Bensien
Race Dog
I mentioned some of the following stuff on another thread, but it wasn’t really appropriate there.
Last weekend I rode my DR650 until it literally started to fall to pieces, trying to keep up with a new 1200GS water cooled over some rutted farm roads
Admittedly the BM rider was in a totally different class, but it was still obvious that the BM was better over the terrain. It also handled a rocky downhill path with ease, while my forks were bottoming and twitching.
Later in the day I got a chance to ride the BM over a short section of the route. It felt totally planted and stable and just soaked up everything. Unfortunately my knees were stuffed from the morning’s ride and I couldn’t push it very hard, but I was very impressed. It is way better than the previous model, which I have ridden a lot and even briefly owned. I ventured as far as to say that it would match a standard 990 Adventure, which I rode for 4 years before upgrading it with the R model’s suspension.
This off course brought howls of derision from the diehards , none of whom have actually ridden the bike. I would not consider buying one, because I believe that much of its ability is the result of advanced electronics rather than mechanics and it appears to be a bit vulnerable, but it is time for a mind shift about GS’s being road bikes that can do a bit of dirt.
Last weekend I rode my DR650 until it literally started to fall to pieces, trying to keep up with a new 1200GS water cooled over some rutted farm roads
Admittedly the BM rider was in a totally different class, but it was still obvious that the BM was better over the terrain. It also handled a rocky downhill path with ease, while my forks were bottoming and twitching.
Later in the day I got a chance to ride the BM over a short section of the route. It felt totally planted and stable and just soaked up everything. Unfortunately my knees were stuffed from the morning’s ride and I couldn’t push it very hard, but I was very impressed. It is way better than the previous model, which I have ridden a lot and even briefly owned. I ventured as far as to say that it would match a standard 990 Adventure, which I rode for 4 years before upgrading it with the R model’s suspension.
This off course brought howls of derision from the diehards , none of whom have actually ridden the bike. I would not consider buying one, because I believe that much of its ability is the result of advanced electronics rather than mechanics and it appears to be a bit vulnerable, but it is time for a mind shift about GS’s being road bikes that can do a bit of dirt.
