2016 Adventure Bikes Spec For Spec

Do you really want to know how people use them? Go to the Horizons Unlimited gathering in Yosemite, CA in September and you will find out. Or the Overland Expo at Mormon Lake, AZ (20 miles south of Flagstaff) in May. Or the Cycle World Adventure Rally - Rockies Edition in Colorado in July and Sierra Edition in California in September. Or to AltRider's Taste of Dakar in Pahrump, NV in March. Or the Touratech Rally in Plain, WA in June. Or the KTM Adventure Rally in Crested Butte, CO in September. Or one of the Backcountry Discovery Route rides in 10 states (AZ, CA, CO, ID, MT, NM, OR, UT, WA, WY). No use just sitting at your keyboard and pontificating.

Oh after almost four decades in the motorcycle business, I know all about those events, I'm friends with the two of the most famous adventure tourers, Simon and Lisa Thomas, who have been on the road for 11 continuous years covering about 400,000 miles. And with plenty of in the field experience and as a member of BMW MOA for over 35 years I can tell you that the majority of the GSs purchased never see more dirt than maybe a gravel road.

You are right. Only 10% of GS owners ever go off-road, but this article is about the real adventure bikes MO is going to compare this year. The only way they could include the GS in this list is by spending an extra $2000 to replace the cast wheels with spoke wheels . The GS is not designed for serious off-road use without modifications. Mostly you will see KTM 690, 990, 1190 or 1290 adventure bikes.

You must be on another planet, the BMW GS & GSA out sell the KTM literally by the thousands annually.

GS, GSA KTM, Triumph Tigers, Yamahas, Hondas, all the big adventure bikes will seldom see dirt. But they are the most profitable units in the BMW line and see fewer discounts than the K bikes or the S1000 variants.

I meant off-road you will see mostly KTMs. BMW has given up on the off-road business after their Husqvarna debacle. Even previous GS owners who want better performance off-road are buying KTMs. If you go to any of the rallies I mentioned above, you will find lots of riders of all kinds of adventure bikes going off-road.

By the way, BMW sold a total of 23,681 R1200GS and 18,011 R1200GSA bikes in the entire world last year. KTM sold 180,000 bikes and Harley sold 264,627 bikes worldwide in the same period.

Really? You wouldn't consider it an adventure bike or take it off a gravel road unless it had spoked wheels? How many smashed wheels are there out there? Or smashed long travel suspension units due to the cast wheels ever-so-slightly less springyness? The biggest argument against taking those bikes offroad would be their size and weight.

You know what a real adventure rider ( around Australia and through 50 US states) hired for Alaska? A KLR 650. He passed a guy pottering along on a GS who was concentrating so hard he couldn't stop to chat. Can't help thinking that guy would have been happier on a smaller bike. Mike Hyde, who published his entertaining travelogue as Twisting Throttle America, did most of the other states (55 out of 57) on his V-Strom 1000.

Ian, it has nothing to do with me. That's what MO had to do to include the GS in this list. Your comment shows how little you understand about riding heavy road bikes like the GS off-road. The cast wheels don't break, and that is exactly the problem. Nothing happens to them, but they destroy the drive train, because they do not flex like a spoked wheel. For an example of $3000 worth of damage done to the drive train of the GS due to cast wheels, see the discussion I had with David G. Graham above. He is going to get spoke wheels for his GS.

Actually I did see that bit of the thread and it was interesting to see what the flexibility actually gives you, besides style points. Sadly I lunged for the forks rather than drivetrain failures in my scoffing - my bad - but I stick by my point: just how many destroyed drive trains are there out there? And is it worth spending a definite $2000 on wheels on the really quite unlikely chance of avoiding $3000 on a broken drivetrain? And wouldn't chain-driven bikes be immune?

I take your point wire wheels are the selection criteria for the test - and sorry for assuming it's also your criteria. I'm just pointing out that all those people who had adventures both on and off the tarmac on cast wheels aren't necessarily wrong. Sure, if you are going to do a lot of serious off-roading, you'd want the right bike, set up to take the knocks, but you say you avoid that stuff on your heavy bike.

By the way, although I don't much care for your tone, you are right, I don't know much about riding heavy road bikes off-road. It's something I choose to avoid. I prefer middleweights. I ride and tour my VFR in a spirited fashion on the road, and I slow down some for gravel roads, but I don't avoid them (Chinese fairings, so stone chips don't bother me). However, for a predominantly off-road trip, an old DR650 with soft bags is my cheap and cheerful choice. I don't worry about dropping it.

The problem with smaller bikes is that they are not true adventure bikes. An adventure is going thousands of miles both on and off road. Smaller bikes are not designed to go very far, or carry luggage and a passenger, or keep up with freeway traffic. If you enjoy getting to your far-away off-road destination quickly, a KLR 650 or anything smaller will be tedious. The KTM 1190 R goes fast on the freeway and also excels in the dirt. I am not avoiding serious off-roading. I am waiting to get more experienced at it, and don't want to do it alone, since it is good to have someone else with you if something happens.

He has done "55 out of 57" states in America?
Put down the GPS and grab a map.

FYI, one state is not accessible by motorcycle unless you have the submarine option.

Damn, I'm now slightly embarrassed about that set-up, but I did say 50 US states and Australia, which has seven. He didn't use the submarine option. Boringly conventional, I know, but he flew to Hawaii and hired a BM there. That was other state where his V-Strom wasn't along for the ride.

Kind of like buying that shiny new GMC Denali Duromax and only putting 7k / yr on it getting groceries ... lol

Driveline issues caused by cast wheels ? Let me guess, this came from the bmw dealership, right ? All GS models come equipped with a "cush" mechanism in the driveline, as to not transmit shock. The reverse is actually a bigger problem - riding an off-road bike not quipped with a "cush" drive (non street legal) on the Road, will effect the life of the driveline. You simply don't have the traction levels on the dirt to cause that much stress. The bmw driveline problems (Many Many) are mostly inconsistent tolerance issues (QC).

Nothing happened to the cast wheels but the drive train was damaged. Cast wheels can break if you hit large rocks at high speed. Also they transfer the shock directly to the drive train instead of wire wheels which flex and protect the drive train from shock. Also shaft drive is more susceptible to failure from shock than chain drive and is a lot more expensive to repair. Unlike shaft drive, chain drive can be repaired by the rider himself, anywhere in the world. Next time stay on the pavement with the GS and get a KTM 1190 R for off-road. The GS is more for 90% street / 10% off-road use.

good insight into the cast wheel thing and makes sense what you are saying...I was able to get most of the repairs done just before the warranty expired so it kind of worked out for good. The only thing they wouldn't replace was the rear fender thingy which basically vibrated right off the bike during the tlh trip.as for the gs's inate abilities as an adventure bike, it is the best out there from my experience. it just does everything well, with very few major flaws...I have some conti trail attacks on her right now, and plan on getting a set of extra wires to mount some twinduros on them and switch them as needed. that seems to be the simplest way to get everything out of the bike...because it does like serious scratching as well, and that's the flip side of this bike that makes it so bloody versatile. It's also the best 2 up touring bike ive had....my wife likes riding on the back and we trip a lot.....and it pains me to say that because since buying this damn thing my other bikes have tended to sit around not doing much. might just have to sell my st3 even tho I love its sexy growl....

You are correct: the GS is very versatile, a jack of all trades. I had a similar experience many years ago when I rode from Texas to Manitoba, a 5000 mile round trip, on my 1986 Harley Softail. I wanted to escape the oppressive summer heat by going as far north as possible. On the Rand McNally map, I saw that Hwy 6 went all the way north in Manitoba and then stopped. I wanted to know what was at the end of that road. When I reached Thompson, I found that Hwy 6 didn't stop but turned into a gravel road that went another 100 miles North to Churchill (the polar bear capital of the world) on the Hudson Bay. I didn't go on the gravel road as I was told that even four wheel drive vehicles get damaged and get many flats. I had to take Hwy 39 West across Manitoba to get to Hwy 10 to go back South. Hwy 39 was the worst road in the world I have ever been on. Huge pot holes everywhere. I was lucky I didn't break anything on my Harley. Also I had belt drive which is very forgiving and lasts forever without any maintenance.

ha ha ! I was born in Manitoba...what a coincidence! been to Thompson many times on business, but never on a bike...
gs a better choice, no?

If you mean the GS is a better choice than a Harley, no. I have 141,000 miles on my 2007 Harley Softail and ride it to work everyday on the freeway 70 miles round trip to work. It has presence. People get out of my way. I also have a 2015 KTM 1190 Adventure R which I take to work on Wednesdays and ride on the weekend. The KTM is far better off-road than a GS.

never owned a Harley...just about everything else. but not a Harley...the only one I rode was a 90 road king. nice bike.........not true, I've also ridden an xr1200 last year. my 2012 bonny t100 is a better bike than that one

BMW sold 23,681 R1200GS and 18,011 R1200GS Adventure bikes worldwide last year. KTM sold 180,000 bikes. Harley sold 264,627 bikes.

And I grew up there!

BMW Really needs to address their driveline issues !
As an owner of a 1996 R1100RS that had the dreaded trans failure (bmw service bulletin allowed them to not cover under warranty), and with 3 riding buddies all with driveline failures (10 to 27k), one of which never saw the dirt.
BMW = "break my wallet" more so than the ultimate riding machine ???