The Spanish inquisition

All-new F850GS is the most off-road capable of BMW’S GS range. Bike gets an exclusive on-road and off-road test in Spain…

BALANCE YOUR WEIGHT, use a light grip on bars, good speed and look where you want to go,’ says Chris Zimmerman. He’s chief instructor at Andalusia Enduro Park and our group leader on this two-day ride from Malaga to Granada and back. We’re in a river bed, somewhere in the foothills of the Sierra Nevada mountains, about to get our first taste of riding the new BMW F850GS in deep gravel. Vesa, an exuberant Finn, takes Chris’ ‘good speed’ instruction seriously and blasts off first, sending a rooster tail of pebbles spinning out from the back of the bike. Tobi, a marginally more measured German, follows. Then me. At a more modest pace. We’re riding on a cushion of loose stones that’s interspersed with large rocks and bits of wood. The trick is to avoid the big stuff, steering the bike by shifting your weight on the pegs. Back off the power and the front wheel digs in. Staying upright is a massive effort. After a couple of minutes, overheating and exhausted, I stop for a breather. The river bed has narrowed to a deep ravine with steep banks on either side. When my heart rate has calmed down, and the risk of cardiac arrest has receded,