the stuff you see in BMW brochures, but rarely get to see or do in real life. I'm happy to report that through it all, the bike never let me down and seemed as though you could ride it like this every day of a long happy life together.