BE ALL THAT YOU CAM
Power: 128bhp Weight: 249kg Engine: 1254cc 8v opposed twin Price: £13,415
NAUSEATINGLY PREDICTABLE? MAYBE, but I don’t care. There’s no other motorcycle on the planet offering the sensations, abilities and ownership experience of BMW’S omnipresent adventure bike. That’s why the GS has been the galaxy’s best-selling big bike for yonks. And with the introduction of the cunning Shiftcam variable-valve engine for this year, Beemer have not only further polished the dynamic of this miraculous machine but added another unique selling point. The 1254cc flat twin is genius. It looks and sounds (and occasionally reacts) like something Fiona Bruce might showcase on a Sunday evening, yet is at the leading edge of motorcycle engine design. BMW use a ‘full load’ camshaft, with valve lift and duration to give 128bhp at the rear wheel and 25% more torque than Ducati’s monstrous Panigale V4, with over 80% of this wallop available from just 3000rpm. You just don’t expect a boxer to be so explosive, free-revving and mighty. But they also have a second ‘part load’ camshaft, which is active below 5000rpm (84mph in
sixth) and up to about 50% throttle. This has less lift and duration, and also different timing for the two inlet valves per cylinder to generate turbulence in the mixture for a faster burn.
So the engine is frugal, clean and sweet-mannered at low revs and small throttle openings, yet can still rotate your eyeballs in your head. Oh, and the changeover is completely undetectable. Housing a motor that has mechanical engineers salivating from 100 yards in the previous 1200’s already-excellent chassis pushes the R1250GS further from the grasp of scrabbling rivals. No matter what you measure or assess, the BMW shines; ride quality and handling, comfort and ergonomics, performance and engine feel, optional trinkets, whatever. Other bikes might have more horses, or offer more at spec sheet-level for less cash, but nothing brings it into such an engaging, impressive whole as the 1250. Crucially, nothing else has the BMW’S feel to its operation and contact services either. The experience is Gs-only.
That’s why they sell so many.
‘Other bikes have more at spec sheet-level for less cash, but nothing brings it into such an impressive whole as the 1250’