By PETER THOEMING
26 June 2006

In 1633, after publicly recanting his belief that the Earth moves around the sun, Galileo is said to have muttered ‘eppur si muove’, meaning something like ‘it does so move, too’. He would have said the same thing about the new BMW R 1200 GS Adventure. Nearly as big and heavy as its name, it is nevertheless a real mover once it gets going. On top of that it’s a remarkably easy bike to ride.

I almost didn’t discover that. When I received confirmation of my travel arrangements for the launch from BMW I saw the names of the blokes I was going to be riding with. Two are particularly fast riders from leading dirt bike magazines; the third actually teaches off-road riding. This was not so much Daniel in the lions’ den; it was Daniel in the lions’ den without his glasses and with his hands tied behind his back…

The very persuasive Naomi Francis from BMW convinced me to have a go anyway, and I will be eternally grateful to her. I won’t say that I kept up with the others but I had a great time gliding through the NSW and Victorian High Country.

Yes, gliding. Although we spent relatively little time on the tar, the Adventure was never anything other than smooth. That proprietary suspension system, Telelever at the front and Paralever at the back, has a lot going for it. But then so does the enlarged engine with the new six speed gearbox.

The Adventure is the long-range version of the standard 1200 GS. It gets a huge 33-litre fuel tank; longer spring travel; crash protection for the tank, engine and valve covers; an adjustable seat and adjustable aluminium handlebar with hand protectors; wide rider footrests, adjustable gearshift and brake levers; a larger windshield, a stainless-steel luggage rack and cross-spoke wheels. It also gets a high-performance 720 W alternator, to cope with things like heated clothing.

The bike has also been improved over the previous 1150 version. It is lighter more powerful, with increased power and torque (up 15 per cent and 17 per cent respectively) driving through that new six-speed gearbox. The suspension has been improved, an electronic immobiliser is now standard and instruments are new.

Not everything is necessarily better – the new bike is even taller than its predecessor, although the seat has been narrowed a little to make it marginally easier to reach the ground. This change was made with some skill; the seat has been completely redesigned and is actually more comfortable. At just under six foot I found the seat reasonable on its high setting.

It is a shame that the 1200 does not get the extra-low first gear of the 1150, however.

There are many neat touches, as always with BMW these days. The rear brake lever, for instance, is a two-level arrangement for use while seated or standing – which you would be in serious dirt. The optional luggage was designed by Touratech, a German company whose products are pretty much accepted as the state of the art in adventure touring.

And how does it go? Well, the guys who have been scaring sports bike riders on R 1150 GSs will have even more fun now. On the tar the bike handles and steers like a high-level sports machine, and the 115 Nm of torque come in really handy when accelerating out of corners. The one potential on-road problem would be the tyres; you can choose between Michelins for the road (and a tiny bit of dirt) and Continentals for the dirt (and quite a bit of tar) but neither are obviously perfect in the other’s domain.

Time for two sets of wheels? You wouldn’t be the only one…

On the dirt the bike is simply awesome, and I don’t use that word lightly. This is the Conan of the two-wheeled world. Despite the weight and the power the bike still steers tidily and tracks precisely through all sorts of conditions. I didn’t have the opportunity to sample it in deep sand or mud (thank you, whatever gods there be) but I’m reliably informed by my dirtbike journo mates that it was ‘all good’ there, too.

A large and interesting collection of options and accessories is available, including ABS (you can switch it off) for $1750, driving lights for $500 and the surprisingly (for me) useful BMW Navigator III for an as-yet undecided sum. I had the Navigator fitted to the bike I was riding, and found myself enjoying its company.

So, would I choose this bike if I was going to do some serious dirt road touring in Australia or overseas? Yes, I would. Would I choose it above anything else? Yes, I would. Would I be happy paying $24,000 for it? Well, I reckon I’d be getting value, although of course I’d have to have the luggage system, and I’d certainly like the ABS…

The only thing that stopped the Adventure on this ride was when I got jammed into a deep, hard-packed snow drift up above Falls Creek. But even then it was the footpegs that got me stuck, not the barrels – so any other bike would have ceased to proceed as well.

Eppur si muove all right, old boy.

AT A GLANCE
Model: BMW R 1200 GS Adventure
Price: $24,000 (plus on-road charges)
Warranty: Two years, unlimited distance
Power: 74 kW at 7000 rpm
Torque: 115 Nm at 5500 rpmEngine: Air cooled flat twin boxer, 4 stroke, 4 valves per cylinder, OHC with pushrods. Electronic fuel injection and engine management
Bore x stroke: 101 x 73 mm
Displacement: 1170 cc
Compression ratio: 11:1
Transmission: 6 speed, single plate dry clutch, final drive by shaft
Suspension: Front, BMW Telelever with adjustable preload, travel 210 mm. Rear, BMW Paralever, adjustable preload and damping, travel 220 mm
Dimensions: Seat height 895/915 mm, dry weight 223 kg, fuel capacity 33 litres, wheelbase 1511 mm
Tyres: Front, 110/80 R19. Rear, 150/70 R17
Frame: Tubular steel, engine load-bearing
Brakes: Front, twin 305 mm discs with four piston calipers. Rear, single 265 mm disc with twin piston caliper.
Top speed: 200 km/h plus
Acceleration:
0-100 km/h – 3.4 sec
60-100 km/h – n/a
Fuel consumption: Average 6 litres per 100 km, premium unleaded
Range: 550 km
Colour/s: Non-metallic Alpine White, matt metallic White Aluminium.