BMW Motorrad Anniversary: 30 Years of GS

Wednesday, April 7th, 2010

HP2 Enduro – powerful boxer for the down-and-dirty work.

The HP2 Enduro was the first ever production BMW motorbike with a seat height of 920 mm. But the robustly uncompromising nature of the HP2 Enduro, unveiled in 2005, was all part of its charm. The name alone – HP stands for “high performance” – was an indication that this is very much a sports machine.

For many boxer fans, this was a dream come true. Never before had a boxer model been this light and athletic and had such radical off-road capabilities. Project manager Markus Theobald had the pleasure of designing the pared down yet highly sophisticated HP2 Enduro. There had already been plans for a radical off-road boxer years before, but not until the relatively lightweight R 1200 GS was a suitable technical basis available for developing such a machine. The engineers had already gained experience with the tubular space frame from working with the R 900 RR, while for the engine and driveline they were able to draw on the R 1200 GS. The air spring strut and TDD telescopic fork gave the bike competitive speed on the worst imaginable off-road trails. Here the HP2 Enduro went way beyond all previous GS models. The handling, heavily influenced by the 21-inch front wheel and the light weight of the bike, was unrivalled too. But obviously such an ex-works collector‟s machine could neither be cheap nor meet a wide spectrum of wants and needs. The production run was consequently limited to 2005 and 2006.
Long way down… and other adventure stories with the GS.

In 2007, the popular McGregor/Boorman team were back in the saddle again. The TV series, DVD and book of this new trip were entitled “Long Way Down”. The three-month trip and media spectacle saw the pair ride from Scotland through Western Europe to South Africa. Not too surprisingly, the duo once again chose BMW bikes for their 25,000-kilometre journey. This time round they were riding the BMW R 1200 GS Adventure.

Germany‟s most famous globetrotting motorcycle adventurer has to be Michael Martin. Since 1992, Munich-born Martin has been using the large BMW GS models for numerous sensational expeditions – for example between 1999 and 2004 he visited all the world‟s deserts. Martin has documented his creative, but often physically extreme tours in 15 books and more than 1,000 slide shows.
Helge Pedersen, too, continues to rely on the big BMW GS models for his long-distance journeys. In 2008 he took part in the GlobeRiders Worldtour, making a 16,000-kilometre trip from Beijing to Munich.

While McGregor, Boorman, Pedersen and Martin use state-of-the-art GS models, some world adventurers remain loyal to their long-serving two-valve machines. Austrian triathlete Felix Bergmeister, for example, made a round-the-world trip on a BMW R 80 GS Basic. And British motorcycle traveller Tiffany Coates has no desire to part with her 18-year-old BMW R 100 GS, on which she has already clocked up 280,000 kilometres in every continent – further proof of the reliability and long life of the large BMW enduro. Meanwhile, after spending 11 years working in Hong Kong, another loyal devotee, Scotsman Mike McCabe, is now back in the saddle and returning to his native Scotland on his R 1200 GS Adventure.

F models as popular as ever: the F 650 GS / F 800 GS.

The GS boxer models are not the only ones to have acquired more powerful engines over the course of time. In 2008, the F 650 GS Funduro, and its sister model the F 650 “Dakar”, were replaced by a new F 800 GS twin-cylinder model. The new models are powered by a parallel twin-cylinder engine taken from the F 800 S and F 800 ST street models, which were launched in 2006.

The F 800 GS enduro is not only equipped with the same engine as the 800 series street machines but also with the same tubular space frame. In terms of engine size and weight, this model follows in the tradition of the original GS boxer models. With a 21-inch front wheel, large ground clearance and more than 200 millimetres of spring travel, it can take on any type of terrain, while on the road its agile, 85 hp engine powers it vigorously up to the 200 km/h mark.

However, with the parallel twin-cylinder engine, liquid cooling and chain drive to the rear wheel, this was a completely different technical concept from that of the tried-and-tested boxer models. Not that this worries the customers – who are delighted that BMW is not just confining itself to classic boxer models.

The BMW GS range offers the right concept for any and every need. The particular strengths of the twin-cylinder 800 model, for example, are its compact design, outstanding fuel economy, agile performance and robust design.

In 2008, the company then brought out a new version of the F 650 GS. This nomenclature erred very much on the side of modesty, since the displacement of this model – 798 cc – was the same as that of the F 800 GS. The only difference was that it was a little more softly tuned than in the F 800 GS version, making it more suitable for less experienced riders or those with a more leisurely riding style. With 71 hp on tap, the F 650 GS too packs plenty of punch, while a seat height of just 790 mm and a 19-inch front wheel with precisely calibrated steering geometry make for an extremely manageable and manoeuvrable all-round bike that inspires confidence right from the word go.

The predecessor – single-cylinder – F 650 GS is still in production in Berlin and Brazil, but only for specific markets.

The GS models just keep getting better.

In 2007, three years after its launch, the BMW R 1200 GS underwent a facelift that introduced a large number of detail improvements. For example, the large GS bike became a little more agile with the incorporation of the six-speed transmission from the boxer-engined HP2 Sport street bike, with sportier gear ratio spacing. The GS now shares its pistons and camshaft with the R 1200 R and RT, raising maximum output to 105 hp at 7,500 rpm. Seat comfort, already good, was further improved by somewhat more lavish padding in the front area of the seat. The light-alloy tapered handlebars are more flexible and more comfortable, while newly developed clamps allow better adjustment of the handlebars to the rider‟s individual physique under a wide variety of off-road and on-road conditions. Visually, the revised BMW R 1200 GS can be identified by the striking light-alloy side covers on the fuel tank and by the failsafe LED rear light, features which give this functionally superb machine a certain technoid charm. A further innovation demonstrating BMW‟s commitment to user-friendly engineering is the Enduro ESA system, which has been available since 2008.

ESA (Electronic Suspension Adjustment) allows the rider to adjust the shock absorber spring preload and rebound damping on the fly, via a handlebar control and step motors. This user-friendly innovation allows the suspension components to be adjusted to different road and load conditions, or the personal preferences of rider and passenger. The Enduro ESA system, adopted from the sport models and further refined, is a perfect example of the GS‟s strategy of adapting as closely as possible to every conceivable customer requirement.

Modernised yet again: the GS at 30.

To mark its 30th birthday, the evergreen GS boxer engine was given a sporty makeover, with the 2010 models inheriting the high-tech cylinder heads of the meteoric HP2 Sport, with two overhead camshafts per cylinder. The new radial valve arrangement resulted in improved rpm stability and volumetric efficiency and a more efficient combustion chamber design. Since an all-out focus on maximum power would have conflicted with the versatility that continues to be the hallmark of the boxer engine in this latest incarnation, the increase in output, to 110 hp at 7,750 rpm, is relatively moderate. A more important priority was to ensure a further increase in torque over a wide rpm range. The increased compression ratio allows the GS to achieve outstanding fuel efficiency and, thanks to the extremely advanced combustion chamber design and the anti-knock control for the centrally located spark plugs, there are no problems on long-distance tours through countries with variable fuel quality. The cams have been designed with a new conical cam profile to take account of the radial valve arrangement. The increased valve diameters and throttle valve housing diameter improve volumetric efficiency. An air filter with higher air flow rate completes the performance enhancements. For the German market, the 2010 GS model is alternatively available in a derated 98 hp version, which takes into account the German insurance categories.

A modified valve cover ensures that the revised engine can be distinguished from its predecessor even at first glance.

The GS and its sister model, the Adventure, have for many years been not only the most popular BMW motorcycles, but in some countries the bestselling motorcycle per se. Clearly, the fathers of the original R 80 G/S had the right instinct when they went against the trend towards increasing specialisation and opted instead to create an all-rounder with strong touring qualities. In the three decades since the first G/S was presented, the large touring enduros have cornered an impressive market share.

But it would be wrong, when looking back with justifiable pride on all the achievements to date, to succumb to nostalgia or complacency. “Life can only be lived forwards, not backwards…” according to Mike Carter, who gave up his career in London to learn to ride an R 1200 GS prior to embarking on a round-the-world trip on a 1200 GS Adventure. The globetrotting journalist‟s words are a reminder that continuous evolutionary development is vital if the GS is to retain its character and the position it has consistently held over the past three decades as the benchmark among touring enduros.

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