After 20K miles on the 1250 GS & 1250GS ADV - A honest review

Just got back from 3 weeks of hard riding in Mexico a honest review while the impressions are fresh...
The bikes 1250 GS and 1250 GS-ADV are both great and ran perfectly fine.The GS-HP with ADV "sports suspension" is a little lighter but the ADV has roughly 100 miles more range.A personal decision which is more important to you.I would say 20 liters is not enough because riding fast means 150 miles range,30 liters is a little too bulky;24 liters would be perfect.
Panniers I prefer the aluminum ones but prefer the vario top case.But still it would be easy to route the exhaust so that both bags have the same size and not loose 1/3 of it's size on the exhaust side.
Keyless is not as good as a old fashioned key especially if the tank did not close for an hour or so and then started to lock again.Also a key does not need a 2032 battery that might be hard to find in some instances.
Handling and engine are great.Very quick steering and great Torque.The current GS can't use more power as it will start to wobble around 125mph with bags & top case.The next generation GS should combine great TORQUE with a S1000XR like top-end As also keep the light handling and make it stable enough for let's say 155 mph XR like top-speed.
Tank size,right pannier size,real key and a little more on top with the ability to take advantage of it should bring the next gen GS to make it perfect
As for tires I think for fast back road riding Conti TA3 and Pirelli ST2 are my favourites.Grip until pegs touch and quick steering with Conti having a edge in tire wear.While I get 5000 miles on the Pirelli the Conti lasted 1000 miles longer on the rear.2 Conti rears to one front.But otherwise I can't feel a difference.But the Pirelli is definitely not as stabe at high speeds.125mph max while the Conti can do 10 mph more until things get frisky.Next will be the new Metzeler Tourance 2...And one more word of advise.If you decide on a regular GS instead of the ADVenture get the ADV "sports-suspension".On the regular 1250 the pegs drag early (20mm less ground clearance) and when you run hard the slighter stiffer ADV shocks are beneficial but still could be a 0,5 to 1,0 kilos stiffer...I think the difference between the regular GS and ADV or sports suspension is 0,5 kilos...Hope this helps and maybe BMW takes care of the issues on the next-gen GS to make it perfect

Holy fuck. I do believe you’ve managed a whole post without mentioning 17” WHEELS !!!!

Well done .

I could have sworn Vale was at the ranch practicing, need to check the photos again, maybe it was a GS he was on and not a supermoto

Arsey you did not give me enough credit...160 hp & 17 inch wheels M 1300 GS !
Otherwise you missed another great trip...B.t.w. , got my first speeding ticket in Mexico Could not run ; Straight road and had a buddy with me riding a S1000XR...

Nice little write up but 125mph could potentially get you a custodial sentence in the UK and 150mph certainly could.

In my younger days I’ve done 150+ in a car and on a bike but on both occasions it was just so I had experienced it once , it wasn’t something I needed to repeat on a regular basis .

Also Pretty much any bike fitted with panniers is potentially going to start to get frisky at 110mph+ (even more so if it’s got a top box fitted too) which is why many manufacturers put a sticker in them and a note in the manual warning against it.
For years Yamaha never offered an optional extra top box on their sports tourer FJR1300 for this reason.

Rushy the ticket for going 127 cost me 25 bucks...Limit was 80.I told him I thought it was milas and I was still 1 mile under the limit...

Meanwhile. In the real world.
99% of riders are happy with the bike as it is. BMW has a bike which fits the needs of most riders with the GS or the GSA. Bigger panniers encourage more weight at the wrong place. More power/ faster equals using more fuel. In reality boxerlust should maybe try the latest Ducati models which have more power and equal sized panniers.
P.S. the main area for improvement on the BMW range of bikes is build quality.

155mph on a GS is about as useful as tits on a bull, in my opinion. The last bike I'd want to do 155mph on is a GS.

Meanwhile in the real world...Of course the 1250GS is a great bike as it is otherwise BMW would not sell shitloads of them.But it could be even better like I pointed out...Some very easy and cheap fixes like putting the exhaust under the seat so that the right bag would not waste 3 gallons of interior space.It is always good to have room especially on holiday trips or for equal weight distribution.The ADV tank is too big or still too small if you go to real remote places but the tank of the regular GS is a gallon too small.200 miles should be an archiveable range if you keep that throttle open.And in some instances less is more.I would prefer a key that is in the ignition and a fuel cap without a electric locking mechanism that might not open somewhere out on the road.As for going 155 the current GS would not be able to because with panniers it probably would spit you off at 140 with bags on but it would be great if it was able too like the S1000XR is...This GS would be the perfect tool for the street because Telelever work better on the road than any electronic fork that can't suspend and resist forkdive and needs much stiffer spring rates and thus is not able to filter out bumps like Telelever is able to.Also shaftdrive beats any chain/sprockets and in case of a mishap the boxer protects riders legs and bike.No MS V4 for me even if it had 200 hp...
And still people who like the current GS they don't have to go that fast and can put it in ECO mode like the 2021 model where they get 5300rpm max,less throttle opening,less hp/torque,less tire wear and more mpg...To each their own

I hope BMW are reading this, clearly their extensive R&D and testing is lacking despite what I imagine is a team(s) that have a huge budget. #sarcasm

Even if the GS was rock solid at 155 why would a company make a bike for this segment of the market and focus resources on making it do a speed which is all but illegal globally? Could it be that your average GS rider is doing between 0 and say 100mph? I've seen 108mph once on my GS. Mostly my speeds are sub 90mph.

Also, if the ADVENTURE model is too bulky surely in all the years the GS has been around, if that were common feedback then it would have been addressed? No bike is perfect, and BMW has to address it's quality issues before anything else like someone else said. But unfortunately most manufacturers don't make bikes to suit niche riders styles. it's bikes built for the masses.

As for the panniers, unequal size panniers is extremely common across a lot of manufacturers unless you buy after market rails etc and even then most brands adopt the same approach. I had SW Motech panniers on my previous Triumph Explorer because I preferred the quality and the stock Adventure panniers were unequal length. I ended up with 2 equal panniers, but I also ended up with a bike that was incapable of filtering due to the width. For the GS I wanted to go the same route but even the SW Motech pannier racks require unequal size boxes. Slinging the exhaust up under the tail unit wouldn't suit the GS (in my opinion) and generally adventure bikes have them at the side.

Personally I think you're looking at the GS through a very narrow lens.

Maybe they should just do a 24 litre tank model and forget the bigger tank. That should give you a theoretical range of 240 miles, even tramping on a bit 10mpl should be easily achievable unless these new LCs are burning a lot more fuel than the oilheads?

I hope BMW is reading this because this is real consumer feedback from a guy that actually RIDES and has bought 19 new BOXERS so far Not a niche market at all otherwise we would all plot around on boring 100 hp Africa Twins and KTM or Ducati or BMW would offer 160-170 hp adventure bikes that are today what used to be called sports-tourers...O.K. if you really go overlanding on a once a lifetime trip a Afrika Twin with 100 hp and 21 inch front-wheel is all you need but these GS bikes , be it the origional from BMW or KTMs and Ducatis versions will see 99% tarmac and maybe the ocasional unpaved road that could be ridden by any streetbike.People buy these bikes because they are practical and except for straights as fast or faster than any sportbike.
If you want to go fast mileage can drop to 20 mpg.If not you can double that number.You do the math.A 20 liter tank is too small.The 30 liter ADV tank makes the bike big,too big for some and still too small for some people riding in real remote areas.
Also I don't like aftermarket stuff like panniers because they are not as good as the BMW stuff and need an extra key...
But it is stupid to route the pipe that 1/3 of the inside space is lost.No need to make the bags bigger or wider just put the pipe under the seat.Same with the Keyless that can give you problems when you don't need it but comes as part of a package...All easy fixes for the next gen GS or Boxer XR if they decide to make the best XR / best street bike they possibly can. The current GS was designed 2012 which is almost 10 years ago.As good and modern as it is it is time to move on.The 1250 motor is awesome.Perfect fuelling and very strong/rideable as in TORQUEY from 2000-8000 rpm.What is missing is a kick on top or an exiting top-end like the XR has to make it the perfect POWER-plant !
Of course with this it also needs a more rigid frame as the current one can flex like an old /5 when you really put forces on it cornering hard or going above 120 mph with bags or missus with the sticky tires available today like CTA3 & PST2 that where not available when the R1200GS-LC came out...Don't get me wrong I still rather be on a 1250GS than a KTM or Ducati but time moves on and as a rider you get better every season,more jaded and want more to satisfy your urges as also to give the reason to spend more of your hard-earned to keep the industry going...We are not getting younger and fresh blood is not pouring in like in the days we got into this wonderful sport that is a life long addiction that can't be cured...

I doubt you could ever get the GS to average just 20mpg even on a race track , Ok maybe if you had it absolutely flat out around the Brickyard for a whole tankful ....with your panniers on , but definitely not on the road.

My V4 is a thirsty beast but even chasing all over Wales at silly speeds I rarely drop into the high 30’s. You just can’t ride that fast for long enough . Sure , you could be brutal on the throttle and hard on the brakes all the time and that will burn more fuel but that doesn’t make you fast.

My 1250 tops out at 140mph which is great but if you said to me were gonna knockoff 20-30mph of your top end and give you another 10 lb per foot of torque id be be all over that shit like a tramp on chips.
Most of my funs between 60-90mph and i mainly ride north and mid Wales and Yorkshire...the GS is all about the torque the top end means cock all unless you live on boring straight roman roads!!!

Rushy on my last trip I saw 18,7 mpg...4,5,6 gear between 6000-8000 rpm going between 85 and 130 mph for a good hour staying ahead of a guy on a S1000XR...It can be done He got away from me for a while on a 30 mile long straight stretch but them there was 50 miles of curvy tarmac where the GS shines...Had filled 15,9 liters in my tank when he showed up ! 83 miles / 16 liters...roughly 20 mpg
And the MS V4 will be even thirstier...But I don't care for bikes that are only faster in a straight line...Telelever and boxer engine configuration rules when the road gets twisty with a few bumps thrown in Otherwise I would be on a S1000XR which is faster in a straight line and you don't have to work as hard in the turns...

After 20K miles on the 1250 GS & 1250GS ADV - A honest review

Boxerlust said:

Rushy on my last trip I saw 18,7 mpg...4,5,6 gear between 6000-8000 rpm going between 85 and 130 mph for a good hour staying ahead of a guy on a S1000XR...and then I woke up realising I’d missed the school bus again !!!!!)

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Fixed

If your riding on roads where you can do 150mph then your riding on the wrong roads. That’s not why you buy a GS


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Arsey if your auntie had balls she'd be your uncle...
Too bad you & Gilles missed another good trip !
Your GS is waiting for you in TJ @ Baja GS rentals...Otherwise they also have a nice Ford Transit...

B.T.W. just saw the first test of the new MS V4 against the S1000XR in PS...On the same dyno the XR made 179hp while the MS V4 only 165...Very high fuel consumption and 22 kilos heavier than the XR.Even the GS that sports a shaft is only 5 kilos heavier than the Duc on the same scale.0-125 S1000XR 8,5 sec,MS V4 10,4 sec,GS1250 12,5 sec...The old 1260 V2 was faster and sounded better...Hardly progress except for 60K valve adjustment intervals... I suspect/expect the next GS due out in autumn 2022 will get a cast aluminum frame that is lighter,cheaper and more rigid than the current trellis with enough power to go under 10 seconds 0-125.As the current 1250R already does 9,9 sec done by the same testers on the same roads.The 1290 SADV pretty much goes the same like the MS V4.Not fast enough in order to put up with chain and fork...Up to 100mph the GS is anyways the fastest with the right there in your face TORQUE...
Just above the top end kick is missing...Another interesting tidbit that Ducati went from 17 to a 19 inch front-wheel on a bike that really is a pure street-bike despite looking like a 2 wheeled Cayenne or X5...

After 20K miles on the 1250 GS & 1250GS ADV - A honest review

Boxerlust said:

B.T.W. just saw the first test of the new MS V4 against the S1000XR in PS...On the same dyno the XR made 179hp while the MS V4 only 165...Very high fuel consumption and 22 kilos heavier than the XR.Even the GS that sports a shaft is only 5 kilos heavier than the Duc on the same scale.0-125 S1000XR 8,5 sec,MS V4 10,4 sec,GS1250 12,5 sec...The old 1260 V2 was faster and sounded better...Hardly progress except for 60K valve adjustment intervals... I suspect/expect the next GS due out in autumn 2022 will get a cast aluminum frame that is lighter,cheaper and more rigid than the current trellis with enough power to go under 10 seconds 0-125.As the current 1250R already does 9,9 sec done by the same testers on the same roads.The 1290 SADV pretty much goes the same like the MS V4.Not fast enough in order to put up with chain and fork...Up to 100mph the GS is anyways the fastest with the right there in your face TORQUE...
Just above the top end kick is missing...Another interesting tidbit that Ducati went from 17 to a 19 inch front-wheel on a bike that really is a pure street-bike despite looking like a 2 wheeled Cayenne or X5...

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What’s PS ?

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