BMW R 1200 GS

by Anton Largiader, OTL December 2004

The R 1200 GS has been quite a sensation in the motorcycle world. Unless you’ve been living in isolation, you’re already aware of how the entire GS series has bridged the gap between the trails and the street, with ever-increasing emphasis on the street. The upright seating position, the wide handlebars and the compliant suspension make it very easy to ride very quickly and many riders find that unless they are looking for racetrack performance, the GS is the fastest and easiest bike to ride.

This is nothing new, and street performance has predictably improved with the 1200. The drivetrain and suspension are better than before and the light weight... well, no one really wants a heavier bike, do they? The question has never been whether or not the 1200 would be a great street bike, but rather whether it is true to its roots as a dual-purpose bike or it has rested on its laurels and become a mere pretense of an offroad motorcycle.

Electrical

Much has been made of the on-board network (Single-Wire System; SWS) and it definitely has reduced the wiring complexity. Although there are actually six wires running to the instruments, because not all of the components feeding it talk over the data bus, the entire wire bundle to the front end of the bike (instruments and lights) is now only about 1/4" in diameter. Compare that to any older bike and you will see the improvement. The advantage: less weight taking up less space.

BMW has departed from the use of their new gel battery and uses a commonly-available Yuasa YTX14BS in this bike. However, they have a whole slew of warnings about charging the battery through the accessory socket. Unless you are using the newest BMW charger (Part No. 71 60 7 688 865) you can’t charge it through the accessory socket because that’s controlled by the Central Vehicle Electronics (CVE) module, one of the elements talking over the SWS CAN-bus (Controller Area Network). If you’re using chargers designated 676 472 or 679 040 (gel battery charger) you need to connect directly to the battery, and if you’re using any non-BMW charger you need to disconnect the battery from the bike AND the charging voltage cannott exceed 14.4V. Got that? If not, talk to your dealer.

The Denso alternator puts out 600W; lower than before, but so apparently are the bike’s own demands. Notably absent is an alternator belt tensioner; the belts are removed and installed by gently forcing them over the pulleys. BMW has a new tool just for this, but I suspect a careful wrencher could do without it.

Nearly all of the fasteners on the bike are standard recessed Torx, and the toolkit comes with the needed assortment. The handlebar clamp bolts are external Torx E10, which isn’t provided (a 6-point 8mm socket works well) and some of the less routine fasteners are also external Torx, but otherwise the toolkit has everything you would need for wheel removal and basic maintenance.

Directly behind the toolkit is a curved holder for a U-type lock (more popular overseas than in the US).

The rear swingarm mounts to a trellis frame, more like on the Airheads, and not to the transmission as on the R11xx. The swingarm and torque arm are now the same length, matching the driveshaft length, eliminating any sliding in the shaft splines. Both are longer than on previous models. The outer Paralever pivot bearing, which has been a weak spot since the beginning of the Paralever design, has been upgraded to a very stout sealed ball bearing and the inner needle bearing is larger than before.

At last, the rear brake rotor stays on the rear drive instead of coming off with the wheel, greatly simplifying wheel removal. This breaks the string of wheel-mounted brake rotors that started with the R1100GS and spread to the R1100S and all of the R1150 bikes. However, the bike no longer balances on the centerstand, meaning you’ll need a fork stand or a jack underneath the engine when you remove the front wheel.

The stock suspension, made by WP, is surprisingly good, and much better than previous models had. The front shock is adjustable for preload only, and the rear shock has hydraulic preload and a compression damping adjustment screw. On very rough terrain, hard-core riders will want increased compression damping at the front, as careless trail riding will cause it to bottom out, but even on rough trails I had no complaints about the rear shock. I suspect the existing suspension is good for about 99% of riders, and a front compression adjustment would satisfy half of the rest. Some people will always want shocks that are better, and they will undoubtedly become available on the aftermarket.

The windshield is surprisingly effective, producing very little turbulence even though it is quite some distance from the rider’s head. Its angle is adjustable without tools. Fully forward, it takes all of the wind pressure off the rider's arms but produces significant turbulence. As it is raked back, the pressure on a the arms increases and the turbulence gives way to smoother wind noise and eventually some wind pressure at helmet level. We rode with it nearly all the way back in all conditions and found the air to be smoother than on the R1100GS and nearly as nice as on an RT.

The seat-to-peg distance is ½" more than on the R1100, which is in turn ½" more than the R100. This is a noticeable improvement. The reach to the handlebars was also very comfortable.

The seat is nearly the same size as on the previous models, but is contoured with more of a hump in the middle. I found the shape and padding to be very comfortable, but the angle made me slide forward when I tried to sit on the flatter rear portion. Offroad this is not a problem; the few times that you want to sit for a while it’s not a problem to nestle forward against the tank. However, that's not comfortable for long runs on the street although raising only the forward seat adjuster helped this greatly.

On the highway, it’s obvious that you’re riding a light bike: the effect of crosswinds and the wash from other vehicles are increased. This is a cost of lighter weight and sharper handling; whether it’s a problem depends on individual preference.

The plastic cladding conceals the fuel tank access ports. Pump, filter, gauge and supply line on the left, return line and vent hoses on the right.

BMW riders, especially GS riders, tend to like the long legs that these bikes have historically had. Starting with the R80G/S PD, all have had at least a 240 mile range, provided you could access the last gallon on the R11xx. Despite the smaller tank, the range of the 1200 matches that of the previous Oilheads. We found the tank to hold 5.5 gallons, and removing the rubber insert in the bottom of the filler neck brought the capacity close to 5.9 gallons without causing any overflow of fuel into the evaporative emissions canister. Filled this way, the bike has a range of 260 to 300 miles. The fuel pickup is now in the left side, aiding the fuel transfer when the bike is on the sidestand, and the opposite side doesn’t seem to trap (and render useless) any significant amount of fuel.

Our fuel economy ranged from the low 40s (offroad and aggressive riding) to the high 40s (long trips). With a gentler right hand, it shouldn ’t be difficult to go above 50MPG.

When the fuel reaches the reserve level, the instruments display the remaining range. This must use the same technology as the FuelPlus for the early K-bikes and the fuel computer on the K1200LT, because it does adjust the displayed range as your riding style changes. Our bike ran out of fuel about ten miles after the countdown reached zero.

The servo-assisted brakes are a controversial point, and it could be argued that they are less warranted on a lighter bike that may be used on offroad trails. Like it or not, they are omnipresent on the bigger Beemers for now, although there is talk of non-servo bikes becoming available in Europe. I never found the servo to be a problem offroad, although on the steepest, loosest surface possible, I can see how it might be a hindrance. For the intermediate-to-difficult riding that I tried, I only had to get past the slight initial ‘grab’ of the brakes at activation, and then they were easy to modulate. If the brakes are eased on, the initial grab is unnoticeable and in any case seemed less than on our R1150 Rockster. I would not be surprised if the software for the brakes is refined in the future to better distinguish between fast and slow brake application.

One time, pulling out of a parking lot where I had shut the engine off only at the kill switch, I did experience a lack of power assist for about 15 seconds. The ‘brake failure’ light was flashing, and then for no reason that I could determine, it extinguished and full braking returned. I never lost servo assist while riding and was unable to duplicate this failure.

I never had the need to deactivate the ABS, but the switch for doing that is on the left hand control. In fact, there are now no controls anywhere else but on the handlebars, short of the button for setting the clock.

Both spark plugs use direct ignition. Angled oil cap is easier to use. Black cylinder on top is the stepper motor used to regulate the idle. Not visible behind the throttle body is the knock sensor.

The BMS-K engine management system, with a separate O2 sensor for each cylinder, exhibits little or no surging. Our bike had a slightly uneven idle but otherwise my only complaint was that the throttle tip-in was a bit abrupt when riding slowly. Both spark plugs now use the coil-in-cap design, called direct ignition coils in BMW’s words, cleaning up the under-tank wiring.

The timing sensor has been moved from the front of the engine (where high temperatures were blamed for sensor and wiring failures) to the top, and instead of a Hall gate it is now appears to have a proximity sensor. There is a second engine sensor mounted on the right camshaft. Other than the hexagonal shape, the heads themselves are very similar in design to the previous versions, except for a much larger valve overlap (more than 45 degrees) and the angled oil fill which greatly eases oil addition.

The throttle cables now enter sealed boxes at the throttle bodies, unlike the exposed pulleys on previous Oilheads. The very light throttle should last longer, since less dirt will migrate into the housings. The cable splitter box is clearly intended to accomodate a cruise control in the future - look for this on the R1200RT.

More good news is that BMW has finally programmed the safety interlocks properly, allowing the bike to start and run on the sidestand in neutral without letting you crank the engine fruitlessly if something’s not right. One oddity is that when starting the bike in gear, you must pull the clutch in after (and not before) turning the key on, or else the engine will not acknowledge it. I suspect this is to verify proper operation of the switch by seeing it in both states, but it could just mean additional complication for people trying to get a damaged bike started in the middle of nowhere.

The engine itself runs with a whirring growl, rather than the staccato beat of the previous Oilheads, possibly due to the counterrotating balance shaft that really does eliminate nearly all of the chassis torque (good news for wheelie riders!). The power is, ummm, potentially addictive and just as you think it must be running out of breath it keeps pulling harder.

The transmission never gave a bit of problem, other than neutral being a bit difficult to find sometimes. The throw is very short, aggravating the neutral issue but greatly helping operation otherwise, especially when standing on the pegs offroad.

Light weight is obvious in the construction of the rear hub. New, stronger Paralever bearings are behind the cover to the lower left.

Early bikes demonstrated problems with the fuel gauge. The float arm rubbed the side of the tank, preventing it from following the level of the fuel. Although the fuel gauge issues were supposedly confined to a few hundred early bikes, our test bike was manufactured after the published “affected range” and still had the problem. The gauge read full for nearly 100 miles, when it would drop quickly to barely above reserve.

There have been some failures in the rear drives, noticeable at first by looseness in the crown wheel. At 2000 miles ours had a very small amount of play in the rear drive which didn't worsen during the remaining 1000 miles that we had the bike. Additionally there was an installation problem with an O-ring in the rear drive that caused an oil leak; this was limited to a small initial run of bikes and most were repaired before the bikes reached the dealerships.

Unfortunately, there is a lot to improve in the instruments. The speedometer carries the visual theme from the rest of the bike, with fairly blocky numerals on the dial which are hard to discern at a glance. In time, of course, you simply know which ones are which, but until then the 60 looks awfully like the 80 and so forth. The tachometer is small and the numerals are the same, but at least there you don’t really need to look at numbers, only needle position. In any case, the old-fashioned Motometer text was much easier on the eyes.

The LED display (now called the Info Flatscreen) can stand improvement, too. It displays the same things the previous Rider Information Display (RID) does - fuel level, engine temperature, clock, and gear selection - as well as the main odometer, two trip odometers, and a few warnings. When the key is turned off, though, the display is blank. Since we often use the bike as a clock, it would be nice if the clock stayed on with the key off, as it does on the RID.

Where the RID uses distinct bars for the fuel level, the same way a cell phone indicates reception and battery power, the new display has a smooth gauge which offers no such visual cues. Gone is the ability to think, “OK, four bars of fuel means I can go another eighty miles.” If our bike hadn’t been affected by the sticking fuel gauge, we might have gotten a more favorable impression.

The gear indicator has a distinct delay, making it difficult to find neutral quickly. The neutral light itself, above the flatscreen, responds instantly.

On a more positive note, the speedometer cable is history now; the wheel speed is read from the rear wheel ABS sensor and, as on other bikes, this brings self-canceling turn signals. The dual tripmeters are also a great touch. A button on the left handgrip resets them and scrolls between the tripmeters, the main odometer, and the fuel reserve countdown (if active). Along with the clock, the tripmeter data is lost when the battery is disconnected.

* unfueled, luggage mounts but no luggage, no passenger seat (if applicable), spoked wheels.

When asked, most people think that a GS needs to have long legs (speed and range), tall seat, reliability and field repairability, and dual-sport capability. There are quite a few people who feel this bike is not a “real GS” but I don’t agree in the least. It has the range, the off-road ability, and the dual-sport seating position. Reliability seems to be normal or better, so far.

Standing on the pegs, the reach to the handlebars is not quite as short as on the earlier Oilheads, but it’s better than on the R100GS. There’s no indication that this bike is any less durable than the previous models, provided cylinder protection bars are added.

Field repairability is dwindling on all heavyweight bikes; this is a fact of life but not really a new one. Unless you are carrying the right spare part, any bike can leave you stranded. The parts that were considered "field-repairable" in the past very rarely fail on new bikes. For instance, the Airhead alternators were always a weak point while the new automotive-style units are very reliable. I'd much rather bring along a spare alternator belt for the R1200 than a rotor, diode board, and stator for the R100. The integrated electronics is the only real question...time will tell.

Offroad, this bike shines long after the road gets muddy, provided you have the right tires. I didn't find the 19" front wheel to be much of a limitation, and the lower weight is readily apparent and results in much lower rider fatigue. Another fatigue-reducer is the light steering; it’s not vague at all, but moves with great ease even when the trail is rutted and rocky. The 1200 is lighter, more powerful, and geared lower than the R1150GS. On the downside, while 1100 and 1150 owners have been able to swap for even lower gear ratios since the rear drives are common across the R11xx line, 1200 owners have nothing else available yet.

At this moment, BMW is selling the R1150GS Adventure and the R1200GS for very similar prices. Those who want a heavier, bulkier enduro can opt for the Adventure and benefit from the lower gearing and larger tank, and those who want an even lighter offroad bike, with a 21" front wheel, can buy the F650 Dakar for about $9000. But for a true all-arounder along the lines of the previous Oilheads and Airheads, buyers will absolutely choose the R1200GS because it is a complete and positive upgrade in every important area, even if the overall gearing has not been dropped low enough for some people.

BMW knows they can't please everyone and I think they've positioned this bike very well. Adding a 21" front wheel would be too much of a compromise on the street, and lower gearing and more suspension travel would place this bike in the KTM 950 category. That would be good news for a few, but the bike's success is now (and has been for a long time) firmly rooted in its street bias.

I’ve ridden my R100GS to a lot of nasty offroad areas and have been pleased with its handling and tractability advantage over the R11xx series, but I’ve always been aware of the weight and required effort. Finally, this is a bike that I feel I can ride to the places I take my R100GS.