BMW R 1200 GS Adventure: It was no surprise, after all the publicity gained from The Long Way Round, that BMW launched an updated version of the GS Adventure at the NEC Show in Birmingham last November. The R 1200 GS Adventure is not simply a cosmetic makeover of the previous R 1150 GS Adventure.
It is a completely new Adventure model, the starting point of which is the very advanced lightweight R 1200 GS, but beefed up for even more serious long-distance, enduro-style riding to gladden the heart of any adventurous globetrotter.
BMW describes it as "a professional machine for bold riders participating in overland expeditions and demanding the utmost of both themselves and their material", and says that it is for "the discerning customer looking for impressive handling qualities and a striking appearance in everyday life."
It is a tall, imposing machine of distinctly functional appearance. Reactions have ranged from "shock and awe" through "macho" to "cool" - depending on the beholders. One thing for sure, it is unmistakably BMW, and in a class of its own. The tank is now 33-litre capacity. At a steady 90km/h this gives a theoretical cruising range of 750km.
The new windshield aims to give enhanced protection against wind and weather, and it most certainly does. The rider's seat is adjustable for height between 895 to 915mm. That feature, coupled with the easily accessible handwheel adjusted rear suspension, means that those of average height can now much more easily manage what is a very tall machine.
Care still needs to be taken with very slow speed manoeuvring. The fuel tank is in the conventional above engine position. A full tank represents 33kg of high-up weight; the difference between a full and an empty tank is really noticeable.
For the kind of work this machine is intended, it is to be expected that the rider will experience what BMW coyly refer to as "involuntary encounters", which in translation means you will drop it! Engine protection hoops and valve cover protectors mean that the only damage is a red face.
The engine is the same weight-optimised unit developed for the R 1200 GS producing 74kW at 7,000rpm and torque of 115Nm at 5,500rpm. The same six-speed gear box is employed together with Paralever and Telelever technology, new digital instruments and CAN-bus wiring.
Factory fitted options include a partially integrated, on-demand anti-lock braking system, additional lights and an on-board computer. You can also fit BMW's GPS navigator so you need never be lost.
Other accessories are available, most impressive of which is the Touratech luggage system, alloy panniers and topbox with a 112 litre capacity on a rugged stainless steel frame with additional clip-on external rucksacks which mean that up to 25kg of luggage can be carried.
If ever there was a machine with serious go-anywhere capabilities this surely is it.
Better still, it is very comfortable, its road-holding would put the vast majority of motorcycles to shame, and it has the assuring feel that no matter what you ask of it, it can cope with it without a murmur.
On everything from backroads to motorways, it takes everything in its stride.
It is as pleasant to ride at 40km/h on an unsurfaced track as it is at 200km/h on a motorway. My pillion passenger gave it very high marks for comfort, and commented how it just seemed to simply glide over the most atrocious surfaces.
Unfortunately, the rear wheel hugger is inadequate. After a mile travelling on a thin film of mud, strewn courtesy of a local haulage contractor, just outside Roundwood, the passenger's riding suit was smothered in mud and fit only for the washing machine. BMW can do better.
When the all-new R 1200 GS - which is the basis for the Adventure - was launched in January 2004 we were hugely impressed by it and it became our bike of the year. It still is an outstanding machine by any standard.
This new Adventure is even better. Indeed, no machine we have ridden in the past quarter century has impressed us as much with its faultless performance, impeccable manners and all-round versatility.
Time and circumstances mean that very probably we will never get to do that round-the-world ride.
Instead, our secret vice is doing Iron Butt rides: defined as rides of 1,000 or more miles within 24 hours.
For the next such ride it simply will have to be on an R 1200 GS Adventure, quite simply no other machine is so well suited.
ENGINE: 8 valve, 1,170cc fuel-injected, air/oil cooled flat twin 4-stroke, 74kW (100bhp) @ 7,000rpm, 115 Nm @ 5,500RPM. Six-speed gearbox. Shaft drive.
CHASSIS: Tubular steel frame, load-bearing engine. BMW telelever front and paralever rear suspension; travel 210mm front, 220mm rear. Double front 305mm discs and single rear 265mm disc. Optional BMW integral ABS, cross-spoked wheels 19" front and 17" rear.