Last month I was fortunate enough to be offered the chance of an ‘extended’ test ride of the new 1200 GS… needless to say I accepted without hesitation.
For those who don’t know me, my current steed is an 1100GS that I have had from new, bought 14 years ago in 1999, incidentally the OTR cost back then was £9,070.
The TE model I tested had been carefully run in (I have the track logs
) by BMW and had just had it’s first service, so it was quite literally ‘as new’.
As I had to pick the bike up from London, it was going to be interesting to see how familiar the new 1200 felt compared to my current steed, my 1100GS. It was 186 miles each way so perfect for a back to back comparison.
Within minutes of setting off the new GS had a certain familiarity about it and I certainly felt at home. Two things did strike me from the off though, the crispness and smooth power delivery of the new motor and the bikes nimbleness. Obviously this was more noticeable because I was comparing it with my 14 year old lardy 1100 which has only two thirds of the power and is carrying more weight.
Once out of the traffic and onto the motorway it was very obvious that this new 1200 could swallow huge mileages with so much ease. The ride home was certainly more pleasurable than the trip down.
Over the following 3 weeks I managed to cover 2,500 miles on a mix of Motorway, A roads, B roads lanes and Welsh logging tracks, but alas no serious off road was done.
The new GS is certainly endowed with a host of cutting edge technology that not only enhances performance and handling, but also enhances the ‘whole’ riding experience. There are 5 ‘riding modes’; Dynamic, Road, Rain, Enduro and finally Enduro pro. Selecting each mode not only changes the suspension and ABS, it also remaps the ‘fly by wire’ throttle and the ASC (Automatic Stability Control).
Okay enough waffling about the huge leaps forward in technology, I’m sure you have all read about it elsewhere.
For me personally this is without doubt THE best GS yet to roll out of Germany…. build quality is second to none and this model has clearly been developed from the ground up. It’s not an out and out Sports bike, it’s not the ultimate tourer, and it won’t be winning the next Dakar…. But it certainly excels at all 3 and puts a huge grin on your face while doing so. As Giles has already said, “the LC is the new generation. It wears it's trousers with its pants showing, and is very computer literate”.
If I had to complain, my only issues in the 2,500 miles would be, firstly I feel the top two gears could be a little taller, maybe 5th 0.860 & 6th 0.760 instead of the current 0.943 for 5th & 0.848 for 6th. Secondly, the center stand foot needs shortening as (like others have said) it kept getting in the way when riding with the balls of my feet on the foot pegs. Thirdly, for a bike that has undergone monumental redevelopment I can not believe the amount of 'crap' that the rear wheel throws up when riding in the wet. One of the days I rode a short 80 mile trip on some back roads in the rain, this resulted in the whole rear of the bike (center of the wheel, exhaust, rear sub frame, both seats) + the back of myself being covered in road dirt. I have a feeling this is not just what the wheel is 'throwing up', but may also be some strange vacuum effect taking place that is sucking the wet/dirt in from the rear....
For those who wish to travel to the remote corners of the earth, I'm sure the amount of technology this new bike has would possibly be quite daunting, fixing any of the electronic wizardry is not something that could be done with a few spanners and a hammer.... but if like 99% of other GS riders whose travel remains within the confines of modern civilisation, then I'm sure BMWs first class dealer network would keep you going should any issues arise.
The 400 mile round trip to return the LC and pick my 1100 up revealed something that I wasn't expecting. I thought that when I got back on my old bike it would feel like a comfy pair of old boots..... what a shock I had, the 1100 now feels like an antiquated piece of technology from the stone age.... and that made for a tough ride home
For those who don’t know me, my current steed is an 1100GS that I have had from new, bought 14 years ago in 1999, incidentally the OTR cost back then was £9,070.
The TE model I tested had been carefully run in (I have the track logs
) by BMW and had just had it’s first service, so it was quite literally ‘as new’.As I had to pick the bike up from London, it was going to be interesting to see how familiar the new 1200 felt compared to my current steed, my 1100GS. It was 186 miles each way so perfect for a back to back comparison.
Within minutes of setting off the new GS had a certain familiarity about it and I certainly felt at home. Two things did strike me from the off though, the crispness and smooth power delivery of the new motor and the bikes nimbleness. Obviously this was more noticeable because I was comparing it with my 14 year old lardy 1100 which has only two thirds of the power and is carrying more weight.
Once out of the traffic and onto the motorway it was very obvious that this new 1200 could swallow huge mileages with so much ease. The ride home was certainly more pleasurable than the trip down.
Over the following 3 weeks I managed to cover 2,500 miles on a mix of Motorway, A roads, B roads lanes and Welsh logging tracks, but alas no serious off road was done.
The new GS is certainly endowed with a host of cutting edge technology that not only enhances performance and handling, but also enhances the ‘whole’ riding experience. There are 5 ‘riding modes’; Dynamic, Road, Rain, Enduro and finally Enduro pro. Selecting each mode not only changes the suspension and ABS, it also remaps the ‘fly by wire’ throttle and the ASC (Automatic Stability Control).
- In Dynamic Mode the throttle is very responsive and the bike reacts to every minute twist of the wrist, it also stiffens the suspension and makes the bike feel ‘tighter’.
- In Road Mode things become a little more relaxed but still it retains its poise albeit a little more relaxed.
- In Rain Mode the whole bike feels softer and throttle responses are reined back in a little.
- Enduro Mode was very ‘at home’ up in the Welsh logging trails where it would allow the back wheel to step out a little but still keep things under control.
Okay enough waffling about the huge leaps forward in technology, I’m sure you have all read about it elsewhere.
For me personally this is without doubt THE best GS yet to roll out of Germany…. build quality is second to none and this model has clearly been developed from the ground up. It’s not an out and out Sports bike, it’s not the ultimate tourer, and it won’t be winning the next Dakar…. But it certainly excels at all 3 and puts a huge grin on your face while doing so. As Giles has already said, “the LC is the new generation. It wears it's trousers with its pants showing, and is very computer literate”.
If I had to complain, my only issues in the 2,500 miles would be, firstly I feel the top two gears could be a little taller, maybe 5th 0.860 & 6th 0.760 instead of the current 0.943 for 5th & 0.848 for 6th. Secondly, the center stand foot needs shortening as (like others have said) it kept getting in the way when riding with the balls of my feet on the foot pegs. Thirdly, for a bike that has undergone monumental redevelopment I can not believe the amount of 'crap' that the rear wheel throws up when riding in the wet. One of the days I rode a short 80 mile trip on some back roads in the rain, this resulted in the whole rear of the bike (center of the wheel, exhaust, rear sub frame, both seats) + the back of myself being covered in road dirt. I have a feeling this is not just what the wheel is 'throwing up', but may also be some strange vacuum effect taking place that is sucking the wet/dirt in from the rear....
For those who wish to travel to the remote corners of the earth, I'm sure the amount of technology this new bike has would possibly be quite daunting, fixing any of the electronic wizardry is not something that could be done with a few spanners and a hammer.... but if like 99% of other GS riders whose travel remains within the confines of modern civilisation, then I'm sure BMWs first class dealer network would keep you going should any issues arise.
The 400 mile round trip to return the LC and pick my 1100 up revealed something that I wasn't expecting. I thought that when I got back on my old bike it would feel like a comfy pair of old boots..... what a shock I had, the 1100 now feels like an antiquated piece of technology from the stone age.... and that made for a tough ride home
, or maybe not. 
.....
