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Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/127667
The not-so-ordinary RllOOGS ha s.
come a long way since the first on/offroad GS model was introduced nea rly
15 years ago - the RSOGS. Since that
time, the GS line has seen many changes
and innovations, but none as rad ical as
those featured on the all-new 1995-yearmodel RllOOGS.
It was only a matter of time before
BMW's "new generation" Boxer motor,
that was first introduced early last year
in the brand new R1100RS, found its
way into the GS model. Despite minor
internal changes to give the GS better
torque and midrange performance ,
making it better-suited for those occasional off-road excursions, the air / oilcooled, horizontally opposed, two-cylinder, ei ght-v alve engine is id en tica l to
that of the all-street RllOORS Beemer.
The motor is sign ificantly smoother
a nd more powerful th an the last GS
model we tested a while back with the
"old" Boxer motor. The new GS pulls
much harder off the bottom and
through midrange than before, an d,
with a lot less vibration, though vibration is still somewhat of a nuisance. We
spent a: couple of days exploring the
twisty roads of Northern California on
the GS and were perh ap s most
impressed by the the engine's superwi de spread of power. Because of the
.Beemer's extremely hea vy engine braking, and the notchy-feeling and a hardto-find gear shift lever (a little too low
for our liking), clicking up and down
through the gears wasn't exac tl y a
pleasant experience, but it really didn't
matter all that much. Instead, you can
simply leave the GS in one gear, usu ally
third gear, and ignore the shifter all
together. Even in the tightest of turns,
you can leave the bike in third, roll on
the throttle and the GS will pull you
nicely out of the comers. And you won't
feel the need to click up a nother cog
until the speedometer needle nears 60
mph. (Speaking of the sp eed ome te r,
ours wa s a little overly zealou s in its
readings. The odometer on our test bike
gained approximately l/lOth of a mile
per every two miles traveled).
If you start riding the GS aggressivelyon the pavement, shifting becom es a
very conscious procedure, especially
while downshifting. You have to be cautious when letting out the clutch leve r
after dropping down a gear; there is so
much engine braking that if you're not
careful, the back tire will slide out if the
bike isn't perfectly perpendicular to the
road. Accomplishing a smooth, clean
shift is an art form with the GS. However, the dry, single-plate clutch works
extremely well and has a super-smooth
feel.
Up front, the GS also uses the same
Telelever front suspension sy stem as
that of the RS, bu t there are some significant differences. For obvious reasons,
the GS has more w heel trave l, and ,
unlike the RS where the rider can easily
feel the handlebars ro tate in his/her
hands as the Telelever front suspension
compresses and rebounds, this feeling is
virtually eliminated on the GS, despite
the fact that BMW engineers say the
handlebars still move slightly.
In the back, the GS still uses BMW's
Paralever system, which incorpora tes a
full-floating rear ax le, double-jointed
drive shaft and a stabilizing torque arm
to virtually eliminate the torque reaction
of the shaft drive. But, like the new RS
model, the shock on the GS has been
relocated from the right side to a mor e
central position.
All in all, we were quite impressed
with the overall suspension package.
Many of the tight, switchback roads we
traveled on were surprisingly rough,
with a lot of dips and enough small holes
in the pavement to keep yo u on your
toes . But the GS ha d no problems handling whatever the roads dished out, and
in these conditions was a lot more desirable than any sport bike. The GS comers
surprisingly well and is simply a blast to
ride on mountain or canyon roads - it
would make the K1100RSproud.
Looking closely at the GS, you 'll start
to think that som ething is missing, and
you are right - the GS has no real frame
to speak of since the engine acts as the
bike's stressed member. The on ly section that resembles a tra ditional fram e is
the rear sub-frame section that supports
the sea t, the passenger footpeg assembly, bod ywork, rear fender and optional
luggage bags.
BMW's ABS II system also found its
way onto the GS - as an option - but has
one very significant feature not offered
on the RS model. The GS's ABS can be
shut down w ith a push of a bu tt o n .
There are times when ABS isn't necessarily advantageous, like when logging
in some serious off-road riding. By holding down the ABS confirmation bu tton
on the small inst rumen t panel d uring
engine start-up, the rider can deactivate
the system until the engine is shu t off
and restarted.
We would deactivate the ABS whenever we spent any significan t tim e on
the dirt. Even if left on. the ABS wor ked
well on dirt roads , and despite spinning
the rea r tire coming o u t of s lip pery
turns many tim es on the GS, the ABS
ne ver switched into "fault mod e." But
according to BMW reps.It very well can.
A pair of four-p iston Brembo calipers
squeeze two 12.D-inch d iscs at the front,
while a sliding two-piston caliper and
10.S-inch disc operate at the rear. Both
brakes are stro ng and have good feel,
but the front brake feels a tad on .th e
mushy side.
Wheel sizes have also been changed
to complement the new chassis. Our test
bike came fitted with a 150/7D-H17 Metzeler rear tire, wrapped aroun d a superwide 4.00 x 17-inch rim wit h cross-spoke
lacing . The front no w features a wider,
smaller-di ameter 1l0/ SD-H19 Metzeler
tire and a 2.5 x 19-inch rim.
There are many key design elements
that make the GS well-su ited for lon g
hauls in the saddle, most notably the
large, 6.6-gall on gas ta nk, w h ich
includes one gallon of reserve. The tank
itself is constructed of a li ghtw eigh t
plastic-like plyam id e mate ria l, as
opposed to the more trad itional aluminum or steel variety . According to the
Beemer's od ometer, th e lo w-on-fu el
warning light would ill umi na te anywhere between the 260 and 270 mark.
Figure you have another 40-50 miles left
in the tank, and you have a bike tha t
pushes the 300-mile envelope. That's
pretty far when you thi n k about it .
There is no on/off/reser ve switch on
theGS.
Despite the fact that the fra m emounted fairing/ windscreen is rat her
small, it does a surprisingly good job of
protecting the rider. There is little buffeting in the cockpit even at speeds up
to SO mil es an hou r. But d on ' t both er
tucking in behind the clear windscreen the plastic dis torts the rider' s view horribly, almost to the point of making you
sick to your stomach. The angle can be
shifted as much,as 13 degrees to adjust
the airflo w o ve r the rider, yet we
couldn't tell much of a d ifferenc e
between the two settings .
The rider's portion of the two -piece
seat offers two posit ions, giving se a t
heights of 33.9 or 33.1 inches - we preferred the highest setting. The passenger
seat can be removed entirely to provid e
additional space for a strap-on bag or
handgrips, a variety of saddlebags and
other luggage.
liners, a tan kbag, soft foam grips, hand
Our GS test bike ca me with the
protectors (w hich, in our op inion,
sho uld be standard equipmen t), an an tioptiona l locking saddlebags, which can
be eas ily removed and reatta ched. We
theft warning system and many other
found the bags to be quite useful - they
goodies. The bike is also covered by a
hold a lot of stuff and are super-easy to
three-year / unlimited m ileage limite d
operate, .but, a word of warning, they
warranty, inclu din g BMW's Motorcycle
scratc h easily.
Roadside Assistance Plan.
The GS is an intimi dating motorcycle
Nowhere in BMW's litera ture on the
- it's big, tall and heavy. People under
new GS a r e the w ords " d u al sport"
about five feet, 10 inches tall, might have
mentioned. Ins tead, the wo rds "advena hard time adapting to the GS, especialture-tourer" are used to describe BMW's
ly maneuvering the bike over rocks and
only on /off-road model. We think that
soft ground, or in the garage. BMW's
adventure-tou rer is an accurate descripcla imed dry weigh t is just under 500
tion of the GS. Around here, no one is
pounds, and it feels every pound of it.
figh ting over the GS for the next orgaAs a whole, the GS is extremely comnized d ual sport ride in our neck of the
fortable. On e of our tes t rider s logged
woods, bu t when it comes to those long,
more than 550 mostly wide-open miles
weekend cruises, the GS is the hot ticket.
in on e day on the GS, stopping only a .
The bottom line is tha t the RllOOGS
few short times to refuel and eat a candy
is an excelle nt streetbike th a t can be
bar, and had no problems putting in six
taken off-road if the situation arises, and
innings of softball that same night. He
even if you have no intenti ons of riding
did say, howe ver, that his hands had a .
in the d irt, the GS still makes an excelti ng ling sensation in the m for many
lent touring or everyday comm uter bike.
hours. After his 500-p lus mile ride, he
Okay, so it 'd oesn' t have a stereo or a
praised the seat, windscreen, footpeg
full -coverage fairing and wi nds cre en,
placement, suspension and long ra nge
but it d oes h ave cha ra cter, excellent
between fill-ups. He had no rea l com stree t performance, com fort, reliability
plaints, except for the mino r vibration in
an d the capab ilities of going p lac es
the handlebars.
where other touring bikes can't.
l:N
We als o racked up a
fair number of off-road
. ' : ',
miles on the Beemer and
. -:
found - as we h ad
· ,.... .
,-.
' . . .
. ' ."
.
expected - that the GS is
still by n o mea ns what
· Specifications :: " '.
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'
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we would ca ll a full'..Importer ' : : . . : ; , ·. '. : . ·. :. ~BMW of NbrthAmerica, ulc.
fl ed ged dirt bike. N o
"8~ AG, Munich, Germany '
. Manufacturer :. .:; .
way. After all , it does
weigh over 500 pounds!
When yo u ge t down to
it, th e GS is simply no
< Disp la~emeilt:. :
,.,
: ,.,: ..:
·. ;..':.,., . " ; .1085cc ·:
fun to slide, wheelie or
Claimed horsepower' :,."; ;
:. :80 Bhp @6750 rp m :
jump, bu t, hey, at least it
Claimed torque' ..'.::.:
:: ':: ..: i.72 lb.~ft @ 5250 q>Iri '
can go off-road, unlike
other full-on tou r in g
bikes. As long as you are
- Cirburetion .: . ... :. : '. :.; :., : .. : .Electronic fuel mj~on .
.
:
not in a ny h urry and
D~~u:,. ' · ,: . :, ":':' '~,' :~> ' : .
don't have a real desire
:,PriritilrY.drive, , . ; .. ';'. · Heli cal-cut' gears w Jtension er :
to go fast, the GS is perfectl y a t home and
acceptab le on s mooth
dirt roads, but once you
start ad ding large and
Finaldrive .. '~ " " " .' .. '.' ,. ;'P.alloicl tooth pattern; ~.oo:~ ·
· j:~E' ANo Susroi5ioi-;r : : .:
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, ' .'
loose rocks, ruts and / or
soft ground to the
: F~me . · .. : ,. : ,~ ; ,::
r., ; ';.,.: :', .'. . :.' .. . •~Qn· .
recipe ...watch out.
:Front suspensiorr, . ":.Telelevei wi central spring strut :
In so m e ways, the
Fro~t WheeI~ave~ ': , ;' ; " -:'. '" ,': . , . . ; ; : ; ..'. . ; .: :-7.5m. '.
:
GS's excessive weight is
Rear s~spe~lOn : . '.' : . . : c •• •' Monoleyer swm garm .
a plus. Instead of glanc.: .
. ' . ". . . ..
.
BMW P aralever, .
ing off small ro cks, the
:. . :. , :
: :: .;..' . ·.·;· :w / variable rehourid damping ·
GS plows stra ig ht
through them and holds
its intend ed line. Plus,
the ride is quite plush · :. ' :< . .' . .. .~. : .. . .' : ' ':Fag anti-lockbrakesystem II.:
your kidneys will appre. Front brakes '. . : .: . ..,'0.• ••:•• • .;.: . '_: •• : pisc, twod-plston;'
.
ciate the GS. Tack on the
' ::
.' : : :U .O
-in:·f!oating·calipers,·wear compensation .
smooth and torquey
Boxer motor. and yo u
'... .-:., :,::: : ,::,:.: :,.,:; "
have a m achine that's
:.WHE LS AND TIRES " .
E
.
.
." .
qu ite capable of tackling
many a dirt road, albei t
:.
at a conservative pace.
As far a s the GS'
': Front tire '.: ,;':'.' '.' : '. , :
, ;1l0/ Bo-H19 tubeless
styling, well, we love it.
It' s true that it h as a
unique, bo rd e rin g o n
bizarre, look, but in our
opinion, that' s what
makes it so a pp ealin g.
The GS will be available
in three d ifferent colors:
red, black and white, all
.Steertng angle . . : :
', . : . ;;
::.. ·. .64.