BMW R1200GS

BMW R1200GS Exclusive £15,565 + 1170cc Boxer twin + 123bhp + 244kg + 20L tank + 850/70mm seat Tester: Martin Fitz-gibbons, contributor

THIS ISN’T JUST any BMW R1200GS. Oh no – this is a BMW R1200GS Exclusive. And what makes it so exclusive? Unlike the regular GS, this has gold-coloured front brake calipers and a black shaftdrive unit – though, come to think of it, so does the R1200GS Rallye.

So does the name refer to the breathtaking standard spec, which includes semi-active suspension, LED headlight, keyless ignition, up-and-down quickshifter, heated grips and lean-sensitive rider aids? Nope: the R1200GS TE has all that, too. That just leaves the sparkly dark brown paint (on the beak and tank) as all I’ve found that’s truly exclusive to the Exclusive.

Nonetheless, with almost no options boxes left unticked, this is Britain’s best-loved bike in its full Sunday best. And as an owner of a six-year-old F800GS – an incredible all-rounder – I’m curious and keen to discover how much extra my bike’s more famous bigger brother can offer.

Running-in simply means keeping the Boxer twin below 5000rpm for the first 1000km (620 miles), which is zero bother. By BMW’S numbers that still leaves me 80bhp and 90lb.ft of torque to play with, which means in top it’ll do 85mph. So there’s no shortage of speed, though the abridged rev range mean lots of jumping from third to sixth and back on twisty roads – and at these lower revs manual shifts feel kinder than using the quickshifter.

Most surprising is how soft the suspension is in Road mode, even at running-in speed. There’s so much movement that I soon switch to Dynamic, which tightens things up, making it feel more like a motorbike and less like a hovercraft.

Other than this, the bike radiates a confident calm. It’s so unflustered by anything I’ve done on it so far I swear I can sense it sigh when I shut the garage door. At night, it likely longs for a challenge – a longer ride, a chance to stretch its legs, anything that comes close to scratching the surface of its limitations. All in good time…