La BMW R 1200 GS xDrive Hybrid (per ora) è solo un clamoroso pesce d’aprile

BMW R 1200 GS xDrive Hybrid – Nella serata del 4 aprile una clamorosa notizia, pubblicata da una nota agenzia di stampa, ci passa davanti sui social. Apriamo il link ed il contenuto è di quelli da attirare la massima attenzione: una versione ibrida ed a trazione integrale del best seller della casa dell’Elica! Scorriamo il testo ed i primi dubbi ci fanno pensare ad un pesce d’aprile, anche perchè siamo a soli tre giorni dall’inizio del mese. Primo tra tutti l’utilizzo di marchi di fabbrica di BMW, ma legati alle 4 ruote, come xDrive Hybrid, che ci pare una scelta “strana” per la divisione Motorrad, ma soprattutto quei 45 cavalli aggiuntivi (per un totale di 170), che arriverebbero da un piccolo motore nel mozzo anteriore, oltretutto con un peso molto ridotto (il mozzo e-Drive – peserebbe solo 0,88 Kg), accompagnati poi da una cospicua riduzione del peso stesso per via della rinuncia ad uno dei due dischi, quindi anche di pinza freno etc. Ok, il motore elettrico in rilascio aiuta la frenata, ma la cosa non porta solitamente a togliere potenza frenante di conseguenza, ma senza entrare troppo nel tecnico, fin qui la notizia potrebbe ancora sembrare credibile. Sopratutto perchè prende spunto da qualcosa di vero, quel prototipo presentato ad Eicma 2015 da Wunderlich, noto produttore di accessori, che si era spinto fino a concepire proprio una R 1200 GS R2, dotata di un piccolo motore nel mozzo anteriore, capace di circa una decina di cavalli.

Il comunicato stampa di BMW, come tutti i pesci d’aprile che si rispettino, finisce con il colpo da 90, citando fantomatici collaudi, svolti a Capo Nord e sul Mare di Barents, con circa 1,5 metri di neve! A questo punto siamo quasi convinti che si tratti di uno scherzo, ma cercando sul web ci troviamo di fronte a decine di articoli negli ultimi due giorni, che iniziano a farci venire qualche dubbio. Una smentita ufficiale di BMW non la troviamo e, dato che non è più il primo di aprile, la cosa è strana.

Il pesce d’aprile perfetto è questo, qualcosa che giochi sul filo che separi credibile e burla, con parti clamorose, rese verosimili da dati ed elementi concreti. A giudicare dal risultato, BMW nel 2017 merita il premio per il pesce meglio riuscito, per noi vinto a mani basse. Ancora oggi molti restano convinti che a fine anno la vedremo ad Eicma, ma purtroppo dobbiamo darvi una smentita, perchè è l’ufficio stampa italiano, da noi contattato nella persona di Andrea Frignani, a darci l’ufficialità del fatto che si trattava di uno scherzo!

Ed ecco il testo completo della “burla” di BMW, in lingua originale ed ovviamente datato 1 aprile:

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 motorcycle
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 road
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 recuperated 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 customise how the all-wheel drive
system operates and adjust the hybrid system’s recuperation strategies to suit
his needs. Everything can be controlled using the innovative LCD display.
Optimised braking performance and balanced weight ratio thanks to
intelligent recuperation 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
recuperation 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
spite of 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 kilometres 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 functional
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 metres 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 tyre combinations and optional equipment
features as well as the official sales price at a later date.