BMW R1200GS Adventure – Road test

Seeing her live is always impressive. With the bags mounted it is truly impressive. Then the question is always there hammering: but How can a motorbike like this be the best-selling in Italy? It's not cheap, for the Adventure the allowance to be paid is from 17 thousand euros up, depending on how you want to set it up. Above all, it is not a banal motorbike, due to its size, height and weight it inspires a bit of fear. Is it possible that such a large public, composed, for obvious reasons, largely of motorcyclists, unaccustomed to extreme uses of their two-wheeled vehicle, in some cases even inexperienced, prefers it to smaller motorcycles and, at least intuitively, easier to use? After about a month together, almost 2.800 km, travelled between the Alps of Italy, Switzerland and Austria, reaching Vienna on the motorway, we can say that we have a few fewer doubts.

Aesthetics and finishes:

rating:  

A reference, he is still noticed at the end of his career, top quality

The line has been the same for years now, success suggests not upsetting such a successful product. What's surprising is that, even though it's no longer new, we've often found people stopping to admire it parked and complimenting us. The frame is a tubular trellis, with the carrier engine, combined with the trademarks, the Telelever at the front and the single-sided Paralever at the rear. The same has a double function, because it also contains the transmission cardan. Around the engine and chassis we then find the now classic asymmetrical headlight, that front beak, which among its functions also has that of conveying air to the oil radiator, and which has been copied several times by its competitors. Then, in the case of the Adventure, the bulk stands out 33 liter tank, a decently sized adjustable windshield and various bulkheads: hand guards, bumpers in the lower part of the engine, on the boxer heads, and a cage of metal tubes to protect the tank and the entire front part of the bike. Very beautiful crossed spoked circles, with large black channels. They host Michelin Anakee III tires, new this year, which is well suited to bikes like this. Nowadays the power of large enduros is important, up to 150 horsepower in some cases, and theuse what is done with it is to 90%, if not 100%, on the asphalt. Tire manufacturers are taking this into account and the most recent tires have decidedly opted to accommodate road use, with carcasses, tread design and compounds much more suitable for asphalt than for mud and off-road. Other qualities that are now mandatory are durability and grip on wet asphalt and at low temperatures, given that many people use these motorcycles twelve months a year. Only one flaw: you have to give up off-road use, at least of a certain kind. Having closed the parenthesis on the covers, returning to the appearance of the Adventure being tested, they are also inevitable the aluminum top cases, which make the Gs a true touring bike. In the classic configuration with 3 rigid bags, the total capacity is in line with some 2-seater cars. The two lateral ones have a capacity of 38 litres, the left one, where the exhaust steals some space, and 44 the right one to which are added the 32 of the rear one, for a total of 114 litres. The GS, acronym for Gelande Strasse, in Italian dirt road, allowed us to travel with luggage for two people without giving up anything. We brought with us a decent-sized bag, a laptop bag, a backpack, a nice pack of guides and maps, as well as rain gear, leaving the rear top box free for a handbag and other objects: remarkable! Nothing fixed in a more or less artificial way or that was an obstacle to driving. The other great advantage, from a tourist perspective, is that the standard Gs tank has been replaced on the Adventure with a 33 liter one, which allowed us to never pay more than 1,45 for petrol, given that with Approximately 600 km of autonomy we managed to do it in two free ports, Livigno and Samnaun, and in Austria, avoiding refueling on the motorway, where it can cost up to 30 cents more. Even though it wasn't the best season, we also enjoyed the heated grips. When the temperature dropped below 15 degrees they were really welcome, given that we were using a very summer glove.

Engine and performance:

rating:  

Infinite torque and elasticity, 110 horsepower that push up to almost 8 thousand rpm

We are facing the swan song of the air boxer, as it seems now the presentation of the liquid GS Adventure at Eicma 2013 is almost obvious, with the same engine as the GS 1200 MY 2013, which we are testing for you these days. Some people do a parallel with the Porsche 911, it feels like going back to the times of the 993, replaced by the 996, which bid farewell to the air-cooled boxer in 1997. Similarly, even today some people view change in a hostile way. For this reason, but not only, we are sure that BMW will have no difficulty selling the last examples of the "old lineage" of R1200GSA, but we are equally sure that the new engine will allow it to maintain a high number of admirers and customers. The current 1200 twin-cylinder has the double shaft head since its last update, dated 2009. Equipped with double spark plug for each cylinder, it delivers 110 horsepower at 7.750 rpm, but it's the recovery that's impressive, with 120 Nm at 6000 rpm, a pair that allows you to resume very well even in sixth gear, from 50 km/h with passenger and luggage! The GSA 1200 it is so elastic that you forget about the gearbox, you exit the hairpin bends well in third or even fourth gear, if the radius is a bit large. The exhaust valve then gives it a really nice full sound. Shooting from below, perhaps in a tunnel, with the walls increasing the acoustic return, is a pleasure. However, you can't mess around with the clutch. Thanks to the great torque of the engine “to challenge” voluntarily or by accident, produces the same result, a great burning smell and the overheating of the discs. Certainly not a great thing, especially when used off-road, where you must always keep this in mind, otherwise you will have to stop to let everything cool down.

Ride and handling:

rating:  

Balanced and easy to handle as soon as you move it, it amazes around the bends, less so on dirt roads

We mentioned the famous Telelever, it is coupled with the Paralever at the rear, with 20 millimeters more travel than the “standard” GS. All "seasoned" with a generous dose of electronics. All 'ABS, disengageable for off-road driving, they are combined with theASC for traction control, which obviously also limits the surge, and the ESA (Electronic Suspension Adjustment) II system which manages the suspension. With a button, conveniently located on the left side of the handlebar, it is possible to define the best setting with three calibrations for road use, plus those for off-road use and, for all of them, with the possibility of indicating the presence of a possible passenger and bags. For the Adventure the pitch between the two axles also changes, greater than 3 mm, thanks to a different angle of the steering head, while the diameter of the circles, spoked, it always remains from 19 at the front and 17 at the rear. A saddle è 6 centimeters taller and the weight increases by around 20 kg, due to the many standard accessories, such as the various bulkheads that distinguish it. The result is that, upon initial approach from a standstill, you feel a little awkward. Maneuvering, especially with all the top cases mounted, is anything but trivial. It takes a period of practice to do it safely and without looking like a complete wimp. Better this way, however, than leaving safely and finding yourself dealing with the damage of an accidental fall or a "scratch" with the cases on a wall or, worse, on another vehicle. The center of gravity is relatively low, one of the best qualities of the bike is being balanced but, when you are standing still or almost, the masses involved make themselves felt, they are in the order of at least 270 kg and recovering it if it is falling is not an easy thing at all. This is perhaps demonstrated by the scratches on the right head cover, on a motorbike which, when we collected it, had traveled just over 1.600 km. Once in motion everything changes. The high driving position gives an excellent feeling of dominating the situation. It goes without saying that you drive in maximum comfort in every situation, in city traffic as well as on the motorway It amazes with how easy it is to handle on the narrow bends of the Alpine passes. You enjoy it extremely easily and find yourself riding them more quickly, but with a fraction of the effort required by other types of motorbikes, even much more powerful ones. In traffic it seems very wide at first. The impression is that you risk colliding with the side cases, but after a while you take the measurements and understand that the overall dimensions are slightly greater than the width of the handlebars. If that passes, the whole bike passes, as long as you don't immediately tighten the trajectory. On the motorway the vibrations, practically absent, make it an unrivaled travel companion. I think it's the first time we've managed to get off a motorbike, even after a non-stop journey lasting hundreds of kilometres, without that annoying hand shaking, normally caused by the vibrations transmitted through the handlebars, even on the most comfortable motorbikes. The operation of the cardan shaft, even if it is no longer new, at least for recently produced BMWs, deserves a note. After recently riding a vintage motorcycle with this solution, it is almost surprising to see how the technology has moved forward. If we didn't know this it would be difficult to understand that there is not a chain but a drive shaft. You never feel the slightest jerk, even when you release the gas abruptly or downshift by releasing the clutch almost like a switch. This type of solution, by far the most used on motorcycles intended for long distances, has the great advantage of significantly less maintenance and a duration that often exceeds the life of the vehicle. While a chain requires frequent checking and lubrication, approximately every thousand km, and has a lifespan, which depends greatly on the use of the motorbike, usually in the order of 20 thousand km.

Price and consumption:

rating:  

17 thousand euros isn't a lot, but it's a great bike, with low maintenance costs and fuel consumption

We mentioned it, there great self-employeda allowed us to refuel our R1200GS Adventure only with petrol at a reduced price, compared to what you pay in Italy. All things considered, 2.800 km with 145 liters of petrol, paid a flat 200 euros. Consumption stood at 5,2 liters per 100 km, which is anything but bad when traveling with a practically fully loaded motorbike. The speed on the motorway has quite an impact, as is normal: the consumption is excellent up to 120 or a little higher, the consumption spikes already above 130, also because with top cases mounted it is a decent wall, on an aerodynamic level. The standard equipment is already excellent, but in “base” price of 17 thousand euros are not included, for example, the 3 comfortable aluminum bags, that they exceed 1500 in total, including supports. These are demanding figures, but we are at the top and we are faced with a bike that also has one value retention in record time. The first ones produced in this series, dated 2010, are worth around 13 thousand euros. A devaluation of approximately 25% in three years for a motorbike it is something absolutely extraordinary!

In conclusion

In summary, the Gs 1200 Adventure is a motorbike that you can use every day, go to the office in the city or travel long distances on the state road or motorway, but which will also be a perfect choice for every trip, with record range and capacity to take you in complete comfort on any type of terrain.

PROS AND CONS

We like it:
The GS1200 is the best-selling motorcycle and you can understand by using it why: ideal for any route, comfortable, powerful and an excellent companion even for a long journey

We do not like it:
When stationary and with the bags mounted, maneuvering is no joke, just as the size makes itself felt when off-road

BMW R1200GS Adventure: the Motorionline Report Card

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