You can read our full review on the
BMW R1200 GS Adventure here
; if you're after more on the differences between this bike and the regular GS and want the full goss on all the technical changes here's a quick chat PH2 had with the bike's project manager, Florian Schmid.
Why is the Adventure's nose so different to the GS's?
"We needed to cut down on the lift caused by air under the nose. The Adventure is about 6mph faster than the older air-cooled bike at 135mph and we needed to cut this force for more stability."
Water cooled? Yes. Submersible? Not yet.
Is that why it has a steering damper?
"We did a lot of things to the suspension on the Adventure compared to the GS. As well as raising it 20mm, the damping is different and the geometry is sharper. This makes the Adventure handle better, but if you add luggage and a pillion, and a low fuel load, it can make the bike sit low at the back possibly causing instability at high speed. That said, the damper is set at a very low force, you almost don't know it is there. It was important that the Adventure handled well, both on- and off-road. Also, riders tend to load up the Adventure. It can carry 220kg and this weight carrying ability was very important to me as riders want to load it up and travel the world. The damper means rider can load it up and ride safely."
Technically, what are the main differences between the GS and Adventure?
"The tank is larger, 30 litres compared to 20 litres, the engine has a heavier flywheel, the suspension is longer and the bodywork new. The swingarm is the same, as are the gear ratios, and the spoke wheels are the same as the optional spoke wheels for the GS."
Technical differences do make ... a difference
What differences does the heavier crank make?
"Back to back, not a lot. I think the heavier crank suits the heavier motorcycle to help with momentum, especially off-road. We tested the two engines back to back and the acceleration performance was identical, it just feels a bit better off-road."
The seat height is massive, do you need to be tall to ride an Adventure?
"No, we have two small ladies in our development team. Neither can get their feet on the ground, but once they get going they are fine..."
The green colour is great, did you think it would be a big seller?
"No, I thought white would be the best seller. At the moment nearly 50 per cent of the bikes sold are green! And it is not the German army who has bought them..."