German automobile manufacturer BMW is one of the “Big Three” auto manufacturers from Germany (the others include Mercedes and Audi) and the company has been producing a fantastic line of vehicles since its inception. However unlike Audi and Mercedes, BMW also has a very large line-up of motorcycles. Now you might be thinking to yourself “BMW bikes are for rich old guys or Europeans, they aren’y cool like Harleys!”. Well I am sorry to break it to you, but you are very mistaken. BMW actually makes some of the coolest and nicest bikes on the market and they have a wide range of bikes as well.
BMW has been producing motorcycles since 1923 under their motorcycle division which is called BMW Motorrad. BMW initially established itself as a manufacturer of airplane engines during the First World War. However after the war ended and according to the Treaty of Versailles, the company had to stop producing airplane engines, so BMW set its eyes on motorcycles. The company actually got involved with producing motorcycles before they started making cars. Motorcycle production began in 1923 while automobile production began in 1928. Today BMW makes sport bikes, grand touring bikes, roadster bikes, cruisers, scooters, and enduro bikes. Within those categories they have many different motorcycles all at a variety of different price points.
There are many different styles of motorcycles out there: bikes that take you to 200+mph, bikes that are comfortable to ride, off-road bikes, touring motorcycles, and much more. Well one of the most interesting class of motorcycle is the enduro class. Enduro motorcycles combine attractive elements from other types of bikes: they have powerful, reliable engines, a strong suspension, off-road tires, large fuel tanks, and a strong frame for example. Enduro bikes are a dual-sport type of motorcycle, meaning they can be used both on and off roads. These types of motorcycles are designed for extremely long trips that put a great deal of stress on the bike. BMW’s most popular bike and also their premier enduro style bike is the R1200 GS and the R1200 GS Adventure.
The BMW R1200 GS Adventure are the bikes that were famously used in the Long Way Down, a tv documentary series about an epic motorcycle journey that actor Ewan McGregor (Star Wars, Trainspotting) and Charley Boorman undertook back in 2007. The Long Way Down was a sequel to the first tv documentary series that the two made titled: Long Way Round. In the Long Way Round Ewan and Charley rode an intense 19,000 mile motorcycle journey where they took their BMW R1150 GS Adventures (the bike that was replaced by the R1200 GS) traveling west from London to New York. The two took 4 months to make the journey as much of it was off-road crossing through parts of Europe, Kazakstan, Ukraine, Russia, Mongolia, Siberia, Canada, and the United States. Well, after completing their first massive journey, the two wanted more so they decided to make Long Way Down. In the sequel the two used the newer R1200 GS Adventure to travel from Northern Scotland in John o’ Groats down to Cape Town, South Africa, a distance of around 15,000 miles. They would take their bikes through Scotland, England, France, and Italy. They then took a boat from Sicily into Tunisia to travel through Libya, Egypt, Sudan, Ethiopia, Kenya, Uganda, Rwanda, Tanzania, Malawi, Zambia, Namibia, Botswana, and South Africa. This incredible journey could only have been completed with the BMW R1200 Adventure due to the variety of features that the bike offers.
Now to get on about the actual bike itself, the R1200 GS series was first introduced in 2004 and replaced the R1150. The bike was about 66 pounds lighter and much more powerful. BMW wanted to create a reliable, yet powerful engine that would make the most out of fuel consumption. The motorcycle has a large 1,170cc liquid and air cooled, four-stroke flat 2-cylidner engine that provides the bike with around 123 horse power and 92 pounds of torque at 7,750 and 6,500 rpm respectively. This engine can allow the bike to achieve around 125 miles per hour and it gets an average of 55 miles to the gallon. Combine that with the large 7.9 gallon fuel tank, the bike has a maximum range of about 435 miles. The bike comes standard with two different riding modes, one for the rain and one for the road. Additionally BMW offers consumers various other modes as added options. The bike also has an on-board computer to help you calculate fuel consumption, how far you can travel with your remaining fuel supply, navigation, and a variety of other useful features. The bike also has an extremely strong frame allowing users to strap down a lot of gear. The bike itself weighs 573 pounds when it is fully fueled up and it can carry up to 485 pounds of rider and gear. The bikes frame allows multiple riding bags and cases to be attached to the vehicle. In Ewan and Charley’s adventures they were able to pack clothing, tents, medical gear, food, stoves, and much more; pretty much everything you need to survive a long journey can be attached to the bike. The bikes advanced suspension and premium seat also make it very comfortable to ride, especially for long distances off-road. The bike starts at a base price of $18,340.
The R1200 GS Adventure and the normal R1200 GS are BMWs most successful motorcycle to date. In 2006 nearly one-third of all motorbikes that BMW sold were R1200 GS’s and GS Adventures. In 2007 sales of these motorcycles exceeded over 100,000, and in 2008 they were also the best selling motorcycle from BMW. Prominent motorcycle news and review website, Cycle World, has consistently given this bike high amounts of praise, and in 2012 they called the R1200 “the most successful motorcycle in the last two-and-a-half decades”. They even argued that this bike created its own category of bikes, dubbing the category “Adventure Touring”.
If you have ever desired and yearned for a motorcycle to take you off the beaten path, allowing you to see and cover vast stretches of land while providing a functional, economical, and comfortable ride than you should look no further. The BMW R1200 GS Adventure is arguably the best motorcycle in its class and is extremely capable of taking you across highways, down dirt roads, up mountains, through deserts, and other extremely difficult terrain. While the price tag of this bike may be steep (some of that cost is for the BMW name), it is without a doubt an amazing motor vehicle.
Photo from BMWmotorcycles.com
