BMW Motorrard Celebrates 40 Years Of GS Motorcycles
BMW Motorrard are celebrating 40 years of history of their GS motorcycles this autumn. Back in 1980 BMW Motorrard presented a new bike, the R80 G/S. Based on the already popular R series twin, the GS introduced a new element. The ability to go off road.
G/S stands for Gelande Strasse (Gelände/Straße) which means off road/road. The adventure bike was essentially born at this point. The then unique combination with on road manners and capability, combined with a dirt bike. Quite a large dirt bike, but still incredibly capable.
This capability was soon realised in racing and it was the Paris – Dakar where Hubert Auriol rode to victory in 1981. Less than a year since the bike was introduced. BMW GS series bikes have been a regular feature of the Dakar rallies. Moving from the boxer twin engines to the smaller single cylinders. The larger bikes with multiple cylinders being banned from the rally over safety concerns. The R900 was the pinnacle of the development and would apparently sit at over 120mph for long periods. On sand…
The single cylinder GS variant was introduced in 1993 as the F650. Lower weight and 47bhp, but still a capable bike. More manageable too as the GS was a substantial motorcycle getting even more substantial with the launch of the 1100.
The BMW R 1100 GS introduced in 1994 was the first GS with a 4-valve boxer engine, now with 80bhp. Something very significant too was the introduction of the telelever suspension on the front end. For the first time on an enduro bike the engine and gearbox became load-bearing elements of the chassis. This effectively makes a frame redundant as you now sat on subframes suspended from the power unit below. Another first with the introduction of ABS brakes on this type of bike.
The R1150GS was a major step forwards in 1999. In addition to the larger engine the bike gained another gear ratio and the odd sized headlights, giving the familiar squinting look. It was also one of the most famous bikes ever made becoming a TV star on a world tour. Arguable the real star of the show, not Ewan McGregor or Charlie Boorman.
From the year 2000 onwards BMW produced the first electronic fuel injected single cylinder engine in the updated F650GS. The model range getting substantially update in 2007 with an F800GS model joining the range. Both featuring the same 798cc parallel twin, but in different states of tune.
The R1200GS, A Complete Redesign
The development of the large GS continued with the complete redesign to the lighter more nimble 1200 in 2004 with a 100hp 1171cc engine. It still looked like a GS but things were very different under the skin. The lighter weight and more nimble chassis made the bike totally different to ride.
The development of the 1200 continued in 2009 with a change to double overhead camshafts. The DOHC allowing the flat twin to rev more freely and increased the power to 100hp. The following year there was even a 30th anniversary special edition version of this model, the smaller GS’ would also get the special edition makeover.
2010 brought another member to the GS family in the form of the G650GS. A new single cylinder bike to take over where the original F650GS left off. With a 47hp engine, complete with balancer shaft to keep things smooth at higher speeds. Although the gearing was quite low signalling it’s suitability to the trails.
The 2012 Intermot show saw the release of the new semi liquid cooled R1200GS. this was a substantial change with a completely redesigned bike. The engine was new, the chassis was completely redeveloped too. Even the paralever swingarm and shaft drive swapped sides. It’s easy to tell the newer bike which saw sale in 2013 in the UK as the exhaust is on the right hand side, It was still instantly recognisable as a GS. More power was found with the new engine, now up to 125hp.
2014 saw the 500,000th boxer engined GS roll off the production line in Berlin, in the form of an R1200GS Adventure.
In 2016 BMW launched the first small GS in the form of the Indian built G310GS. The smallest of the GS range uses a single cylinder engine of 313cc with 34hp. This is a substantially different bike to the others in the range and aimed at a different market. Being built in India too makes it a first for BMW. The bike is built in collaboration with TVS Motor Company of India and is the first sub 500cc BMW bike for a long time.
The larger GS gave birth to something else at the same time. The R nineT took the air-cooled engine shared across the R series range. But also, with the Urban G/S borrowed from the R1200GS in a street scrambler style. This bike looks more like the early days of the R80GS and that’s no bad thing.
In 2017 BMW completely redesigned the F series parallel twins and launched the F750GS and F850GS. Both sharing the same basic engine, again in different stated of tune. The new engine had two balancer shafts and 270/450 degrees ignition which gives that smooth running and a distinctive sound. Power was increased too, 77hp for the 750 and 95hp for the 950 from 853cc.
Autumn 2018 BMW Motorrad introduced quite an upgrade for the big boxer engine. To improve power and reduce fuel consumption they introduced ShiftCam. This allows valve timings and valve stroke on the intake side to be varied. Also, the intake camshafts were designed for asynchronous opening of the two intake valves, improving the swirl of the mixture and a more effective combustion. Power was now up to 135hp.
The GS has become synonymous with overland travel, round the world travel. No doubt helped by Paris Dakar wins, and Ewan and Charlie on their Long Way round, and Long Way Down. So far to date, BMW Motorrad has produced more than 1.2 million BMW GS models. that’s impressive.
Ok, I’m a little biased, I own one. It took a while as they aren’t cheap and I wanted the R1100 as soon as it came out. But, some time later I got a used R1200 GS and I don’t regret it. I’ve personally put over 100,000 miles on it. It kind of does everything, even the shopping.
Simon
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