inches, which suits me fine at my 6'1" height. Conversely,
the scale of the motorcycle makes it a near-perfect com-
panion for long touring days in the saddle, which a recent
two-day trip to Laguna Seca from Orange County via the
long way confirmed.
However, the seat can get pretty hard after 45 minutes on
board. It's comfortable until that time, but there's almost a
tipping point when it goes from comfy to damn near unbear
-
able—at least for me—and despite the fact it comes with
seat heating as standard, I'd be looking at a custom seat if
2013
The GS gets its largest overhaul
yet. Now with partial water-cooling,
the GS motor pumps out a claimed
125 horsepower and the chassis
and suspension are fully revised.
BMW updates the electronics,
including optional satnav, LED
headlights, new Dynamic ESA, ride-
by-wire throttle, enhanced riding
modes, updated traction control
and the lot.
2018
BMW's latest iteration, the R 1250
GS, turns up. The 1254cc flat-twin
motor now adds variable valve tim-
ing to the mix via its ShiftCam sys-
tem, where the intake camshafts
have two cam lobes per valve that
can be switched within one cam
revolution between partial-throttle
and open-throttle cam profiles.
BMW claims 130 horsepower and
105 lb-ft for the best, although
weight is up a few pounds over the
predecessor.
Letting the big dog
eat. You can hustle a
GS along in the dirt
with surprising speed
given its size.
VOLUME ISSUE SEPTEMBER , P111
