2019 BMW GS R1250 India Review, First Ride

Motorcycles like this don’t come everyday. Not in your garage for a few days and even not by manufacturers as they don’t make continent demolishing motorcycles ever year. The GS 1250 is an iconic motorcycle that can do fast touring on the highway and whether its smooth road or entirely broken, it can do it all, quite literally. The BMW GS 1250 has just arrived and gets a comprehensive makeover for 2019. This is a big moment for us who were able to get on this bike and ride it for 3 days and still scratch the surface of what this motorcycle can do. Our Indians road though offer everything in certain areas of country.

The extended monsoon in Maharashtra gave us opportunities to slide through water, demolish the broken roads and turn into a smooth ride and a fast highway cruise. What have we established? Well, it is a looker indeed. We think its beautiful and beast-y at the same time. The large tank, the asymmetric headlights, the crash bars and of course, the proportions and dimensions of the GS 1250 makes it stand out loud. There is no short of gadgetry on this hammer of a vehicle.

The infotainment system is attached to the fully color instrument cluster just like a BMW Car! Connect your phone, control it via the selector, use navigation, all the fuel efficiency parameters you would ever need. Phone battery level, temperature, speed signs, cruise control, keyless start, tyre pressure monitoring system and more can be controlled via the extensive switchgear that is on the LHS. The suspension, ABS and scroller controller buttons are here to help you do that. Right side has the riding mode button, start-stop and heated grips. LED lights for headlamp, tail-lamp and turn-indicator up the premium quotient and provide illumination and conserve battery life efficiently

Ergonomics were of a true adventure bike where you sit a lot higher and the handlebars are quite high as well so you can ride while standing at ease. The large fuel tank recesses means you can hold on to the tank easily. The pegs are grippy as well. The seats are large, supportive and comfortable for the rider and pillion. Accessory on our bike included luggage carrier mounts on the side and on the top as well. Seat height stands at 890mm the lowest and 910 the highest. Me being a 6’0 feet rider and high inseam was managing the bike rather well thanks well sculpted tank and a very slim profile of the motorcycle.

The riding part of the GS 1250 is entirely depends on the riding modes on offer. It does make 136 PS of power and 143 Nm of torque from its old boxer engine that comes with variable valve timing which BMW likes to call ShiftCam. The Rain mode for example gives you full power and torque but TC control is higher and throttle response is softer. The suspension also gets softer. The higher mode than this is the road mode where suspension get stiffer but continuously adjust itself according to the road. Dynamic mode means even more spontaneous and direct throttle response, restrained traction control. Optional electronic suspension, if part of the bike, will make the bike even more stiffer. Enduro and Enduro pro modes are for the off-road track.

The former restrains power a bit and traction control kicks in earlier. The ABS and brake distribution along with electronic suspension adjusts even more quickly as the power and torque is delivered quickly. Enduro Pro mode on the other hands allow more slip in the same situation and delivers power and torque quickly. All of this works but the common thing is a lot of mid-range power, linear power delivery, lumpy power delivery has been minimized by a huge margin. There is more than adequate low-end power and an alright amount top-end power for highway cruising. NVH levels are good, clutch is light, gearbox is crispy and overall, the engine is truly flexible in any situation.

The suspension is the biggest highlight of the lot with this bike as it uses a single sided swingarm, shaft drive, telelever at the front and paralever at the back. You barely feel anything that is happening below as there is very little feedback. There is a central spring in between at the front which gives a certain idea, but not the entire picture as the case with all fork equipped motorcycles.

This makes for a comfortable ride physically and mentally and that is the reason the bike is famous for world touring. Not state, no country, no contient, this is the big bad world tourer thanks to suspension and engine layout. Ride quality is excellent and it hides its 268 kg weight rather well. We went through worst of the roads at full throttle and nothing disturbed the bikes balance, something we haven’t encountered before.

Stability at any given speed, the center of gravity and suspension work in harmony, never heard before. Brakes were good for adventure bike that can do it all and had just about enough initial bite and good power post that. Tyres were road focused but still could pull of trail riding rather well.

2019 BMW GS R1250 India Review, Verdict

After all of this, there is still more to explored with the BMW R1250 GS Adventure. There a lot of accessories to choose from which come in the form of luggage carrier, infotainment upgrade and most importantly, the fantastic ESA suspension system. We just scratched the surface of what this bike is capable of. Probably after years of touring we could come to a conclusion that what this bike can do. However, its proven already worldwide with stories that are widely seen and heard of. The only motorcycle you need if you aim for the sky when it comes motorcycling.

Price: 18.25 Lakhs ex-showroom Pan India

Images – Pratik Hinge