Despite my advanced age and 5 years experience on (a) standard GS1150, plus years on R1100Rs, 3 x K75s, K1100LT etc, and even a GS1200, it was only yesterday I had a chance for a long (long) ride on a GS1150 Adventure and for that I had to buy the thing.
Anyway, lets say I like it.
But it's a very different to the GS1150 and perhaps moreso than others have gotten over in these hallowed e-pages. OK, for the teeming hordes of you who have made the change you know what I am talking about, intuitively even if not in so many written words.
The engine seems somehow smoother and more "turbine-droney" than the standard GS1150. The gears are different but you only notice when you get to 6th and notice it's subjectively (and objectively) lower than the E "sixth" on the GS1150, but it's so odd you fixate on it for a while.
But the Adv does seem faster ...... it swoops up through the gears and really advances; it is surprising.
There's a bit more vibiness at 70 mph in 6th but you get over it.
I rode home in a howling gale, rain, biblical lightning etc before the weather got quieter and noticed the Adv is more affected by sidewinds than the standard GS1150 ....... it's a bit "whoah boy" at first as you feel the bike is wandering off on its own. That tank plus the weight must be the reason ?
The ABS (never wanted it before) can give you some scary moments too as there appears to be a BMW elf between you and the brakes, altering all your inputs to adjust the outputs. I did give myself a few heartstopper moments on the rainswept roundabouts and sharp turning A roads.
I've had my bars both raised and brought back using TTech Bar Risers which make the seating quite nice and laid back and make the bike look taller.
The bike is definetly longer to the feel and has a very "alternative" taste to it. But it's more like a GS1150 Deluxe rather than a GS1150 round-the-world bike, and to be honest (and others on this site have said it better) I can't see what there is on it that genuinely makes it feel or look like a bike you could nip off to Alaska on at the drop of a hat. In fact, it needs a lot more techniks to be a real "Adventure LWR" bike.
The aluminium panniers look amazing and meaningful in a "rufty tufty" kind of way but the ergonomics are a challenge. Try getting on/off the bike and spot the difference. For a 30" inside legger like me it's a clunk, click every trip as the right boot hits first pannier left then pannier right ..... I'd need a course in yoga or gymnastics to master it. I do miss those basic System panniers. And the passenger has just as much "fun", plus the delight of having those "lugs" poke into the thighs. Hmm. BMW usually get ergonomics right but not this time imho.
The Adv has the 1-piece lowered seat in what looks like a kind of "acrylic black" finish. It's OK I guess and looks like you could spill your soup on it and then just hose it off. It's shaped beautifully but it's not as purposeful as the standard GS1150 2-piece seat, which begs the question (so to speak) as to why the Adv seat is put forward by BMW as more "Adventurey" than the more practical 2-piece seat on the standard GS1150. BMW engineers may respond to this if they're reading !
It is (as others have said) scarily heavier and more of a "monsterbeast" of a bike. In fact it could be dangerous in the wrong hands, and I'd warn anyone without the right experience and attitude to stay away from it. It's more of a
"Zen and the Art of the Adventure" experience ..... the mind has to go with the bike's character and nature or the bike will truly dump you. Like most motorcycles which appeal to the thinking rider (and if you own a GS of any type, you're probably a lot smarter than people credit you for) you really need to "think" about the way you work together with the bike ... it's as if the bike has a character, and it's not a pusscat, more of a feisty redhead with a fiery nature but huge sex appeal. You love it, you hate it, you love it again, and so on.
Is it "better" than the standard GS1150 ? Not in the sense that it's a superior bike, in fact the standard GS1150 is a really excellent bike (BMW reliability and cost complaints notwithstanding). It's just a different kind of experience of a similar formula.
Is it worth the change ? For what I want now as opposed to what I've been happy with for the last 5 years: yes.
So if anyone out there is thinking about a GS1150 Adventure, I'd say try one, and try it for an hour or so. And don't be upset if you decide to get one not now but in the future. Or not get one at all. If I had the £££, I'd have a GS1100, a GS1150 and an Adventure (and a GS1200 for when I felt I really needed something a few lbs lighter).
Just a few observations.
Alex B
Anyway, lets say I like it.
But it's a very different to the GS1150 and perhaps moreso than others have gotten over in these hallowed e-pages. OK, for the teeming hordes of you who have made the change you know what I am talking about, intuitively even if not in so many written words.
The engine seems somehow smoother and more "turbine-droney" than the standard GS1150. The gears are different but you only notice when you get to 6th and notice it's subjectively (and objectively) lower than the E "sixth" on the GS1150, but it's so odd you fixate on it for a while.
But the Adv does seem faster ...... it swoops up through the gears and really advances; it is surprising.
There's a bit more vibiness at 70 mph in 6th but you get over it.
I rode home in a howling gale, rain, biblical lightning etc before the weather got quieter and noticed the Adv is more affected by sidewinds than the standard GS1150 ....... it's a bit "whoah boy" at first as you feel the bike is wandering off on its own. That tank plus the weight must be the reason ?
The ABS (never wanted it before) can give you some scary moments too as there appears to be a BMW elf between you and the brakes, altering all your inputs to adjust the outputs. I did give myself a few heartstopper moments on the rainswept roundabouts and sharp turning A roads.
I've had my bars both raised and brought back using TTech Bar Risers which make the seating quite nice and laid back and make the bike look taller.
The bike is definetly longer to the feel and has a very "alternative" taste to it. But it's more like a GS1150 Deluxe rather than a GS1150 round-the-world bike, and to be honest (and others on this site have said it better) I can't see what there is on it that genuinely makes it feel or look like a bike you could nip off to Alaska on at the drop of a hat. In fact, it needs a lot more techniks to be a real "Adventure LWR" bike.
The aluminium panniers look amazing and meaningful in a "rufty tufty" kind of way but the ergonomics are a challenge. Try getting on/off the bike and spot the difference. For a 30" inside legger like me it's a clunk, click every trip as the right boot hits first pannier left then pannier right ..... I'd need a course in yoga or gymnastics to master it. I do miss those basic System panniers. And the passenger has just as much "fun", plus the delight of having those "lugs" poke into the thighs. Hmm. BMW usually get ergonomics right but not this time imho.
The Adv has the 1-piece lowered seat in what looks like a kind of "acrylic black" finish. It's OK I guess and looks like you could spill your soup on it and then just hose it off. It's shaped beautifully but it's not as purposeful as the standard GS1150 2-piece seat, which begs the question (so to speak) as to why the Adv seat is put forward by BMW as more "Adventurey" than the more practical 2-piece seat on the standard GS1150. BMW engineers may respond to this if they're reading !
It is (as others have said) scarily heavier and more of a "monsterbeast" of a bike. In fact it could be dangerous in the wrong hands, and I'd warn anyone without the right experience and attitude to stay away from it. It's more of a
"Zen and the Art of the Adventure" experience ..... the mind has to go with the bike's character and nature or the bike will truly dump you. Like most motorcycles which appeal to the thinking rider (and if you own a GS of any type, you're probably a lot smarter than people credit you for) you really need to "think" about the way you work together with the bike ... it's as if the bike has a character, and it's not a pusscat, more of a feisty redhead with a fiery nature but huge sex appeal. You love it, you hate it, you love it again, and so on.
Is it "better" than the standard GS1150 ? Not in the sense that it's a superior bike, in fact the standard GS1150 is a really excellent bike (BMW reliability and cost complaints notwithstanding). It's just a different kind of experience of a similar formula.
Is it worth the change ? For what I want now as opposed to what I've been happy with for the last 5 years: yes.
So if anyone out there is thinking about a GS1150 Adventure, I'd say try one, and try it for an hour or so. And don't be upset if you decide to get one not now but in the future. Or not get one at all. If I had the £££, I'd have a GS1100, a GS1150 and an Adventure (and a GS1200 for when I felt I really needed something a few lbs lighter).
Just a few observations.
Alex B
Then set about creating my perfect GS,
