That may seem a little oxymoronic, but let me explain. ‘Modern Classics’ is a genre of motorcycle that has gained significant traction in recent years. Bikes that hark back to an age where manufacturers were building functional, simple motorcycles meant to provide two-wheeled transport that worked for a particular application. If we are going to stick with Bee Emms that fall in this category, there is no better example than the original R80G/S built in 1980. The ‘GS’ suffix said it all. ‘Gelande Strasse’, a range of motorcycles suitable for travel on both paved and dirt roads. Simple and reliable with longer travel suspension. Something suitable to circumnavigate the globe on any kind of road, and in some cases, where there was no road at all.
I am certain that in many cases, individuals do things with motorcycles that the manufacturers never quite had in mind when launching a new model. Helge Pedersen, a Norwegian adventurer, rode 400,000 km on a 1980 BMW R80G/S, two years after BMW spawned the adventure motorcycle as we have come to know it. Not satisfied with doing what others may have done before him, Helge ‘rode’ the Darien Gap between the Americas. Let’s just say he traversed it. There was more jungle clearing, machete chopping and dragging his GS than what we could call riding, but the point is he made it. Not wanting to seem cynical, but frankly, I don’t believe a BMW R 1300 GS, with its cutting-edge technology, would have a snowball’s hope in hell of achieving that feat today. Why?
Well, let’s take weight for starters. The R80G/S that Helge rode weighed 186 kg fully fuelled. The R 1300 GS weighs 51 kg more than Helge’s R80. Helge’s ride had 50 hp and 57 Nm of torque. BM’s finest now has 145 hp and 149 Nm of torque. And here is the kicker. To control all that power and torque to make the beast even vaguely rideable, there are enough electronics to choke a mule. Traction control, 4+ riding modes, hill ascent control, electronic suspension adjustment, ABS and keyless ignition, just to name a few. Helge would have choked in his beer! He could fix his bike with pliers and ‘bloudraad’ and drag it where he couldn’t ride it. In the world we live in, the simplicity ship sailed a good few years ago. The R 12 G/S is BMW’s modern take on the spirit of GS, born in 1980.
It certainly looks the part. My test bike was in khaki with a red frame and tank accents. The tall stance and high front mudguard look the business. The headlight cowl does little for rider comfort but also contributes to the big Enduro look. I personally like the BMW Motorsport red/white and blue colour scheme, but the Khaki has a kind of African appeal too.
For simplicity’s sake, the G/S uses the bulletproof 1170 cc air/oil cooled boxer motor from yesteryear. 109 hp and 115 Nm of torque provide all the propulsion that you could ever need or use. It does it in a linear and buttery smooth manner that is highly addictive. You never need to rev it, but it is huge fun when you do. The bike I rode had the optional Enduro Package, which uses an 18” rear wheel allied to the 21” front, ideal for decent off-road rubber choice. The 6-speed gearbox is perhaps the best I have ever experienced on a boxer motor, especially when using the quickshifter, which is also part of the Enduro Package. The knobblies, which also come standard, make the bike even more proficient off-road, but that comes at the cost of some on-road ability.
45 mm upside-down front forks are adjustable for compression and rebound damping and offer 210 mm of travel. The sensation of a boxer-engined bike diving heavily under braking initially takes a little getting used to, but in no time, you are riding it like you stole it! The back monoshock adds preload to the mix and offers 200 mm of travel. The suspension quality is a standout feature of the G/S.
This is not an off-road show pony. It is the real deal, definitely the most off-road competent modern GS. 310 mm front discs with 2 piston callipers and a 265 mm rear disc, also running a 2-pot calliper sort braking out completely. Scarily, despite a 15.5L tank versus Helge’s 19.5L, the G/S tips the scales at 229 kg, a full 43 kg porkier than its Grand Pappy. Despite modern lightweight materials, adventure bikes get heavier and heavier, whereas Sports bikes have gone the other way. In the 1970s, the BMW R90S weighed 215 kg fully fuelled, versus 199 kg for the current four-cylinder S 1000 RR.
Seat height, with the Enduro Package Pro, is a tall 875 mm. The Enduro Package Pro also kicks the steering head angle out ever so slightly. The shorter, very firm seat on the G/S takes away a traditional strength of a GS, its 2-up ability, as well as its distance-smashing prowess. It has passenger pegs for a quick jaunt to the local coffee shop, but that’s as far as a pillion would want to go.
This bike is about standing off-road on dirt tracks and strutting your stuff. The wide off-road pegs and brake lever make this a doddle. The whole setup of the bike screams dirt worthiness, and that it is. Those with stellar off-road prowess will probably do wonders on any kind of off-road terrain that you can ride with an adventure bike. For me, its forte is less technical stuff where you can up the speed and revel in its suspension and strong linear power. This is more due to my lack of technical off-road skill than any shortcomings on the R 12’s part. This is where I am in two minds about the G/S.
The specs on the G/S are a little confusing. It has shift assist, cruise control and heated grips as part of a Comfort Package, as well as what I have alluded to in the Enduro Package Pro. The bike has no fuel gauge, only a warning light that comes on when you are running low on motion lotion. The high front mudguard looks wicked but wets you twice, with the rain doing the first job after which the front wheel feeds the rainwater onto the mudguard, which throws it forward, whereupon the wind created by your progress blows it over you at rider level. Great on form, but low on function.
The lack of wind protection makes high-speed hard work. Essentially, it is a very large, and as such, astronomically expensive, enduro bike. The base price is listed at R273,000, but then you need to choose a colour, package option or options, which will bump the price north of R300k. Using the configurator, I estimated the cost of the bike I rode to somewhere in the order of 345k. This is a lot of ammo for a bike that is so narrowly focused.
If, like in my case, you do two-up trips on your big adventure bike, then this cannot be your only bike. I would even say that if you are not particularly masochistic, you would not choose to do an extended tour on this bike. Then, to totally confuse the ‘simplicity’ of the bike, it has keyless entry? Let us also face the fact that BMW recovered its tooling and design costs on the 1200 air-cooled mill aeons ago. Taking these issues into account, it is an expensive package for what is a narrow focus indulgence. Do I like the bike? Oh, hell yeah! Would I swap my 2016 BMW GS Trophy for it? No way! The Trophy is GS simplicity with a wide array of talents, but without all the electronic intervention.
Having said all that, my mate Leon, one of the BMW faithful, shelled out for an R 12 G/S as soon as he laid eyes on it. He loves the bike, and I get it, but it is for each to decide how it fits in their mix of bikes. I must add that he also owns a R 1300 Adventure. If off-road is your thing and you dig the soulful boxer motor, then you’ll get your fix on the splendid R 12 G/S.
BMW R 12 G/S
For more information on the bike that we tested in this article, click on the link below…
