SGB
Race Dog
So, there is a new BMW GS in the show rooms. The new 1200 has been long anticipated, and the silent arrival of the bike has been somewhat of an anti-climax following the huge build-up to the launch. The press launch in South Africa is only scheduled within the next few weeks, and I suppose after that we will be able to read some more about it. Until now, I have seen it in the show room and heard a lot of theory from those who have ridden it and those who wish they had ridden it. I used to be in the latter category until our local dealer, Sovereign Motorrad kindly entrusted their demo bike to me for the weekend. Nelus from Safari 4x4, who also has a passion for bikes and sells accessories and tyres and stuff, set up a breakfast run for Saturday morning and I was asked to join the ride. I own a 2010 R 1200 GS Basic - the one with no buttons which I often use for gravel travel type rides with my wife on the back.
Collected new the bike on Friday afternoon. You can see from a mile away that it is different to the previous model. How different is the question. Initial glimpse is pleasing to the eye.... The bike has just had its 1000 km service and I was given official permission to test the rev limiter. (occasionally).
I rode the bike home after dark, and the headlights are very good. Much better. Still not good enough to make me enjoy night riding in town, but good. The next morning we were up bright and early and off to the gathering point for Nelus's run. About 20 bikes arrived and the weather was chilly. I switched on the heated grips. I am not used to this wonderful technology, but seeing it was there I had to try it. It takes a while for the heat to find its way through the grips and gloves and to your palms. I was wondering why my palms had to be hot if it was actually the tips of my fingers that were cold. I kept them on, but do not really see the logic. To get heat to the cold places I have to take my fingers off the levers. And my thumbs point forward under the grips - the cold hits them head-on. A thumb does however not bend enough to catch the heat. Anyway, for a Jhb traffic rider with a laptop in the pannier grabbing the grips like a laden wheelbarrow, I suppose it makes sense. For me, there are other features that impress on the bike. Hot palms are best used by my wife, and she cannot get to the grips.....
The ride was pleasant in the crisp Freestate winter air. And the new bike was even more pleasant once I switched off those warm handlebars after the first re-grouping stop.
The new bike draws attention and people asked questions that I was not able to answer properly at the time. Had to get in some riding time. Friends Deon and Jaco (Swannie) from Bultfontein were also there, and we soon worked out that riding with Fritz at the back is the best place. Fritz was the sweeper and he knows the history of every farm, farm worker and missionary who passed through the Free state from the Groot Trek to now. So we got to see places that Fritz showed us along the way, and then had the pleasure of having to catch up up with the group again. And we had permission to test the rev limiter. (occasionally).
Maybe I should just say that I went through all the riding mode and suspension electronics before the ride and did a bit of browsing en-route before switching off the grips. The suspension immediately feels more responsive than the my non-ESA model. The setting where the little helmets and suitcase show, I worked out only changes the rear pre-load. I like enough ground clearance, and therefore the pillion setting works for me. And it happened to be right for the application anyway, seeing I had a pillion. Then there are the Soft / Normal / Hard settings. This I figured out changes the damping settings. I started with Hard. It is OK if big landings are going to be part of the trip, but on corrugated gravel I found that Normal is easier on the tooth fillings. It feels a little harsh on Hard and too soft on Soft. Normal worked best for the gravel road where we did not really encounter any big holes trying to break the rear shock bolt. With the suspension settled, I could start playing with the performance settings. The bike is equipped with the Enduro Pro chip, which opens a few doors. You can see that the chip is fitted by looking on the display, just above the time - it shows a little chip. See below, top right of the 6 in 23:46. Shoo, I only realize now what time it was when I figured out all the settings....
The bike has several riding modes (Rain, Road, Dynamic, Enduro, and then the added Enduro Pro with the optional chip) which are selected for various levels of throttle response, ABS and traction control function. I worked out that Rain is only for girls. But could probably help if it rains in town and you have no feel for the dynamics of oil and water mixed on shiny tar. You could then let the bike think for you whilst you listen to the latest business audio book whilst riding home in the rain. Road - it gives you some control but keeps most for the electronics in a desperate attempt to keep a panicked rider on the bike. The traction control immediately removes any pleasure and it is ideal for those guys like doctors and lawyers with a mid life crises and are indispensable at work. The bike will not allow you to make any stupid mistakes and you will have a very safe trip to work and back. Dynamic is where I started smiling. The bike suddenly comes to life and I really enjoyed this setting. The only things still in the way of a good time is now the ABS and traction control, which can be disabled with another button. And the great part is that these settings stay as you had them when you switch the bike off. No need to go through the whole process again every time you start up.
So, with the bike in Dynamic mode, ABS and TC off, and the Bultfontein farmers on the 1200 GSA's and Nico on the 990R and tour guide sweeper Fritz, we had this ride organized. The snake skin tyres do not hold on to the gravel surface very well, but I understand the knobblies are on their way. The wheel spin makes it a bit more exciting anyway. We were working hard at chasing the group at speeds slightly above sane limits (forget legal) and I could feel that this bike will outrun any previous GS with or without a Power Commander. And the suspension is better. No bottoming out and a smooth ride on the gravel with great stability in the corrugated corners. It does everything better than my GS. I noticed the fuel distance warning showing 40 km range with 70 km to go to the next fuel stop. The tank was full when we left. That boxer sucks a bit on the fuel straw when you twist the throttle in Dynamic it seems. There is no "cable" feel to the throttle. The drive by wire system feels like a playstation controller, but that boxer responds swiftly to what this joystick tells it to do.....
With zero range on the display, we were still 30 km away. Oops I thought - luckily the farmers are on GSA's.... I kept going until it the motor started to stutter for the first time and stopped rather than running it completely dry. We pumped some fuel from Swannie's one injector hose, and we were good to go. (Cell phone pics....)
First stop in Soutpan was the fuel pump....
Then to TRUKSVY for a good farm style breakfast with krummelpap. The rear seat on this bike is slightly higher than the previous models and that caused my pillion to have a clear view of the instrument cluster. I was quite surprised when my wife and Swannie could have an intelligent conversation about speed vs fuel consumption at Truksvy. She likes the less obstructed view, but I am not so sure if it is such a good idea.
From Soutpan, we returned to Bloem on the tar. Did a top end run with Nelus who rides the previous model. There is not too much difference in top speed. The new bike will win, but not by a very long shot. About 220 on the speedo on level tar. Don't know the GPS speed. For what its worth....
We did about 350 km for the morning - enough to "bond" with this puppy. The Germans improved on the previous bike in every department. I would not mind owning this bike at all.....
Collected new the bike on Friday afternoon. You can see from a mile away that it is different to the previous model. How different is the question. Initial glimpse is pleasing to the eye.... The bike has just had its 1000 km service and I was given official permission to test the rev limiter. (occasionally).
I rode the bike home after dark, and the headlights are very good. Much better. Still not good enough to make me enjoy night riding in town, but good. The next morning we were up bright and early and off to the gathering point for Nelus's run. About 20 bikes arrived and the weather was chilly. I switched on the heated grips. I am not used to this wonderful technology, but seeing it was there I had to try it. It takes a while for the heat to find its way through the grips and gloves and to your palms. I was wondering why my palms had to be hot if it was actually the tips of my fingers that were cold. I kept them on, but do not really see the logic. To get heat to the cold places I have to take my fingers off the levers. And my thumbs point forward under the grips - the cold hits them head-on. A thumb does however not bend enough to catch the heat. Anyway, for a Jhb traffic rider with a laptop in the pannier grabbing the grips like a laden wheelbarrow, I suppose it makes sense. For me, there are other features that impress on the bike. Hot palms are best used by my wife, and she cannot get to the grips.....
The ride was pleasant in the crisp Freestate winter air. And the new bike was even more pleasant once I switched off those warm handlebars after the first re-grouping stop.
The new bike draws attention and people asked questions that I was not able to answer properly at the time. Had to get in some riding time. Friends Deon and Jaco (Swannie) from Bultfontein were also there, and we soon worked out that riding with Fritz at the back is the best place. Fritz was the sweeper and he knows the history of every farm, farm worker and missionary who passed through the Free state from the Groot Trek to now. So we got to see places that Fritz showed us along the way, and then had the pleasure of having to catch up up with the group again. And we had permission to test the rev limiter. (occasionally).
Maybe I should just say that I went through all the riding mode and suspension electronics before the ride and did a bit of browsing en-route before switching off the grips. The suspension immediately feels more responsive than the my non-ESA model. The setting where the little helmets and suitcase show, I worked out only changes the rear pre-load. I like enough ground clearance, and therefore the pillion setting works for me. And it happened to be right for the application anyway, seeing I had a pillion. Then there are the Soft / Normal / Hard settings. This I figured out changes the damping settings. I started with Hard. It is OK if big landings are going to be part of the trip, but on corrugated gravel I found that Normal is easier on the tooth fillings. It feels a little harsh on Hard and too soft on Soft. Normal worked best for the gravel road where we did not really encounter any big holes trying to break the rear shock bolt. With the suspension settled, I could start playing with the performance settings. The bike is equipped with the Enduro Pro chip, which opens a few doors. You can see that the chip is fitted by looking on the display, just above the time - it shows a little chip. See below, top right of the 6 in 23:46. Shoo, I only realize now what time it was when I figured out all the settings....
The bike has several riding modes (Rain, Road, Dynamic, Enduro, and then the added Enduro Pro with the optional chip) which are selected for various levels of throttle response, ABS and traction control function. I worked out that Rain is only for girls. But could probably help if it rains in town and you have no feel for the dynamics of oil and water mixed on shiny tar. You could then let the bike think for you whilst you listen to the latest business audio book whilst riding home in the rain. Road - it gives you some control but keeps most for the electronics in a desperate attempt to keep a panicked rider on the bike. The traction control immediately removes any pleasure and it is ideal for those guys like doctors and lawyers with a mid life crises and are indispensable at work. The bike will not allow you to make any stupid mistakes and you will have a very safe trip to work and back. Dynamic is where I started smiling. The bike suddenly comes to life and I really enjoyed this setting. The only things still in the way of a good time is now the ABS and traction control, which can be disabled with another button. And the great part is that these settings stay as you had them when you switch the bike off. No need to go through the whole process again every time you start up.
So, with the bike in Dynamic mode, ABS and TC off, and the Bultfontein farmers on the 1200 GSA's and Nico on the 990R and tour guide sweeper Fritz, we had this ride organized. The snake skin tyres do not hold on to the gravel surface very well, but I understand the knobblies are on their way. The wheel spin makes it a bit more exciting anyway. We were working hard at chasing the group at speeds slightly above sane limits (forget legal) and I could feel that this bike will outrun any previous GS with or without a Power Commander. And the suspension is better. No bottoming out and a smooth ride on the gravel with great stability in the corrugated corners. It does everything better than my GS. I noticed the fuel distance warning showing 40 km range with 70 km to go to the next fuel stop. The tank was full when we left. That boxer sucks a bit on the fuel straw when you twist the throttle in Dynamic it seems. There is no "cable" feel to the throttle. The drive by wire system feels like a playstation controller, but that boxer responds swiftly to what this joystick tells it to do.....
With zero range on the display, we were still 30 km away. Oops I thought - luckily the farmers are on GSA's.... I kept going until it the motor started to stutter for the first time and stopped rather than running it completely dry. We pumped some fuel from Swannie's one injector hose, and we were good to go. (Cell phone pics....)
First stop in Soutpan was the fuel pump....
Then to TRUKSVY for a good farm style breakfast with krummelpap. The rear seat on this bike is slightly higher than the previous models and that caused my pillion to have a clear view of the instrument cluster. I was quite surprised when my wife and Swannie could have an intelligent conversation about speed vs fuel consumption at Truksvy. She likes the less obstructed view, but I am not so sure if it is such a good idea.
From Soutpan, we returned to Bloem on the tar. Did a top end run with Nelus who rides the previous model. There is not too much difference in top speed. The new bike will win, but not by a very long shot. About 220 on the speedo on level tar. Don't know the GPS speed. For what its worth....
We did about 350 km for the morning - enough to "bond" with this puppy. The Germans improved on the previous bike in every department. I would not mind owning this bike at all.....
