RIDING IMPRESSION
BMW’s GS motorcycle family has come a long way. The latest flagship model pays homage to more than 40 years of adventure for this iconic name.
The first of BMW’s GS motorcycles, the R80G/S, was introduced in 1980 and dominated the Dakar Rally from 1981 to 1985. Adventurer Ed Culberson then used an 80G/S in 1987 to drive the entire Pan-American Highway – from Prudhoe Bay in Alaska to Ushuaia in Argentina – crossing the infamous Darién Gap for the first time with a land vehicle.
The GS was therefore never an obscure motorbike, but it was a niche machine in a time when the rest of the world obsessed over superbikes. People paid little attention to adventure motorcycles back then.
The GS evolved over the years into the 100GS (980 cc), followed by the 1100GS and then the 1150GS. The latter was a breakthrough model for BMW when actor friends Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman travelled from Britain across Eurasia to America in 2004 on the 1150GS, giving rise to a popular TV documentary.
The world was finally ready for adventure motorbikes, and BMW’s two millionth motorcycle in 2011 was a 1200GS – at that time the most popular large-capacity motorcycle in the world.
What do we have here?
The BMW R 1250 GS Adventure Special Edition 40 Years of GS – goodness, what a mouthful! – launched in Europe in 2020, but due to the pandemic and economic reasons, it only arrived much later in South Africa.
It’s a huge motorcycle that uses all of BMW’s latest technology. And if the colour
scheme and stickers seem a tad oldfashioned, that’s because it pays homage to the eighties when primary colours dominated. The 1987 model R100GS – also known as the Bumblebee – had a similar colour scheme.
The GSA 40 Years – let’s use its abbreviated name – is a collectible, and although it certainly won’t be as rare as the 1996 model R80GS Kalahari, it is nevertheless the heart’s desire of many a BMW fan.
Standard gear
All R 1250 GS models brought to South Africa come with second-generation anti-lock brakes (ABS Pro), a major improvement over the previous anti-lock braking system which didn’t always work that well on gravel roads.
The GS also gets Hill Start Assist, and when it comes to lighting, we get full LED headlights that automatically swivel left and right as you weave through the bends.
Power points are standard, and you get a 12 V Hella socket and a 5 V USB port. Besides traction control, there are also three standard ride modes: rain, eco and road. If you plan to spens a lot of time on gravel roads, we suggest you opt for the complete ride mode package that includes the Enduro Pro mode – this mode deactivates all electronic aids, including the ABS, and allows you play at being an actual rally racer.
How’s the ride?
If this is your first time on a GS Adventure, its size might intimide you. It seems almost impossible to keep the large bike upright, but it’s just an illusion. Thanks to the flat boxer engine that keeps the centre of gravity down low, it actually handles surprisingly easily.
Yes, if you do fall over, you’ll have to wrestle all that 268 kg back on two wheels, especially if there’s luggage attached, but it’s completely doable if you know how.
At the local launch, BMW gave us the opportunity to ride the regular GS and the GS Adventure in quick succession on gravel roads, and all the motoring journalists agreed that the Adventure feels more stable than the regular GS. That may be true, but it could also be becasue the fat fuel tank and higher windscreen creates a false impression of solidity because the two versions are mechanically identical, especially in terms of tyres, suspension and performance.
After the original 80G/S’s Dakar successes, BMW stopped punting the GS as an off-road motorcycle. The GS’s smallish 19-inch front wheel testifies to BMW’s decision to focus on tar and graded gravel roads rather than a proper off-road bike that could carve new tracks through a jungle or desert.
The GS Adventure does indeed feel exceedingly comfortable on the slab and we could easily drive from Johannesburg to Cape Town via the N1 – with the occasional dirt road detour thrown in for fun, of course.
Conclusion
The cheapest R 1250 GS these days costs R322 900 – that’s the standard GS with white body paint – which puts it out of the reach of most young riders. The GS as depicted in the photos here costs a staggering R368 700, but if it is your heart’s desire to own a modern version of the Bumblebee, surely no price is too high.
In addition to the standard equipment already mentioned, there are several optional extras such as heated seats, panniers, a BMW branded GPS, an alarm and a function that automatically calls the emergency services if you’ve crashed and cannot make the call.
It is a great bike that’s well suited to South Africa’s back roads as well as visits to our neighbouring countries. We’d avoid the dunes of the Sahara – the Bumblebee is too heavy for that – but a nicer ride between Lüderitz and Swakopmund or Francistown and Maun we could scarcely imagine.
It is a great bike that’s well suited to South Africa’s back roads as well as visits to our neighbouring countries