R 1200 GS and R 1200 GS Adventure – First Impression
CW’s Dave Wyndham and Wally Chesshire tested the 2010 R1200GS and R1200GS Adventure models on twisty mountain roads north of Malaga in mid-January. Weather conditions were sunny and warm, but road conditions were quite mixed, with some good surface but also long stretches badly eroded following recent heavy snow and flooding. This is Dave’s first impression:-
“These two bikes haven’t been updated quite as much as the R1200RT. The main changes from the 2009 versions are almost all in the engine, although there are one or two other improvements worth mentioning such as easier-to-use adjusters for the screen, and the 2010 Enduro ESA which we both felt gives an improved ride. The handle bar clamps have been modified to allow for a greater arc of adjustment in the tubular bars (up to 180 degrees is claimed). The speedo and tacho faces have been redesigned for better definition and are now much clearer to read at a glance.
Both of us immediately noticed that the engines are appreciably torquier and smoother, albeit only producing a 5 bhp increase over the previous model (now 110 bhp), but making the bikes even more responsive to the throttle. There are various contributing factors at play, mainly of course the twin overhead cams which give a higher valve lift than on the old ‘high cam’ heads, but these new cams also operate larger diameter valves that breath through enlarged manifolds, and the valve timing has also been tweaked for optimum performance throughout the rev range. New air intake funnels and air filter round off the performance improvements that result in peak torque at a whopping 120 nm at 6,000 revs.
Neither Wally nor I could work out how the gearbox has changed, but both of us were aware of a smoother and more user-friendly gear change operation. The technical info from BMW mentions ‘optimised shift kinetics’ but doesn’t expand further.
The much throatier and far more muscular exhaust note is achieved using a cable-operated valve connected to an electric motor that responds to the engine management system. It’s basically a noise reduction system that allows the bike to pass the latest noise regulations, is reasonably civilised at normal urban-environment revs, but changes to a much more rebellious sound when the throttle is cracked open on the open road. This new feature should be a wow with all riders of 2010 GS’s and Adventures – it certainly was with us, especially in the tunnels. In town you can open the throttle to produce the bark but everyone will look at you.
The legendary handling of both the R1200GS and Adventure remains the same as previous models. After all it’s not easy to improve something that’s fairly close to perfection in the first place.
On the road price for the GS is £9,925 and the Adventure is £10,745
The official launch of these new models is 6th February and we have demonstrators available. Please don’t hesitate to ask for a test ride.
Dave Wyndham
