#BMWR1200GS

Who doesn’t love a good BMW GS story? This one is especially good. Today’s example is a 2005 R1200GS – ironically, listed at the V-Strom forum  StromTrooper.com – with over 100,000 miles. If the ad (reposted below) is any indication, the bike has 133,600 miles to be exact. The GS has been known to be virtually bulletproof, and this bike is driving home that point.

Listen, if you think it’s easy to arrange borrowing nine Sports-Adventure-Touring motorcycles from seven manufacturers and clearing a week in nine guys’ schedules, you should apply for work as some kind of General at the Pentagon or someplace. We’re keeping our jobs. We’re not complaining, but it’s not all a bed of roses. Ducati made us wait a long time to get our hands on its new 2015 Multistrada S, and our only slight disappointment is that Yamaha couldn’t come through with a Super Ténéré. It’s doubtful the Yamaha would’ve won in this company, but we could’ve come up with some great headlines if we’d had a nice even 10 bikes.

While in Germany for the unveiling of the BMW nineT, BMW arranged for the five attending journalists to spend a day at the Hechlingen Enduro Park and experience how BMW has partnered with the school to deliver a first-class riding experience. Although most of the riders who visit the facility are from Germany, many do come from the rest of Europe with a smattering coming from as far away as the United States.

Recently, we compiled a list of the Top 10 Cruisers for tall people. The premise was simple: you’re a tall fellow (or lady), and the majority of motorcycles out there just don’t feel comfortable to you. Your knees rub against your elbows, and the bars can be too low for your liking, placing unwanted weight on your wrists. Cruisers provide a great solution for those gifted (cursed?) with extra inseam, as the foot forward position helps spread the body out some. But cruisers also place more weight on a rider’s tailbone, which can cause comfort issues.

After riding BMW’s all-new R1200GS early this year, I figured it would sit gracefully at the top of its adventure-touring class for awhile. But KTM’s new 1190 Adventure R is set to shove the king off his throne. It’s more powerful, marginally lighter, has a larger fuel capacity and is equipped with a sophisticated electronics suite. And if the GS is equipped with its many desirable options, the KTM’s $16,799 MSRP is less expensive.

Not since an Honorable Mention in our 2010 Bike of the Year awards has BMW’s R1200GS made this list. Not that it wasn’t deserving of honors, but we’ve been enamored with the 800cc middleweight dual-purpose bikes such as BMW’s own F800GS and Triumph’s Tiger 800. The GS has been so good at its intended purpose, in fact, that the 2012 model handily won our 2012  Adventure-Touring Shootout. With the introduction of the all-new R1200GS, it’s no surprise the OG A-T bike not only wins our Best On-Off-Road category but also our Motorcycle Of the Year award.