BMW’S GS BEATEN AT LAST?
Can Earth’s most popular globetrotter shrug off its lighter, faster rival?
No MCN Adventure Special would be complete without a hefty nod to the bike that turned British riders on to a whole new world. From the instant BMW’s big GS landed in 1200 form in 2004 it
was an over-achiever, sneaking into top-10 sales charts when they were dominated by superbikes, and fuelling the single biggest shift in motorcyclists’ tastes over the following 15 years. From single-cam to twin-cam, from air-cooled to water-cooled and now from 1200 to 1250, the big
GS has always managed to keep pace with the phenomenal explosion in the adventure world. And for 2019, its latest evolution is the R1250GS. Its 1254cc boxer twin boasts significantly more power and torque than the previous 1170cc motor. It’s cleaner, smoother and more fuelefficient, too, in part thanks to a new variable valve timing and lift system called ShiftCam.
But hold on just a second; if it’s power, punch and performance you’re after, there are already plenty more potent adventurers. Arguably the most credible comes from the firm that’s won the Dakar Rally every year since 2001 and whose current flagship adventure boasts a motor that’s a direct decedent of the last-ever V-twin to dominate the world’s toughest desert race. Despite being launched two years ago, KTM’s 1290 Super Adventure S remains more powerful than BMW’s new 1250, is lighter, and also more affordable when compared likefor-like against BMW’s top-of-therange TE version of the GS. Which is what we have here. Armed with almost every trick, toy and tech up BMW’s sleeves, the R1250GS TE costs an imposing £16,240, with another £100 for blue paint and £305 more for the SOS emergency call button. Big money, however you measure it, but it buys a big bike, too. The seat may quickly adjust between two heights but even the shorter option sits you nearly 860mm (34in) off the floor...
On the move, however, any sense of size or surplus performs an incredible disappearing act. The GS’s wide handlebars offer huge leverage, letting you flick-flack through roundabouts on the A605 and A45 with sublime ease. You sit in huge comfort, perched atop a deeply padded seat, tucked behind an adjustable windscreen, picking off slow-moving traffic one vehicle at a time and ticking off miles with softly-spoken simplicity. It’s as close to a time machine as two wheels get; distance melting away faster than you’d imagine.
The first 90 minutes passes in what feels like 20. The R1250GS has whisked me through 60 miles of busy A-roads, roadworks-ruined dual carriageway, a handful of quiet villages, and a brisk backroads blast. Turning onto the M40, I set the cruise control on the left bar, blink, and it’s practically time to turn off
for Stratford. Incredible. There isn’t a single element you can point at on the GS that’s responsible for this ability to cover great distances in a single bound, on any type of road, in any weather or traffic condition, but a mix of everything. The motor is superbly smooth for a whacking great flat twin, with no hint of draining vibration, finicky fuelling or tiresome flatspots. Power pours forth without ever asking you to put in any effort. The same is true of the chassis. Those new-for-2019 Hayes front brakes bite gently and progressively with a light brush of the lever, but can unleash truly fearsome force with a sharp squeeze.
Clever suspension automatically sets rear preload to keep the bike pitched at the right attitude, while also constantly tweaking damping at both ends to optimise ride quality. By the time the halfway point of the MCN250 comes round, it’s crystal clear why the GS is as popular as it is: it’s not only an astonishingly complete road bike, but it conspires with you to make your riding life as easy as possible. KTM’s 1290 Super Adventure S goes about things in a very different way. Rather than quietly dispatch a road trip, it sets out to make sure you remember every single mile of it. You feel the power pulses from its gargantuan 1301cc V-twin clearly through the grips and footpegs. Lighter internals mean the motor wants to pick up on the slightest invitation, then keep on spinning all the way to the 10,000rpm redline. Shut the throttle and the engine braking is stronger and more sudden than the GS, too.
‘The KTM generally feels happier sat a gear lower than the BMW’
‘The GS makes your riding life as easy as possible’
For a while the KTM’s sharper, crisper and more direct character is addictively engaging, especially when you’ve just stepped off a quieter, far more understated machine. But a few miles down the road realisation dawns: despite its prodigious potential, the 1290 isn’t actually as quick as the GS – at least, not if you try to ride it like a BMW. It might deliver more power at the very top end, but the rest of the time the KTM asks you to do some work. Look at those torque figures: the Super Adventure needs more revs, yet makes fewer ftlb than the GS. The KTM generally feels happier sat a gear lower than the BMW, and is certainly is more content when its throttle is twisted further open. Despite narrower handlebars the 1290’s steering is slightly lighter than the 1250. Its suspension is set firmer, compromising comfort but giving more feel from the tyres. The KTM is certainly not excessively aggressive – it’s a perfectly usable all-rounder, behaving impeccably through the dense congestion from Buckingham through Milton Keynes to Bedford at day’s end. But its frantic, frisky nature can’t be repressed forever; spirit and silliness is always bubbling away underneath, just waiting to cut loose. Put in the effort, and it rewards with a far more dramatic dynamic. Heading north on the final dash of B660, the difference is laid clear: the BMW is an adventure-tourer, the KTM is an adventure-sportsbike.