The BMW R 1200 GS xDrive Hybrid (for now) is just a sensational April Fool's joke

BMW R 1200 GS xDrive Hybrid – On the evening of April 4th a sensational piece of news, published by a well-known news agency, passes before us on social media. We open the link and the content is one that deserves maximum attention: a hybrid and all-wheel drive version of the best seller from the Elica company! We scroll through the text and the first doubts make us think of an April Fool's joke, also because we are only three days away from the start of the month. First of all the use of BMW trademarks, but linked to 4 wheels, such as xDrive Hybrid, which seems like a "strange" choice for the Motorrad division, but especially those 45 additional horsepower (for a total of 170), which would come from a small motor in the front hub, furthermore with a very low weight (the e-Drive hub – would weigh only 0,88 kg), accompanied by a considerable reduction in weight due to the renunciation of one of the two discs, therefore also of the brake caliper etc. Ok, the electric motor in release helps braking, but this usually does not lead to a reduction in braking power as a result, but without getting too technical, up to this point the news could still seem credible. Especially because it takes inspiration from something real, that prototype presented at Eicma 2015 da Wunderlich, a well-known accessory manufacturer, who had gone so far as to conceive his own an R 1200 GS R2, equipped with a small motor in the front hub, capable of around ten horsepower.

BMW's press release, like all self-respecting April Fools' jokes, ends with a 90-degree twist, citing mysterious tests, carried out at the North Cape and on the Barents Sea, with around 1,5 meters of snow! At this point we are almost convinced that it is a joke, but searching the web we find ourselves faced with dozens of articles in the last two days, which are starting to give us some doubts. We haven't found an official denial from BMW and, given that it's no longer April Fool's Day, it's strange.

The perfect April Fool's joke it is this, something that plays on the edge that separates credible and joke, with sensational parts, made plausible by data and concrete elements. Judging by the result, BMW deserves the award for the best fish in 2017, which we won hands down. Even today many remain convinced that we will see it at Eicma at the end of the year, but unfortunately we have to deny it, because it is the Italian press office, contacted by us in the person of Andrea Frignani, to give us the official fact that it was a joke!

And here the complete text of BMW's "prank", in the original language and obviously dated April 1st:

BMW Motorrad launches the R 1200 GS xDrive Hybrid.
World premiere of the first travel enduro featuring Hybrid
All Wheel Drive.
Munich. The BMW GS models powered by the boxer flat-twin engine have
been the perfect companion for anyone wishing to explore the furthest reaches
of our planet for over three decades. Be it the Himalayan mountains, the Saharan
desert or the polar circles – the “GS” has always provided motorcycles
adventurers with the ideal combination of touring and long-distance travel
qualities, dynamic performance, endurance and off-road capability.
R 1200 GS xDrive Hybrid: the world's first all-wheel drive travel enduro.
With the world premiere of the near-series test version of the
R 1200 GS xDrive Hybrid, BMW Motorrad opens up a whole new chapter in
GS history and launches the world's first series-production all-wheel drive travel
enduro with hybrid drive.
The new R 1200 GS xDrive Hybrid is based on the legendary
R 1200 GS Adventure. The air/liquid cooled flat twin generates an output of
92 kW (125 hp) at 7 750 rpm as well as a maximum torque of 125 Nm at
6 500 rpm and delivers it to the rear wheel via shaft drive in familiar fashion.
Hybrid drive with 125 kW (170 hp) overall system output ensures supreme
performance in all riding conditions.
The unique all-wheel drive of the front wheel of the new
R 1200 GS xDrive Hybrid ensures even better traction on slippery roads
conditions, deep sand or mud. This technological feat was achieved using the
system developed by BMW Automobiles. All-wheel drive can be operated
automatically or manually by the rider via the 2WD (Two-Wheel Drive) switch
located on the left handlebar operation unit. It activates the wheel-hub e-Drive
system which functions both as electric motor and generator. With the additional
output of 33 kW (45 hp) and overall 125 kW (170 hp) system performance, the
innovative all-wheel drive system opens up a whole new dimension of
performance and offroad-suitability.
A new generation of batteries, derived from BMW i battery technology, stores
the energy recovered during braking. The e-Drive system on the front wheel is
supplied with this energy and the R 1200 GS xDrive Hybrid rider can use it for
accelerating in addition to the power delivered by the combustion engine.
Thanks to sophisticated management technology the power is always supplied
to the front wheel in the right amount and appropriately depending on the riding
situation. This means that the front wheel only receives the amount of power as
the traction conditions permit – for example in wet or deep snow conditions. The
rider can use a number of riding modes to customize how the all-wheel drive
system operates and adjust the hybrid system's recovery strategies to suit
his needs. Everything can be controlled using the innovative LCD display.
Optimized braking performance and balanced weight ratio thanks to
intelligent recovery and single disc brake.
Apart from the significant advantages achieved with regard to ride performance,
the xDrive Hybrid all-wheel drive also benefits braking greatly. Thanks to the
recovery process, which has been integrated into the BMW Motorrad ABS
system, braking performance has been improved even further.
This intelligent combined solution also made it possible to reduce the
conventional double-disc hydraulic braking system at the front to a single-disc
brake system thereby saving approximately 2.9 kilograms of weight. In
combination with the wheel hub e-Drive, which only weighs 880 grams, the
bike's agility was also optimized. Thanks to the bike's positive weight balance,
the weight level of the current R 1200 GS Adventure could be maintained in
despite the additional hybrid all-wheel technology.
This bike will get you anywhere, on any surface – even to the North
pole.
In the past months the test version of the new R 1200 GS xDrive Hybrid covered
countless thousands of kilometers in the toughest of riding conditions. The most
extreme demands were placed on the bike last winter, when Reiner Scherbeck,
the head of winter testing at BMW Motorrad, rode it to the North Cape on a first
stage and from there across the frozen Barents Sea to the North Pole and back
again.
Scherbeck: “We were absolutely amazed how problem-free and reliable the allwheel
drive worked even at minus 56 degrees. Thanks to our functionality
BMW rider equipment, the cold temperatures were no problem for the rider, too.
Probably the most thrilling conclusion we can draw from our test runs, is that for
the first time we can offer a motorcycle that makes riding a motorcycle a
pleasure at snow depths of 1.25 meters in high winter with the new
R 1200 GS xDrive Hybrid. Special front section components have also been
developed for this purpose as well as high-speed suitable M+S all-season tyres.
This was also necessary in order to meet the necessary requirements for
high-speed winter operation.”
The new BMW R 1200 GS xDrive Hybrid will be presented to the public in a
suitable location very soon. It will be available from the second half of 2017.
BMW Motorrad will announce special tire combinations and optional equipment
features as well as the official sales price at a later date.