BMW R1250GS
The R1200GS is dead; long live the R1250GS. BMW’S phenomenon gets a bigger engine and variable valve timing
WELCOME TO THE launch of the R1200… sorry, R1250GS.” An unfortunate slip of the tongue from BMW’S guide rider, but understandable. In fairness, it’s pretty hard to break a 15-year-old habit. A decade and a half - that’s how long the word “R1200GS” has been with us on Earth, and for most of that time it’s been used to describe one of the planet’s biggest-selling, high-profile motorcycles. You’ve said it, read it, seen it and thought it countless millions of times. So no matter how often you remind yourself that the new 1200 is actually a 1250, most mouths are still going to blurt out “hundred” before brains remember it’s now a “fifty” instead.
The fact that the new bike looks virtually identical to its predecessor doesn’t help either. Your eyes see that familiar high-rise stance, wide hips, stuck-out cylinders, pointed plastic panels, nosey beak and asymmetric headlight, and identification is instant. That’s an R1200GS — except that it isn’t, not any more.
The name change actually undersells the difference inside the motor. It’s gained an extra 84cc, total capacity rising from 1170 to 1254cc (see boxout over the page for details). But the bigger difference is that the R1250GS’S engine has a completely new variable valve timing system BMW calls “Shiftcam”. And no, the f isn’t silent…
In a nutshell, Shiftcam lets the motor switch between two different intake cam profiles: a softer ‘partial-load’ cam and a lumpier ‘full-load’ cam. So at smaller throttle openings and below 5000rpm, the
“The end result simply feels like a better Boxer”
intake valves open a smaller amount and for less time, improving efficiency. When you open the throttle wide, or the motor rises above 5000rpm, the full-load cam lets the motor breathe harder for maximum performance.
Any curious mind instantly wants to know one thing: can you feel the change between cams? To find out, I spend the first half-hour of today’s ride around the south-west corner of Portugal ignoring the scenery and trying my hardest to detect, trigger and fool the system. I begin by using tiny throttle openings in a low gear, gently teasing the motor up to and beyond that all-important 5000rpm shift point. The yellow rev counter on the now-standard TFT dash creeps up, meets and passes the limit… and absolutely nothing happens.
I roll off slightly and the revs trickle back down to 4000rpm. Still nothing. I click up to top gear, drop to 2000rpm and snap the twistgrip fully open. The GS surges forward with masses more guts, grunt and gusto than the 1200 — 134bhp is still less than rivals from Triumph, KTM or Ducati, but 106lb·ft of torque sets a new adventureclass record. Yet not a pause, pop, click, hiccup, lurch or splutter of a shifted cam.
So will changing gears confuse it? I shift up at 6000rpm on a constant throttle, the resulting drop in revs forcing the cams to move. Nothing. I downshift to bring the revs up and swap cams again. Still nothing. I set the cruise control at 5000rpm and trim the speed up and down 1kph at a time, hoping to feel or hear something . Nope.
Here’s the bottom line: if you have any concerns about Shiftcam feeling anything like Honda’s VTEC system, don’t. If you didn’t know the new R1250GS had a fancy new variable valve timing system, there is zero chance you’d ever work it out for yourself. And, surely, that’s exactly how such a system should be — quietly working away in the background, rather than constantly reminding you of its existence.
The end result simply feels like a better Boxer — a whisker smoother at low revs, perhaps, but definitely substantially fitter and feistier when you open the throttle wide. I can’t wait to put a 1200 and a 1250 side-by-side to see for sure, but my guess is that in a straight roll-on test the new bike will clear off. Packing 14% more torque, identical gearing and only carrying a few extra kilos, you can’t argue with physics.
The weight difference isn’t as much as it first looks, either. On paper the R1250 is 5kg heavier than the 1200 — but it’s not
really. A quarter of that comes from the LED headlight now being standard — the 1200’s weight was claimed with the lighter halogen unit, though most riders upgraded to the LED item anyway. The TFT dash adds a few hundred grams too.
The R1250GS also illustrates a further danger of judging bikes on spec sheets. On paper the wheelbase and trail figures have both grown from the 1200. But not in real life, says product manager Reiner Fings: “That is because of a fault in the technical data of the old bike,” he smiles.
In fact, the chassis is identical to 2018: same steel frame, same geometry, same Dynamic ESA semi-active suspension and automatic rear preload adjustment. And so the R1250GS handles exactly like the 1200 before it: accurate, neutral, intuitive and faultlessly balanced from walking pace to trackday fast group.
Perhaps I’ve been looking at pictures of R1200GSS too much recently, but I do
spot something new that isn’t mentioned in any of the promotional blurb: new front brake calipers. They’re made by Hayes, replacing the previous Brembo parts. “The performance is the same,” explains Reiner mysteriously. If it’s not a performance upgrade, it’s probably safe to assume BMW found a supplier offering a better deal.
The only other differences are found in the electronics. Hill hold is standard and improved in two ways. It now activates automatically — come to a stop on a slope of 5° or steeper and the bike automatically holds the rear brake on for you, whereas previously you had to activate it by squeezing the front brake. Pulling away, the brake now disengages a lot more cleanly than the 1200 did.
There’s also a new aid called Dynamic Brake Control. In short, it ensures the
throttle is shut when you brake hard. Apparently in an emergency stop it’s common for riders to hold the throttle open slightly, which doesn’t help. Not something I’ve ever thought about, but the system doesn’t intrude in normal riding.
The price is reasonable too: the 2018 R1200GS TE was £15,625, but adding the TFT dash bumped that to £16,220. The new R1250GS TE is £16,200.
Is it worth trading up? That depends. You’ll definitely notice the extra grunt on a wide-open throttle but if you prefer trundling around more sedately, the benefits might not be as dramatic.
In short, everything good about the previous bike has been carried over, with more potential and no disadvantages. And that surely makes this the best-ever R1200 — sorry, R1250 GS.