Riding the 2021 BMW GS Safari

There is no happier person on the planet than a well-ridden motorcyclist.

It’s a bold claim, perhaps, but a logical conclusion after covering more than 1800km on the 2021 BMW GS Safari – together with another 200 smiling riders only reaffirming our theory.

Last month, bikesales joined the 2021 GS Safari as a guest of BMW Motorrad Australia, riding the new BMW R 1250 GS Adventure 40 Years Edition.

The annual trek, this year covering the stunning region between Townsville and Cairns, has been a go-to option for BMW enthusiasts in Australia since the concept began in earnest in 1994.

Our recent trip was one of the most enjoyable weeks in memory. Not just for your correspondent, but it seems for the other 200-odd participants taking part.

The GS Safari is open to any BMW GS owner in Australia.

As a rule, there are three different tours to choose from: the road-based and pillion-friendly TS Safari, the more challenging and technical dirt-based GS Enduro and the GS Safari we’re doing here, which combines a mix of those two.

Pricing varies depending on which tour you’re interested in, but our five-day trek started at about $2500 for a participant with their own machine. That cost includes accommodation, some meals and full tour support, but you need to pony up additional funds to get your bike to and from the tour’s starting and end points, personal transfers plus fuel, bike consumables, remaining meals and other incidentals.

The GS Safari is not a guided tour as such: each day’s route is marked by arrows, route maps and GPS files, but riders are free to go at their own pace. The ability of rider here is varying: from wily veterans on their 10th Safari to new BMW owners who have never taken their machines on dirt.

Managing the entire event are Shane Booth, Chris Urquhart, Anthea Verdoorn and their well-oiled team, which includes personnel from BMW Motorrad Australia and event co-ordinator Moto Development.

Shane and Chris are familiar names to most in the moto community, having raced motocross professionally through the 90s and noughties. Their Moto Development company has run BMW’s off-road rider training program since 2013.

The team behind the BMW Safari take great pride in the fact that no two Safari rides have ever been the same in the history of the event. “This makes every Safari a new adventure,” they say.

There’s an eclectic mix of machinery on offer at GS Safari. From an original 1980 BMW R80 G/S to the latest R 1250 GS Adventure (GSA) 40 Years Edition that we’re riding.

At the risk of sounding crude, thankfully there’s no proverbial dick-waving present at BMW Safari either. Participants do not discriminate against whatever bike your budget or ability allows. It is a refreshing reminder about motorcycling’s ability to promote an open-minded community.

As such, this year’s Safari features more learner-oriented BMW G 310 GSs and more women than in previous years. There are also five father-son pairings present on this year’s GS Safari.

It helps cultivate a truly inclusive and immersive environment; new friendships are formed out on the road during the day or over a quiet beer at each evening’s event.

We manage to start plenty of conversations with the R 1250 GSA 40 Years Edition. Complete with a striking ‘Bumblebee’ colour scheme and top-spec equipment, the 40 Years celebrates four decades of BMW’s adventurous two-wheeled spirit.

More on its performance shortly.

Each day of the Safari takes on distinctly different terrain. Day 1 lends a real outback theme as you set off from Townsville past Ingham towards Mission Beach.

Days two and three stick to the coastline around Port Douglas, with incredible photo opportunities at what feels like every corner, and a mix of tar and dirt riding.

For your correspondent, day four is the undoubted highlight. Setting off from Port Douglas in the morning, we head north before boarding a ferry across the Daintree River and entering the dense but beautiful Cape Tribulation rain forest. It is incredible riding – stopping for lunch at the iconic Lion’s Den hotel before the option to ride the same dirt road back or take an extended road loop back to Port Douglas.

Day five of the 2021 GS Safari heads west into the stunning Atherton Tablelands, one of Queensland’s largest food bowls and a home to some stunning twisty bitumen and dirt roads alike.

Regardless of the route, you’ll find yourself completely enamoured by Queensland’s stunning scenery and wildlife. From spotting wild cassowaries and crocs to being blanketed by dense rainforests, you return to base each day having genuinely felt as though you’ve been on a safari.

Throughout the five days, organisation is the name of the game for Anthea Verdoorn, the chief organiser of the GS Safari and the glue that holds the event together.

Anthea’s organisation is magnificent. She somehow manages to stay across the individual itineraries of guests, is personable yet doesn’t mind pulling stray comrades into line.

There’s a rider briefing on the eve of each day’s riding. It runs through the general loop conditions, things to keep an eye out for, ideal photo stop and pit stop opportunities and much more.

Additionally, Anthea personally checks off each rider as they return from the day’s adventure to ensure everyone is accounted for.

The organisational element of the adventure isn’t just for show. Unsurprisingly, things can and do go wrong.

Just ask Peter Petherbridge, who broke his tibia and ankle in a seemingly innocuous shunt on day three of this year’s Safari. Peter certainly wasn’t alone; others bent subframes while plenty dinted their pride. There are speeding tickets, close calls and even a domino-effect on four bikes at a set of traffic lights after one participant discovered his legs were shorter than he’d remembered.

The point is the Safari is carefully managed to minimise the chance of things going awry, and when they occasionally do, there is excellent help and support at hand.

A big part of our obsession with GS Safari lies in the machinery.

The R 1250 GS Adventure is incredible across all conditions. It belies its large size and 268kg kerb navigating tighter trails and open tracks, has very little trouble scaling greasy hills and is equally enamouring over an extended mountain pass.

We get to grips with the big-bore adventurer within a couple of hours in the saddle, making use of its low-rev torque and engine refinement, its incredible stability under heaving braking and its ability to transition through sweeping corners with ease.

Electronic aids are a big part of the GS’ ability to build confidence. Rain mode gives the rider a huge security blanket, while Enduro Pro loosens the reins enough to encourage tail-happy proceedings while still offering gentle assistance when called upon.

About the only blight on the 1250 GS’ dynamic score card is the rear end’s tendency to skip over acceleration bumps. On an off-camber ascent, for example, even a whiff of eagerness with the throttle hand can cause the rear to jolt over bumps – triggering a subsequent frenzy from the traction control system, which often further stymies the exercise.

We found a sure-fire remedy in maintaining a higher corner speed and turning the traction control system off on dirt. But you loosen the reins quite a bit as a result.

On the road, the purchase and predictability of the Metzeler front tyre is particularly astonishing. It has no qualms with aggressive turn-in, helping cultivate rider confidence even in mixed wet conditions.

Sweetening the deal are everyday niceties such as two-stage hand warmers, a hill start assist function, cruise control and much more.

The GS is right at home on the open roads or across snotty hill climbs and rocky river crossings. And the GS Safari is the perfect advertisement for the enduro machine’s wares.

The short story here is that I’m hooked.

The GS Safari is the perfect week of camaraderie, fun and adventure. It is also an outlet for people to check out from the busyness of daily life; a reminder of how soothing seat time on a motorcycle really is. At least, that was our take-away.

Riding motorcycles is one element of the week, but it is bolstered with fine food and a five-star hotel pillow to rest on most evenings.

The week culminates in an award night at the Shangri La hotel in Cairns. It is an opportunity to reflect on the way and enjoy the room’s common passion: two wheels.

On the return flight home, I find myself unknowingly scouring bikesales for a cheap BMW GS as a means of a return pass. ‘GS Safari withdrawals’ that are joked about by regulars soon inflicts itself into the quieter moments of the succeeding week.

It’s true - there is no happier person on the planet than a well-ridden motorcyclist.

How much? About $2500 for a rider with their own bike (excluding transfers, fuel and some meals and bike incidentals)

Further information: https://bmwsafari.com/

Sam Charlwood was hosted by BMW Motorrad Australia.