VOL. 55 ISSUE 39 OCTOBER 2, 2018 P85
standing-up riding posi-
tion that feels natural, and
optional Enduro Pro electron-
ics on the dual purpose HP
version I was let loose on
off-road for a while, fitted with
wire wheels, long travel sus-
pension and Metzeler Karoo
knobby tires, offered off-road-
tailored traction control, ABS
and suspension settings.
The street-only version had
its cast aluminum wheels
shod with Bridgestone's new
Battlax Adventure A41 rubber
rather than the Metzelers I
was expecting, and I must
admit I was pretty impressed
by them. The Telelever front
suspension behaved fault-
lessly throughout my ride,
both on loose gravel surfaces
and tarmac roads alike—ride
quality is high whether the
road surface is bumpy or
smooth.
The new BMW is avail-
able in two colors, Black-
storm metallic and Cosmic
Blue metallic, the base
BMW R 1250 GS is pretty
well priced, although most
buyers will do what they've
always done, and tick heaps
of boxes to add optional
packs covering performance
and electronics, and various
items of extra equipment.
They'll add thousands to
the price perfectly happily
because they'll know that in
exchange for doing so they'll
be riding the latest genera-
tion version of one of—if not
THE—most capable all-
around motorcycles money
can buy. Those up-front
choices will not only consid-
erably enhance the owning
experience, but also make
their R 1250 GS a better buy
when it's time to sell it on—or
more likely trade it for the
same again, only newer. And
in the meantime they'll have
enjoyed owning and riding
the new and very definitely
improved latest version of
the most popular premium
motorcycle in the world to-
day—as it was last year, and
the year before that, and….
Some things never
change! CN
S P E C I F I C A T I O N S
2019 BMW R 1250 GS ($21,400)
ENGINE: Air-cooled, 4-stroke,
8-valve boxer twin
DISPLACEMENT: 1254cc
BORE X STROKE: 102.5 x 76mm
COMPRESSION RATIO: 12.5:1
TRANSMISSION: 6-speed
CLUTCH: Wet, with anti-hopping
function, hydraulic
FRAME: Two-section, load-bearing
engine, bolt-on subframe
FRONT SUSPENSION: BMW
Motorrad Telelever
REAR SUSPENSION: Cast aluminum
single-sided swingarm with BMW
Motorrad Paralever, WAD spring
strut, fully adjustable
FRONT WHEEL TRAVEL: 7.5 in.
REAR WHEEL TRAVEL: 7.9 in.
FRONT BRAKE: 350mm twin floating
discs, 4-piston radial, ABS
REAR BRAKE: 276mm single disc,
2-piston floating caliper, ABS
FRONT WHEEL: 3.00 x 19 in.
REAR WHEEL: 4.50 x 17 in.
FRONT TIRE: 120/70 x 19 in.
REAR TIRE: 170/60 x 17 in.
WHEELBASE: 60 in.
SEAT HEIGHT: 33.5/34.3 in.
WEIGHT (CLAIMED): 615 lbs.
FUEL CAPACITY: 5.3 gal.
BMW introduced the
new R 1250 GS in
Portugal, a place it
feels right at home.
