BMW R1150 GS Adventure

There was no mucking around. Thirty kilometres after the launch of BMW's new 1150GS Adventure began, I found myself cruising at 100kmh along the hard sand of Crowdy Beach, just north of Taree (NSW).

Wild surf breaking to my right, kilometres of beach stretching away in front of the GS's large screen, and not a speed camera or police car in sight. Bliss.

This was no ordinary launch - BMW had organised a thorough sampling of the Adventure and the roads it was intended for, no holds barred.

Tight, twisty bitumen backroads, four-wheel-drive tracks deep in state forests, single-lane farm tracks complete with creek crossings, erosion bank jumps and wayward cattle - this ride had the lot.

These were the sorts of roads that will have a bike's weak points and deficiencies sticking out like a dog's proverbials, a genuine real world testing of a product the company is proud of. And has a lot of confidence in.

I went to extreme lengths to determine a fault in the Adventure over the two and a half days, even to the extent of dumping the thing in the Manning River, but BMW's confidence was duly repaid - this is one impressive machine!

DIRT SPEC
The Adventure is based on BMW's successful 1150 GS, a bike that has scored Motorcycle News' gong for Best Dualsport every year since the bike's introduction in 1994, so it was always going to be a good thing. Even so, just how good it turned out to be was a pleasant surprise.

While the 'standard' GS is a capable performer itself on the dirt, the various add-ons fitted to the $19,700 Adventure up the ante considerably, without compromising the bike's sealed road prowess in any significant way.

The first thing I noticed when our entourage set off from Taree on the bitumen was the enormous petrol tank. It stacks away 30 litres of premium unleaded, a fair whack larger than the 22.1lt standard job.

Just over 450 off-road kilometres were showing on the bike's odometer before the fuel light blinked on indicating 4lt to go - 600km should be achievable on the tar. That's enough to get yourself well and truly lost, then find your way home again!

And there's no stress about the PULP-recommendation, as it is possible to adjust the engine management to suit lower grade fuels, a handy feature for a bike that can take a rider well out into the boonies.

The long travel suspension (210mm/220mm front/rear on the Adventure, 190mm/200mm on the GS) is apparent on the bitumen, particularly with the rear spring preload backed right off. This saw the new Showa rear shock pogo slightly over the road's humps and dips.

To tune it out is a five second job, thanks to the remote pre-load knob, but it wasn't necessary, as the vast majority of the ride was dirt based.

Otherwise, the new 'suspension-related damping' rear worked well everywhere, and was part of the reason the bike hooked up so well in almost all off-road situations.

KNOB-HEAD
And the dirt is where the tyres, the other part of the traction equation, began to impress. Whether riding on the sand, mud, hard-packed fire-trail or bitumen, the Continental Twinduros were sure-footed, predictable and grippy.

Admittedly, they did deaden the steering feel to a small extent on the tar, but that is a small compromise - they were excellent everywhere else.

On the downside, the rear tyre did wear out awfully quick, a function of the bike's 260kg-plus claimed wet weight and the tyre's soft compound rubber.

If I was an owner, I'd keep the Continentals for dedicated dirt runs, and fit the GS's excellent Metzeler Tourance rubber for everything else.

Even on the beach, the tyres were good enough to allow easy rear-wheel drifts and slides, the typically tractable boxer engine also making life sideways easier to manage.

I wasn't game to get the thing on full lock mind you, regardless of what the photographer Tony 'TK' Kirby tried to talk me into - it's still one heavy bike!

Obviously disappointed in my efforts, TK started needling one of the nutcases leading our happy group, Don Cant, singing out instructions and encouragement for that 'speccy' photo he was after.

"I just keep making it harder 'til he goes arse up," grinned TK, as Don carved successively longer furrows into the sand with his rear tyre.

Sure enough, after some quality bike control displays, Don tried a bit too hard and the big GS toppled over onto the sand, to much applauding and yahooing from the assembled throng.

Moments like this is where the engine protection bars live up to their name, the bike lying untouched on its side while a laughing Don extracted himself. The only downside is picking the thing up!

SETTLE PETAL
Following the frolics on the beach, we headed for the township of Comboyne along a narrow dirt trail, flanked by ferns and thick bush, rising and falling through the hills in the area.

I was a little tentative on the dirt at first, the Adventure being quite a bit larger in stature than the average dirtbike, but it wasn't long before I was feeling uncannily comfortable.

I say uncanny, because it was hard to believe the abilities of the Adventure once the going got gnarly.

BMW claims 85ps from its oil/air-cooled 1130cc boxer twin, and I've got to say, that's just about the right amount of power to suit the bike's applications.

The fuel injection is faultless, and the power is pumped out evenly across the rev-range, a combination that inspires tail-happy antics even from some of the journos present who had spent limited time on the dirt.

The brakes were excellent, especially the front 305mm dual disc set-up, complete with the EVO brake calipers.

Combined with the Telelever front end, I could brake quite hard without unsettling the GS, but switching off the optional ABS ($1750) is a must before venturing on to the dirt - the bike will have trouble stopping otherwise.

I rode the first day on the dirt sitting in the comfortable one-piece seat, but the problem was because I could see the bike spreading out before me, I was constantly reminded of its size, and kept telling myself to take it easy, "it's not an enduro bike."

ON YOUR FEET
Standing up fixed that. Once on the pegs (with the rubber grommets removed) I could just get on with riding the thing. While you won't find too many Adventures at a club enduro, they do ride well on the dirt.

The bar and peg position meant I was as comfortable standing as I was sitting, though some of the journos present that were taller than my 178cm had to crouch a bit too much to be comfortable. Some spacers under the bar mounts would be an easy remedy.

The only aspect I could fault off-road was the rear end skittering across the corrugations on the power, a result of the Paralever rear end 'packing up', and something the standard GS was guilty of the last time I rode it.

Backing off the rebound damping a turn allowed the rear wheel to return to terra firma before hitting the next bump, and all but removed the trait.

That fixed, it was time to enjoy the plethora of fine dirt roads in the area.

One such dirt road snaked up a decent-sized mountain near Barrington Tops, complete with steep drop-offs and erosion banks.

Once I got into a rhythm, it was hard to hold the Adventure back, and soon we were launching off the banks with gusto, before ploughing over choppy ground with easy composure.

I did touch the solid bash plate and centrestand down whilst landing on occasion, but the bike remained pointed in the right direction and controllable as it regained itself.

The Telelever front end is remarkably stable, and I didn't have a single front end scare the entire trip.

Without a quality front setup, a bike that big would push the front wheel mercilessly off-road - no such problems here!

PRECIPITATION
Actually, the bike's weight was a boon when the rain began on the second day. Where a lighter bike would have skated around on a thin layer of slimey mud coating the track during a steep decent, the Adventure's weight helped the tyres push through to the firmer surface below.

The tyres never once felt like letting go, and I just tractored through the muck heading up the other side of the hill. That didn't help me much on a gnarly creek crossing though!

The water was deep, the rocks under the surface slippery and my legs not long enough to paddle across with. I stood on the pegs for the first half of the crossing, and was looking good until the bars turned left.

I stuck a leg out, but there was no saving it (a 900mm seat height saw to that), and over it went while I stepped off, which cheered up all and sundry. That water was pretty cold, and it took a while to lug the thing back to its 'feet'.

It was still running, but as I moved off it started playing up worse than a second hand lawnmower - I thought I'd drowned it, and done untold damage.

Just as the dollar signs were beginning to add up in my mind, one of the sweep riders, Phil, spotted the problem - a connection had come loose.

This was enough to activate the bike's 'limp home' mode, a feature which recognises the bike has a problem, then ensures it isn't revved too hard to make sure the rider gets it back in one piece.

Once the plug was returned to its rightful place, it was all systems go. This was a great relief, but also proved how strong these bikes are.

It had been lying in the creek for ten seconds or so with the right pot completely submerged, but investigation revealed a completely dry plug and associated wiring thanks to clever engineering.

DIVINE INSPIRATION
The final day was bitumen only, in the soaking rain. The heated grips (standard) were a god send, and the large screen kept the rain at bay for a while - though nothing short of a roof was going to save us that day!

We still took in some great motorcycling roads, including the twisties through Wollombi and the famous Old Road, and there was no-one left without a smile on his face at the end. Except maybe Phil, who had been relegated to driving the back-up car for the final day.

The finish on the Adventure is typical top notch BMW fare, and nothing went walkabout over the entire trip.

Australia will get the silver version shown as well as a black model, but both will come standard with black seats. The grey/red design is optional.

The Adventure's nearest competitor would have to be its stable mate, the $17,950 R1150 GS. While the GS could have been ridden over the same roads we did, it wouldn't have been as fun or as satisfying - you could really give the Adventure some stick, rather than just 'survive'.

Would I choose the Adventure over the GS? Yes, because it will take me anywhere I choose to go, whenever I choose to do it. And therein lies the adventure!