BMW unleashes 2010 R 1200 GS with DOHC boxer engine
2010 BMW R 1200 GS - Click above for high-res image gallery
Anyone who follows motorcycling would likely tell you that BMW's R 1200 GS sets the standard when it comes to building a proper adventure touring motorcycle – and with good reason. As we found out when we threw a leg over the 2009 edition, BMW's big air-cooled mule can pretty much go anywhere the rider points it, and it'll tackle gnarly off-road conditions with just as much aplomb as it attacks paved back roads and long stretches of superslab.
Still, nothing is perfect (we actually sorta prefer the little brother F 800 GS off the road), and BMW saw fit to update its best-seller for the 2010 model year with a revised boxer engine that now sports dual-overhead cams. That's a major modification and it allowed BMW to locate five-percent more horsepower than the previous mill. Those 110 galloping ponies join 88 lb-ft of torque that BMW says is spread more evenly throughout the rev range than before. We'll take it – more power is always a good thing, right?As you'd expect, there's also an upgraded R 1200 GS Adventure model for those who truly need the most capable bike they can get their grubby mitts on. Updates over the standard model include spoked (not cast) wheels, greater suspension travel and a monster 8.7-gallon fuel tank. See both new models in all their glory in our image galleries below.
Gallery: 2010 BMW R 1200 GS
Gallery: 2010 BMW R 1200 GS Adventure
[Source: BMW]
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Reader Comments (Page 1 of 1)
fmwso 2:47PM (11/06/2009)
That seems to be a pretty nice motorcycle. I just don't like the weird headlights. Wonder how much this is going to cost though.
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rodan32 3:07PM (11/06/2009)
I love this bike. I also love Autoblog, but I want to issue a challenge: go without the word "aplomb" for a week or two. Seems like I see it in every other article. It's a nice word; let's not wear it out.
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steve lumley 3:26PM (11/06/2009)
why anyone would use that pig for fast dirt road riding is beyond me. No ,95 % of this whales miles are on the slab in "adventure" touring mode. Screw that, give me 420 pound 100 horsepower ktm that will run circles around that thing with the stupid jugs sticking out.
Redline 3:51PM (11/06/2009)
Oh yeah Steve I'm so with you on that one.
kevin 4:57PM (11/06/2009)
@ Steve
I hear what your saying and yes the KTM would ultimately be better off-road, but the GS will surprise you when taken off the slab.
My friend and I were riding some back roads and some little s**tsticks on dirk bikes come flying out of the woods and almost hit us. They don't stop, they just flip us off and take off across a field. So my buddy takes off after them on his GS. I'm just sitting on my CB750 dumb founded as a 60yo man goes flying across a soybean field. After he disappeared from sight you could hear the big boxer screaming over the 2strokes. A bit later the all's quite for a bit, then the boxer starts back up and comes back over my way. He got back on the road and told me, "I had a little chat with them. They won't be doing that again."
Yeah, the GS isn't built for off-road, but it's an option you have if the moment is right.
Soccer Mom 3:39PM (11/06/2009)
BMW continues to improve the best adventure bike ever created. I am really looking forward to test driving it, and hopefully owning one.
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Redline 3:51PM (11/06/2009)
Until you have to pick it up when you ditch in in thick sand.
kevin 4:14PM (11/06/2009)
I friend of mine has a 01 and an 02 R1150GS. After riding those I understand the appeal of the GS. It's a big heavy bike but once you get moving it feels lighter than it is, and it has a weird optical illusion that its smaller than it is. The front fairing and cluster is narrow and all the wide bulky bits are below your peripheral vision so when your riding it fells like your riding a dirt bike.
And the torque.... It doesn't matter what gear your in or what grade your on you roll on the throttle and your treated to smooth, drama free, German acceleration.
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RicoChet 4:50PM (11/06/2009)
This is a big bike that handles extremely well and very versatile. If your are looking for adventure riding, looks aren't what matters most. Also has hand warmers, gear indicator, 6 speed transmission.
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mk15 5:02PM (11/06/2009)
I agree on the versatility, especially on poor roads. When I was in Central America, saw a BMW bike that had taken a huge beating but still running smoothly. The rider had taken it from Canada to Argentina, and now was working his way back to the USA. Pretty epic.
BoxerFanatic 4:53PM (11/06/2009)
BRING BACK THE R1200S, or at least some sort of R1200R-Sport.
Tuned up, and weight-down version of these new bikes, half fairing possibly being optional (think K1200R and R-Sport, same bike with or without a half fairing)
Of course it would have this new 4-cam boxer, tuned between GS/RT torque, and HP2S's high horsepower version from this last year.
Weight close to R1200R and previous R1200S, with S's better suspension and power, but with R's more comfortable seat, and pillion accomidations optional. (or cowl-covered), and including R1200R's compatibility with BMW bags. Even the sportiest BMW motorcycles are mileage-eaters, save perhaps the S1000RR. But S-RR is another reason for R12S.2 to be a little more casual, and versatile.
Heck, if they make it modular in the fairing and seating departments, with their electronically adjustable suspension, They could cover 3 suffixes with one basic bike platform...
R1200R with no fairing, single or double seat.
R1200S or R-Sport with a sporty half fairing (heck use the K12R-Sport's fairing directly...) single or double seat.
R1200RS-L with a full *long* fairing but more sleek, and sportier suspension tuning than full-dress RT. Double seat by default.
PLEASE, BMW, build that bike, too.
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Willute 11:43PM (11/06/2009)
I second that, but BMW is throwing their weight behind the new S1000RR for sport and leaving us airheads in the dirt.
Kitko 4:25AM (11/07/2009)
German car manufacturers are weird.... Mercedes makes better vans and trucks than cars and BMW makes better motobikes than cars.
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Ross 5:59PM (11/07/2009)
Grrrrrreat bike - but a KLR650 will pretty much get you all the same places, and maintenance is dead easy.
Still, I admit I *do* lust after this baby.
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Karl 4:15PM (11/27/2009)
I ride a 2007 R1200GS - it's been in some really, really gnarly places. I can't say it's been easy going in the tight stuff - the weight can be excruciating - but the bike ALWAYS pulls through. I am ecstatic with the with this bike.
Hauling tail on miles of dirt road is a major strong point of the big GS where, outfitted with TKC 80s or the like, the heaviness is converted into a dreamlike, smooth, no-nonsense tear across the landscape. And for pavement, grace and precision are words I'd use to describe the bike's handling in the corners. It's an amazing machine.
To Ross's point though, save the really tough stuff for the KLR or any of the ass-kicking KTM enduros.
Karl
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