All-New Bmw Gs Breaks Cover!
ALL-NEW BMW GS BREAKS COVER!
ROUNDUP
BIG HAPPENINGS AT BMW these days, and topping the list is a brand-new adventure-tourer, the R1200GS. Replacement for the best-selling R1150GS, the horizontally opposed twin-cylinder machine is said to be significantly lighter and more powerful than its popular predecessor.
The first thing you notice about the vastly altered,
1170cc engine is its hexagonal valve covers-and the cooling fins cast into the cylinders behind them.
This biggervalved engine is not liquidcooled, as has been speculated, but air/oil-cooled, as was its 1130cc forerunner. It is, however, the first Boxer to employ a balance shaft, which is said to reduce vibration to an “absolute minimum,” particularly at lower engine speeds. Overall, the powerplant weighs 6.5 pounds less than the old one, nearly half of that decrease coming from redesigned cases. Width is I identical.
In terms of output, BMW claims 100 horsepower and 85 foot-pounds of torque, up from 85 bhp and 72 ft.-lbs. Advanced electronics have improved fuel economy and reduced emissions. The sixspeed transmission was redesigned-now with helical-cut gears-but unlike in the past, top gear is intended to complement the other ratios, not exist solely as an overdrive.
Chassis changes are equally sweeping. The engine and transmission remain stressed members of the chassis, with simplified steel-tube subframes locating the redone Telelever and Paralever suspension systems. While the steering-head angle remains 27.1 degrees, trail was reduced slightly to 4.3 inches. EVO brakes and cast wheels are standard; tubeless wire-spoke hoops and Integral ABS are optional. Claimed weight for a fully fueled R1200GS is 496 pounds, which is 34 lbs. less than the claimed dry weight for last year’s RI 150GS.
On the styling front, there will be no mistaking a new GS for the older model. The “winged snout” upper front fender is only slightly altered, but new gas tank “sidecovers” add a degree of ruggedness, not to mention allowing for customizing options. Fuel capacity is down slightly to 5.3 gallons. Three colors are available: Ocean Blue, Rock Red or Desert Yellow. Seats come in black or gray, as do the sidecovers.
As for the rest of the Bavarian bike-maker’s 2004 lineup, the popular 650 Singles look pretty much the same, but benefit from engine improvements. A twin-sparkplug cylinder head and an uprated ECU have cut emissions, fattened the torque curve and reduced fuel consumption. Peak horsepower-50 bhp at 6500 rpm-is unchanged, but max torque^l4 foot-pounds at 4800 rpm for the GS and GS Dakar, and 46 ft.-lbs. at 5500 rpm for the CS city bike-comes at lower revs.
The K1200LT luxo-tourer got in on the makeover act, too. The nose, now with twin headlights, was smoothed over, the windscreen made more protective and the seat reshaped. Options include a CD changer, GPS and remote-controlled central locking for the saddlebags and top case. Maybe most interesting, however, is the electro-hydraulic centerstand. This novel, industryfirst feature allows the rider to raise the centerstand while seated on the bike by simply pressing a button on the right handlebar. Power is up-BMW claims 116 bhp at 8000 rpm and 88 ft.■ lbs. of torque at 5250 rpm-and with it top speed, to 130 mph. Hence the additional half-inch of frontend trail.
Exciting stuff, all around. Makes you wonder what else is waiting in the wings.
-Matthew Miles
