Review: 2005 BMW R 1200GS - Motorcycle.com
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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.
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!
The only flaw I found during my time on the GS is that the digital fuel gage often failed to reset itself after a fill up. This meant that on more than one occasion, the trip computer displayed "Range 0 Miles" for most of a tank of gas. The technicians on hand assured me that it was a pre-production software glitch that would be fixed, before the bikes hit a showroom. The rest of the controls and layout are typical BMW, with their intuitive turn signals and 50Kw microwave oven heated handgrips that are suitable for roasting squirrels, while you play the harmonica by the campfire. Neat details abound on this bike, like the integral mounts for a new style of BMW expandable metal side cases and that hollow rear axle that you can shoot photos through. The bike hardly qualifies as "Beautiful" but it is easy to call "Neat", "Funky", and "Cool".
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.
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.
More by Sean Alexander
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