I will fully admit my obsession with the Long Way Round/Long Way Down documentaries. I've seen LWR at least 10 times all the way through and LWD 3 now. So it's natural to assume my love of the GS comes from watching that. Actually it all started in 2001 when I saw a GS ADV @ a BMW dealership back in IL during college. It's an extremely "mean" looking bike. By that I mean it looks exactly like what it is intended to be used for.
So I've been on this motorcycle buying rampage trying to find a bike I really like and want to keep for many years to come. The scooters are definitely a blast around the city riding in large groups making them easier to spot, but lack power to be safe while solo-riding. The Harley 1200R Sportster is definitely a great bike and would be a great choice except for the anti-long-distance-comfort factor. So then I tried the XR650L and while it's also a great bike, it feels cheaply made. Mostly the transmission. While I have no doubt it's very dependable, the shifting just feels very notchy and as always with Honda, it's tough to find neutral.
To solve this endeavor I decided "hell with it" I'm gonna go test drive the beemer and see why everyone loves it so much. Mistake or blessing is yet to be decided but needless to say when we got back from the 15 mile test drive I told Ron @ Brown Motor Works that he wasn't allowed to sell it to anyone and I'd be back the next day to write a check. So here she is, the 2007 BMW R1200 GS/A
I thought the bike would be quite cumbersome to ride because of the weight but I was happily suprised when I took off. It's definitely not light but it really isn't any different other than minor adjustment of riding technique. I would definitely say that it's not a bike for shorter people just like any enduro bike. I'm 5'11" w/32" inseam and I feel I'm just tall enough to ride safely. The seat is adjustable by a little but mine is all the way down. I got mine with the onboard computer so checking tank range, oil level, time, outside/engine temperatures, and even fuel economy can all be done easily with one button. I was also lucky enough to get a late '07 model which the final drive plug has been relocated to the 6 o'clock position. *score!*
Two things I thought were absolutely silly to have on a bike have turned out to be some of my favorite features. The gear indicator and the heated grips. The gear indicator is very useful especially when you're a clutz like myself who forgets to down shift sometimes. And the heated grips while sounding just lame as hell allow you to wear light spring-time gloves in winter and still be comfortable.
My favorite thing about the bike is definitely the transmission. It's so much more smooth than the XR and Sportster transmissions. Maybe not a fair comparison for price differences but it's all I really have to compare to. My friend's Yamaha R1 trans was the closest to the BMW as far as quality/smoothness though.
All for now, I'll be sure to post up further impressions and when I get new parts for it in the future. Some goodies from Touratech are on their way courtesy of my lovely girlfriend as an xmas present. I also have the BMW Zumo GPS to mount up to the bike so I'll post pics of that as well.
