BMW R1250GS ADVENTURE
Massive tank and go-anywhere ability means you can, erm, literally go anywhere
The story of how adventure bikes displaced tourers, then sports tourers, then even sportsbikes, to become the UK’S numberone big-bike preference — powered by the GS’S rise from goofy, agricultural, odd-ball weirdo to pre-eminence — is well-known. The R1250GSA might be biking’s biggest cliché but it’s a cliché for a reason. The GS Adventure is, simply, the most effective long-distance adventure bike you can buy and, from the evidence of a few minutes at any popular biking hotspot, many thousands of us already know it. The flat twin with a funny front end has achieved a level of motorcycling ubiquity last enjoyed by Honda’s CB750 or Triumph’s Bonneville.
The Adventure version of the GS, with a 30-litre tank, takes the prime GS assets — imperious roadholding, solo or two-up riding luxury, a meaty 135bhp motor, shaft drive, near-limitless roster of electronic aids, conveniences and accessories — and throws in the ability to keep the whole lot on the road between fuel stops for over 300 miles, if you tread lightly. Like most modern engines, the GS can be frugal but use it moderately hard and the fuel consumption will drop. However, it will still be getting 250 miles even if you rag it. That’s three and a half hours in the seat at 70mph; five hours at 50mph average speed. You’ll need to let fluid out long before the BMW needs to get fluid in.
The riding position is long-distance too. Evolved over the years from the bolt-upright stance of the first 1200GS, the 1250 adds a slight forward tilt — enough to relieve some bum and back pressure — and the seat is supportively scalloped. The only trade-off for the bigger tank is in sheer heft — as long as the GSA is rolling, it’s fine but it’s not a small bike and man or woman-handling the BM with the engine off takes no small effort.
Everything else about the bike is tailored to minimise mileage stress: the gentle thrumming of the lanky Beemer’s motor; the supple flow of its ride quality polishing the road smooth beneath you; the ability to tinker with semi-active damping settings on the fly; decent wind and weather protection; an electronic array of heated grips and seats; cruise control (now with a radar-based adaptive option); a colourful 6.5in TFT display and a multitude of seat height and handlebar position options. A colleague who owned a GS Adventure once described it as motorcycling’s motorhome — the panniers and topbox can basically swallow the contents of your house, and then the bike just gets on with covering the miles until you want to stop and pitch a tent. And for many of us, that’s exactly the touring turn-on we buy a GS Adventure for.