Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

some of us, is that the P-D is not legal in Californ ia, because it does not pa ss the state's strict emissions standa rds due to the fact that its gas tank is constru cted of pl as tic, no t metal. Ca lifo rn ia frow ns u pon fue l vapors lea king through the p las tic an d into the a tmosphe re . Evidently, it's okay everyw here else. So if . you live in California, like we d o, you r only choice is the Rl00GS. It doesn 't take a trained eye to see that the GS isn' t exactly de signed for tight, twisty an d techni cal single-track tra ils. The GS is, in fact, a big, bulky and heavy motorcycle. At a claimed wet weight of 485 pou nds, it's not wise to stray far off the beaten path. The bu lk of the bike's weight comes from the big twin-cylinder engine, w hich BMW says d eve lops 58 horsepower at 6500 rp m and 56.0 ft.-lbs. of torque at 3700 rp m. And th e bi g 5.7-g all o n g as tank d oesn't help any wh en full, either. That's more than 34 pounds of fuel alone. (The P-D holds 9.25 gallons!) Obviously, keep ing the weight d own wasn 't a big co nce r n when BMW designed the GS, but reliability and range between fill-ups were. The Boxer engine that powers the GS has already proven its worthiness in a variety of shapes and forms in prev ious BMW mod el motorcycles, so there's no big question mark in thi s departmen t. Mileage wi se, on the ave rage we managed right around 200 miles per tank of gas, including reserve. And that makes th e GS an ex ce ll en t motorcycle for exploring on eithe r dirt or paved roads, or both. The suspension has its han ds full just su pporting its own weight. Up front is a non-inverted and non-adjustable for k wi th 8.8 inches of wheel travel, and the back end is handled by BMW's Paralever swingarrn/shaft-drive design and a sin- A slick guard protects the fragile headlight from debris and crashes. The front brake and fork both felt too mushy and soft for our tastes. The Beemer cruises along nicely on the pavement at 65 mph. Overall, it's a very comfortable motorcycle, but excessive vibration is irritating. The protnul.ing cylinders can get in the way if you find yourself "leg paddling" on a tight trail or in sand. We have bruises on our shins to prove it gle progressive spring, four-step preload adjustable, gas shock. Rear wheel travel is a modest 7.0 inches. The suspension on our test bike didn't seem very well balanced - the back end felt almost rigid , while the front end felt fairly soft, at least during the initial part of the travel. Overall, the suspension was okay for casual riding even when the dirt roads turned nasty , but it was hard to tell .how well it performed over the rough s tu ff "a t speed," because none of our testers really wanted to push the envelope. But we did slam into fairly large holes and bumps at moderate velo city w ithout any problem or fear of getting spit off. Keep in mind that the GS wasn't d esigned to zero checks, but to carry its pilot to his /her ultimate d estination. Rather than suck tree branches in its wake, the GS is mor e a t home "bulldozing" its way through the woods, canyons or d eserts. Rid ing the Beem er requ ires pa tience and muscle on the twisties . On well-mainta in ed tw o- tra ck d ir t roads, the GS can be a bla st, as lon g as you don't get too carried awa y, because if you d o, you'll soo n learn that things can get very exciting without a moment's notice. It's easy to suddenly find yourself out of shape on the Beemer, usua lly by losing the front end or by overshooting a slip pery tu rn on the stock on-off- road tires . Once the bike starts getting away from you, it' s d ifficult bringing it back under control. After you discover the fine line between control and out-of-control, the GS can be a kick. A full knobby front tire would no do ubt help out immensely. The sing le, 11.2 -inch , tw in -pi st on front disc brake and the 7.9-inch diameter rear drum brake are barely up to the .task of slo w in g the big Beemer down. The front brake is mushy and just doesn't inspire confi d ence w he n applied while riding on the pavement, or when traction is at a premium. On pave ment or wh en traction is available, the front brake has a tough time getting the job done by itself; stop ping need s the assistance of the rear drum, which re qui res a significant amoun t of pressure on the foot pedal. On a dry, hard-packed surface, however, the mushy front brake is advanta geous because there is less of a chance of the front wheel locking up, which can be d isa strous on s uch a big motorcycle. Overall, we'd pr efer a bit more stopping power. As for ergon omics, the GS is a comfortable motorcycle for long hauls. All of the controls ar e within eas y reach, and the fairly low 33.5-inch sea t height makes it easily adaptable for tall and not-so-tall rid ers alike. The small windscreen d oes an adrn ireable job keeping windblast off the pilot, but does create some noticeable turbulence. Starting the GS is an experience. As soon as you hi t the electric starter button, it im m ed ia tely rumbles, shak es and trembles to life, and when you flick the throttle, the GS flinches to the right from the heavy torqu e of the side ways-mounted crank. The fairing, windscreen and instrument pan el sha ke like a wet dog on a cold night, and when traveling at highway speeds, the .rear-view mirrors also . vibrate like crazy, resulting in fuzzing images. You can still tell when there's a car behind you , but you can't tell what kind. Overall, vibration - the low-frequency type - is very noticeable at low rpm, especially under a load, and you can really feel it in your feet, legs and arms. After a long ride, you can still feel the vibration sensation in your legs long after you have dismounted. If vibration bothers you, you won't like this motorcycle. Period. The VIbration tapers off a bit at higher rpm. Dropping the five-speed transmission . into gear from neutral requires a firm press on the shift lever and it usually takes some fiddling before you feel that neutral-to-first-gear clunk. The GS isn't a fast motorcycle, in fact., it feels a little on the slow side, especially in light of the fact it's a 980cc motorcycle. The meat of the power band is from lowto mid-rpm, but it can tol erate being revved. It pulls pr etty good off the bottom but, unfortunately, that is where the Beemer vibrates the most. Overall, the motor is user-friendly and is easy to work with; it's not the type of motor that . will get the rider into trouble, especially on the dirt, thanks to its sm oo th and docile power delivery. In our op inion, the. motor is better suited to d irt roads than pavement. Shift ing lea ves a littl e to be desired; although we rar ely mi ssed a s hift, the tran smission requires significant effort on the lever to catch the next gear, and if you get a little sloppy or lazy in your shifting technique, the gearbox will wake 15

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