Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1542398
l I I .<' & /'Ja f., - f .L The GS looks right ot home posed next to the Colorodo River in the Grond Conyon. re .4;- ' )r- BMW R1200GS Adventure STAND/\RD €OUIPM€NT . Heated hand grips . Clear turn-sitnal lenses . Handguards . Off-road knobby rires . Cross-spoke wheels F€ATUR€s OF TH€ N€W RIAOOGS ADV€NTURE VS. TH€ 'STANOARD' RI2OOGS . 8.7-gallon fueltank . LarSer windshield . Tank, engine and valve cover protectors . Stainless-steel lugSage rack . Adiusrabl€ seat with off-road ergonomics . Adjustable aluminum handlebar with hand protectors . Lonter suspenrion tmvel . Cross-spoke wheels . Extra-wide rider footpeSs, adjustable gearshift and brake levers . New position side and centerstand . High-performance 720-watt alternator T€CHNICAL FIEATURCS OF TH€ RIAOOGS ADV€NTUR€ VS. THC FORMCR RIIsOGS . 27-pound weight reduction . 1596 more power and l more torqr.re . New six-speed transmission . New EVO-Paralever with TDD spring struts . New Telelever front suspension . New instruments in digital technology with lnfo-Flatscreen . Onboard single-wire network usinE CAN bus technology . Elecronic immobilizer a k o o o o handlebarc and more off-roadlike erEonom- ics make it easier and more comfortable for you to stand up orer the rough stuff, The ride wasn't all pure fun and e,xcite- ment. There were long stret(hes of boring pavement that connectd us to the iuicy stuff, and I found m)6elf passing the time away by fiddling with my bike's optional onboard cgmputei which, on the lnfo- Flatscreen, displays the outside tempera- ture, the range remaining on the fuel still left in the tank, my aveiage fuel consump- tion and averaSe speed. lnever saw my average fuel consumption dip below 35 mpg, and that was after a good mix of dirt and street riding. That's just over 300 miles on a tank of gas! The windscreen is marvelous, lt does an excellent irb of deflectirg the wind off your chest, and there is litde buffeting. I was alwa)6 h+py with the screen adiusted to the lowest sening, especialty on this lyafm - and at tirnes downrigh hot - day. lt was nice to know that the windscreen could be raised higher if temperatures suddenly dropped and rain started falling out ofthe slry. I never feh the need to mess with the Adventure's handlebars, even though they are plenty adiustable. The bikes we rode came fifted with knobby-type tires that produced a deafen- in8 whine on the pavement and even on the hard-packed dirt. But, whine or no whine. l'd take the knobbies over the optional smoothies any day if any kind of dirt ridinS was involved. lYany hourc later, we finalbr arrived at the west rim, our mission complete. Of the l0 or so Adventures that participated on this ride, only two that l'm aware of showed up with scratches that they didn't have at the start - one tipped over in a sandy wash, and the other ended up on its side in a turn. in the dirt. Nehher bike was darnaged, but to be honest, I was expect- ing more carnage, simply because most of the iournalists on this ride had very little dirt-riding experience but a lot of time on pavement, At least one participant said that he'd never ridden on the dirt ever, but he mad. it through the day unscathed, which says a lot for the Adventure. One very experienced street rider, however, did not have the confidence to tackle the dirt roads, sayinS that his legs just weren't long enough for the GS's high stance, so he stuck to the pavement and reported havinS a good time on the GS touring the streets and highways in and around Sedona. ln its lowen setting, the Adventure has a 35-inch seat height, which really isn't too out of line when you start comparing ntrmbers, but the wide sear makes it feel taller Yes, height ir an issue with the Adventure, for sure. You simpv can't "make do" with the GS; either you fit it or you don't. I cenainly wouldn't mind having an Adventure rnaking perrniment residence in my garage. After all, it's a great-pertorming and cornfortable streetbike that isn't restrict- ed to iust pavement ridinS, though it does have 'rts owious limitations off-road. I'd also t!"y to cgnvirrce one of my buddies to get one, because l'd hate to have to clean-and- jerk the Beemer in the middle of dre Mojave Deseft all by mysef in case I dumped it. The Adventure comee with a list of accessories way too lonS to print here, but aluminum side cases and top case aie worth mentioning. The square boxes might not be exactly pretty, but they're extreme- ly functional, as they're big, light, and 6sy to use, and the mouns aren't hideously ugly when you leave the cas€s at home- The lu8- gage system isnt cheap, though - it'll set you back well over $ I 500 - but BMW does offer a large ank bag for $308 that is per- fect for day rides and maybe even an or'erniSht stay somewhere. A sturdy stain- less-steel l!8gage rack comes standard. Of course, Bl'4W offers plenty of riding +parel designed with the Adventure in mind that can prett), much hahdle just about any kind of weather conditions you might encounter on your global trek. After all, who wans to stop for a pesky snowsorm? VMth the Adventure, you iust want to just keep going, and Eoing, and going... Cil (Righr, rop ro bonom) New, topered hondlebors give the Adventure o mora off-rood fccl; the lost thing you wont to do ir drop the big G5, but if you do, there ir morc prot .lioni re A&enture ir super- comfortsble on thr rhcat. 36 JUNE zl ,2006 . cYcLE NEws \( 2006 BMY\/ Rl200GS Adventure FRONT WHEEL: ......... REAR WHEEL: ............. FRONT TIRE: ............... REARTIRE: ................. FRONT SUSPENSION REAR SUSPENSION: ,,, BRAKE SYSTEM: ......... FRONT BRAKE: .......... REAR BRAKE: ............. LENGTH: ..................... WIDTH: SEAT HEIGHT,,,,,-----.. RAKVTRAIL: ................ .Air/oil-cooled Boxer twin-rylinder, four \ralves per cylinder .. .......____ - _ _- lII3:; ....BMW Engine Controller - BMS K .......................720 watts at l4 volts ....Gear li 1.823 .........................Enc|ored driveshaft two universal joints ...........-...-...180mm dry sinSle plate w/ hydraulic actuation .....Six-speed ..................Three-part, €ngine/cast aluminum/tubular steel ................2.50 x l9-in. cross-spoke ................4.00 x I 7-in. cross-spoke .................. I I 0/80 x I 9-in. tubeless .................. 1 59/70 x l7-in. tubeless BMW Telelever. 8.3-in. wheel travel ...,,..,......................Bl',fW EVO Paralever, 8.7-in. wheel travel ............. EVO Two four-piston fixed calipers. 12.0-in. dualrloating rotors SinSle tlvo-piston floating caliper, I0.4'in. lixed rotor ENGINE TYPE:.................... CAPACITY: COMPRESSION RATIO:.... FUEL SYSTEM: CHARGING SYSTEM: ....... PRIMARY DRIVE; ....--......... FINAL DRIVE: CLUTCH: GEARBOX: FRAME:..............,.,........,....... WETGHT (claimed, dry): MAXIMUM LOAD: ....... FUEL.TANK CAPACITY: MAXIMUI'I POWER: .... MAXIMUM TORQUE: COLORS: ......................... MSRP: ............................. { L f < aa 1l m I r I 1l T SPECIFICATIONS iJ *i ? 5