2004 BMW R 1200 GS

The little clearing in the scrub is perfect for the night’s camp. Plenty of firewood, no chance of human visitors, comfortable ground to roll the swag out on and a sky so clear I can see every star in the universe.

Life’s so simple: a meal cooked over the coals, wallabies emerging from the trees 50 metres away, shooting stars, chill winter air and the glow of the fire to warm me.

It’s hard to forget, though, that the dirt-caked machine standing tall in the firelight is a high-tech tour de force, one of the most advanced motorcycles under the…err…moon.

The R1200GS is an amazing machine, but I expected that because the GS series has dominated the adventure touring scene for a quarter of a century, and this one draws upon the lessons learned by all its predecessors.

Importantly, it is more powerful than any GS before it. Critically, it is lighter than any oilhead GS to date. And it introduces a bunch of welcome innovations.

The true joy of a GS is that it gets you away from it all. So out here this night, I decide to sleep on the matter.

When I rise in the morning, there’s frost on the ground and ice inside the swag. Despite the cold, the BM fires up first hit, shivers briefly, then settles into a perfect idle. I turn the handlebar warmer to max and watch the grips thaw.

The new engine management system effectively treats each cylinder as its own engine, so it’s better able to provide optimum spark and fuel to each one. I’ve already noticed it reduces surge – most noticeable as that constant-throttle hunting you sometimes get in injected bikes – and it also apparently negates problems with burnt exhaust valves in earlier Rs.

Both spark plugs in each cylinder are probably working their little tips off in this cold start, too, but once everything’s warm and the engine is operating at higher loads, just one plug in each pot will do the work as the engine management system (EMS) does its thing.

I’ve tried challenging it, too, by feeding it low grade unleaded from small bush servos instead of the 95 octane premium the engine asks for in an ideal world, but the knock sensors and other EMS adjustments simply deal with it. No pinging, no hassles.

The winter freeze hasn’t allowed me to test BMW’s claim of hot-weather happiness, but I’ve no reason to doubt it, although presumably in the worst conditions you’d notice a slight reduction in power and response as the ignition timing is retarded to cope.

The 1200 engine is a gem, and deserves to power all R-series machines. With the extra capacity, new cylinder heads, larger valves (all by about 2mm), lighter internal masses and other changes, power and torque are both whacked up a full 18 per cent from the 1150GS, and you know it as soon as you open the throttle. There’s a much faster rush when you open the taps, and you spend noticeably less time at full throttle. Struth, you only have to launch vigorously, not violently, from the lights to float the front wheel.

However, the balance shaft – a first in a BMW Boxer – isn’t all it’s cracked up to be. Contra-rotating inside the hollowed counter­shaft, with its weight hanging out the rear of the cases, the shaft tries to kill the rocking­couple shakes inherent in a horizontally­opposed twin (one conrod sits just forward of the other, creating the imbalance). The vibes are still there, unmistakably those of a flat twin, but the sometimes uncomfortable vibes of the older bikes have had the rough edges knocked right off.

With top gear now lower than the overdrive fitted to previous oil-head GSs, overtaking is far simpler without any footwork, but when you do change gears you revel in the new­found dexterity of the shift action. Not only has BMW culled a whopping 13kg from the gearbox, which is one of the last separate-unit designs in motorcycling, it has invested the cogs with an almost Japanese shift quality – short, light and precise. It is like no other BMW. The helical gears and their system of rollers, forks and sleeves (instead of shift gears) are a revelation.

First gear is quite tall and the engine, for all its grunt, is happiest in the top half of its rev range. More than once on the test it causes trouble for me, not least on a steep and treacherous climb where l want to trials-ride my way up, but end up wheel-spinning precariously on the edge of stalling while I fight for traction. With six gears and a low-revving engine, surely BMW could drop first to a more useful crawling level instead of the roadbike ratio it is now.

It’d help on descents, too. The bike will run away from you in bottom gear, and you have to ride the brakes all the way. But here’s another revelation, one that completely contradicted my expectations. I’ve hated BMW’s servo brakes since day one, on every BM I’ve ridden, and I thought their bad points would be highlighted on a dirtbike. But no. The GS’s brakes are excellent.

The servo doesn’t cut in and stop you dead at low speeds or make for jerky progress when you want finesse. You can manoeuvre the GS through tight traffic, riding the rear brake and making fine adjustments to speed with it. Tricky goat-track descents become easy again as the ABS keeps you from locking the front brake as you use it in touch-and-go situations.

And when you want to stop from higher speeds, man, do you stop! Even on a damp red-dirt track, just hammer the brakes, let the ABS do its job, and you will stop almost as quickly as a sportsbike on the tar. Awesome.

The only bug BMW needs to iron out is the propensity for the servo system to fail to wake up sometimes when you start the bike. Some people reckon there’s a pattern here, a way to avoid it, but I’m yet to figure it out. Maybe I’m slow, but I’ve tried all the variations on start-up and still have trouble.

As for switching off the ABS, you can, but I don’t. I enjoy its back-up role, and the Boxer’s engine braking is strong enough to break the rear loose when you want to slide into a corner.

The thought of getting loose on a bike this big is scary at times, but all GS BMWs have been sporty beyond their station. Now the GS is 30kg lighter than the previous one – thank goodness – it is far more agile and aggressive. You don’t need to be as physical with the big bastard. Mostly. It’s still a monster dirtbike that weighs a ton when things go pear-shaped, but this time things go wrong far less often. The weight reductions come from all areas of the bike, from that massive reduction in gearbox mass to crankcases that are 1.4kg lighter, to 10 percent of the unsprung weight being shaved from the rear thanks to the new wheel and Paralever swingarm design. The final drive unit is sealed and never needs to have the oil changed. Nor does the Telelever up front, which has revised geometry to bring trail back 5mm and almost, but not quite, negates dive under brakes.

The steering’s great, too, and has been one of my favourite aspects of this bike since the first 50 metres of riding. On road it is very positive, eagerly tipping in and quickly following your inputs. On a twisty tar road, it’s so sporty you just can’t help but give the BM some. And clearance is great, too, as long as you keep your feet tucked up out of the way. The variable-rate rear damping seems to keep the back end more settled. Again, better than any GS before it.

Your lines are ever-changeable, too, thanks to the neutrality of the Para- and Telelever combo. And on dirt, you really notice the inherent stability of the set-up. The tyres offer surprising grip on dirt roads, even sandy ones, although they obviously have their limits.

The front’s habit of slipping sideways suddenly when pushed is still there, but it’s rarely so bad you lose it altogether, and the suspension still bottoms out once conditions get moderately challenging. The bottoming isn’t so bad at speed, where the big machine just keeps on trackin’, but it’ll throw its weight around scarily on loose, rocky tracks when the springs have done all they can.

Spend time out bush, bashing trails and blitzing tarmac, and fatigue often sets in. But the GS is very comfortable. The screen, on either its highest or lowest settings, has lots less buffeting than before, although I can’t stand the effect on the middle settings. The narrower seat doesn’t cause significant bum ache even after hours in the saddle, and it sure makes it easier to put your feet on the ground. It still comes with adjustable height settings, too.

The heated grips and chill­-cheating handguards are indispensable in winter. The only bitch I have is with the panniers. When you ride through water, the front tyre sprays it out onto the bags, which redirect it all over your legs and arse. Not good, especially when the puddles are so cold there’s a centimetre of ice on top.

But the panniers themselves are great, particularly their expanding design which adds nine litres capacity by simply pulling a lever. They open and close easily, don’t need the key, detach quickly and seem more securely fastened to the bike.

The pillion pad still comes off to expose a luggage rack, too, and the best way to take advantage of this is to also unbolt the rear carry rack-cum-grab handles. The tankbag’s well designed, but the more full it is the more it gets in the way when you stand up to ride.

The new GS is an awesome bike. It’s arguably the ultimate touring bike, combining all the major factors you want in a mile-eater with the versatility that only dual-purpose bikes can manage. And it’s sporty enough to be an absolute ball on the roads the sportsbike brigade calls its own.

It’s also the best big adventure-tourer you can get. But we knew all this even before the 1200 was announced. The cool thing is the R 1200 GS is a better GS, one that’s lighter, more powerful and more nimble, without sacrificing anything that made the others so good.

By Mick Matheson. Two Wheels, August 2004

Five things that went wrong with our GS test bike

Fuel pump failure: The GS broke down when the fuel pump carked it. Cue ride in ute. As it was preceded by fuel gauge failure (it read empty even when the tank was full) we suspect it was an electronic problem.

Bent front rim: A cattle-grid was the most likely culprit. BMW claims these alloy wheels are stronger than any before, but we (and BMW) recommend adventurous riders take the wire wheels at no extra cost.

Broken pannier mount: Crashing in a muddy bog hole, from about 30km/h, snapped the locking lug off the pannier bracket. The pannier could still be mounted safely; it didn’t fall off despite more rough roads.

Screen adjustment screws: These loosened a couple of times. It only meant we had to stop and tighten them by hand again.

Missing bolt: Yes, a BMW lost a bolt! It was one of the ones mounting the front beak. A side-cover grommet also went missing.

Why the 1200GS didn’t win the 2004 Two Wheels Bike of the Year

What’s good is excellent on the BMW, but what’s bad is unforgivable in our minds. The bottom line is that this bike would be a shoo in for Bike of the Year if it hadn’t been like a Russian Olympic diver and bellyflopped when it counted.

Fulfilment of intended design: The GS’s major weight-loss program is excel­lent, and this is more than an awesome adventure-tourer – it’s an excellent all-round bike. Seems like the ideal go-everywhere bike, having addressed the shortcomings of the previous model. Incredible attention to detail has gone into the bike’s design, and this is obvious the closer you look. Everything is neat and tidy and those Germans seem not to have missed a trick from the design perspective.

Appropriate use of technology: Great technology: the light weight, the ultra­strong but unlockable brakes, the highly effi­cient engine and a chassis that allows both high-speed roadwork and the capacity for off-road adventure riding. The reality is not so rosy, with incidents of dangerous brake failures as well as breakdowns and more. Given the relatively new ‘Can-Bus’ wire tech­nology and the high-tech engine manage­ment system, only a BMW workshop has the gear to diagnose and repair the high-tech machine, making you wonder just how adventurous your touring can really be.

Quality of manufacture: BMW maintains its overall high standard of fit and finish but repeated failures of final drive units (not restricted to the GS) are a worry, as are numerous and commonplace faults with electrical equipment, switchgear and the like. Plastic pannier mounts that break all too easily? Fragility is a concern for a machine that, by its nature and design, should be tough enough for outback use.

Value for money: Twenty-one gees should be acceptable for all that the BMW provides, including heated grips and seats, power outlets and much more, but in light of everything said above, we had a hard time corning to terms with the price.

Two Wheels, October 2004

And what bike did win BOTY 2004? The Suzuki GSX-R750...