BMW R 1200 GS facelift 2015

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BMW R 1200 GS facelift from 2014 to 2015

More flywheel for standard GS

The standard version of the BMW R 1200 GS now also has more flywheel mass for better smoothness. Just like the Adventure and all other water boxer models from the start. Plus a few new equipment options, and the optimization for the 2015 model year is complete.

E.in a perfect, postcard-beautiful autumn day. Outside, the morning sun tears the fog to shreds. A polished, clear sky shines brightly. Let’s get out! With the BMW R 1200 GS, which was minimally revamped for 2015. Wait a minute, two of them are parked there. Top tester Karsten Schwers also wants to join in, has the 2014 model. Hmm, and which one is the new one now? The approval king’s new clothes: The new lacquer variant is a darker deep black instead of the previous anthracite. The safest differentiator is the new key. With the Keyless Ride equipment option, it is as large as a car.

BMW R 1200 GS facelift from 2014 to 2015

More flywheel mass for standard GS

R 1200 GS from the Berlin production lines. In addition, there are over 16,000 BMW R 1200 GS Adventure in 2014. That makes over 70,000 water-cooled GS. The colossus GS Adventure is now also available in a lowered version on request.

Big difference when starting up

The standard version of the BMW R 1200 GS for 2015 inherited a generally larger centrifugal mass from it. The middle crank arm in particular became thicker and larger in diameter. In addition, there is a new, more massive gear wheel for the primary drive with fewer recesses and bores. A total of 8166 grams now rotate deep in the belly of the engine room instead of the previous 7039 grams. Can you feel it? Well, at most from sensitive natures. The reaction torque of the longitudinal crankshaft rotating transversely to the direction of travel has about the same effect on both GS: accelerate when stationary, then the 1200s swing first to the right, then roll back to the left to their starting position.

Starting off reveals a big difference: only the new engine appears to be “unstoppable”, like all air-cooled GS models. The 2014 engine sometimes dies suddenly if the hydraulic oil bath clutch, which is not ideally metered, is operated negligently. Just because. Annoyed at the traffic lights, unhappy when turning on gravel. More weight now makes the boxer more good-natured, he bubbles through the lower speed range in a more serene manner. The inertia test: start up, disengage, engage again without throttle – then the old boxer will often stop while the new one continues to run. Engaging first gear is acknowledged by both BMW R 1200 GS mechanically and acoustically with a clear gear shift. Whereby the "new" model looks a bit more supple. Is more of a series spread than a real improvement.

Enduro

BMW R 1200 GS long-term test news

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New BMW R 1200 GS with Gear Shift Assistant Pro

The Shift Assistant Pro as a new extra works great when shifting up under load. Simply step into the next gear without using the clutch. Finished. Wroupp, wroupp, we are making great progress. The 125 hp are good in the drilling. The automatic gearshift is unnecessary for normal drivers, not bad for sporty natures. When downshifting, you need a little feeling and rather higher speeds so that it goes smoothly without the clutch. Just a few years ago, would you have believed that a BMW boxer would have such sporty revving power? This applies especially to the "Dynamic" driving mode. In addition to throttle response, the driving modes also influence ABS and traction control. Does the 2014 BMW R 1200 GS seem a bit more liberated, even finer, more aggressive on the gas? Hard to say. The performance is identical.

And the running culture? Well, the weighted engine of the 2015 BMW R 1200 GS runs a little smoother – slightly more smoothly, vibrates a little less, pulsates with lower frequencies. But you only feel that, if at all, when you switch directly. Especially around 5000 turns, the vibrations of the previous boxer seem minimally harder, drier. But these are nuances. Better to concentrate on the fantastic driving experience, on the enormous driving pleasure. Behind the wide handlebars you are always in control of the situation. Oh what, of all locations. You ride upright and sublime. A GS is a GS. Fed by a feeling of lightness, security and sovereignty. Everything is so easy, so safe, so relaxed. At first attempt.

The 2015 BMW R 1200 GS weighs one kilo more

A precision tool that doesn’t require getting used to. Give in? Playful. Course corrections? Dead easy. Steering precision? Exemplary. The brakes are crisp and effective, the handling agile. Sheer driving pleasure, built in from the factory: “Ten minutes of driving must be enough to arouse enthusiasm,” says Josef Miritsch, head of the boxer series at BMW, describing the credo. Both BMW R 1200 GS are wonderfully active driving, a seal of quality. As a harvest of constant improvement, continuous development. And since 1980, the R 80 G / S as the original meter of all travel enduro bikes. Its heiress, the current R 1200 GS, perfectly embodies motomobile versatility and, together with the BMW R 1200 GS Adventure, makes up every third BMW!

The chassis works great. Around 20 centimeters of spring travel smooth out tar. The semi-active Dynamic ESA chassis can be noticeably adjusted to the load and road conditions at the touch of a button, and the damping also varies automatically depending on the driving situation. The BMW R 1200 GS doesn’t wrap you in cotton wool, lets you feel the texture of the asphalt. But don’t let them suffer. The 2014 GS already inconspicuously wears a steering damper. It does not interfere at low speed, makes straight-line stability foolproof. Many well thought-out details come together as a whole. The disc can be adjusted with one hand using the rotary knob, and thanks to the optional cruise control even while driving. Vario cases with telescopic mechanism fit perfectly at the rear as an extra. A sensor automatically switches the optional daytime running lights in the tunnel to low beam.

Michelangelo said: “Perfection is not a small thing, but many small things result in perfection.” The new BMW R 1200 GS weighs 251 kilograms, one kilogram more than before. Fully equipped with all three packages of additional equipment (Touring, Dynamic, Comfort) on board. This means that 95 percent of all buyers order their GS from the BMW branch in Stuttgart. That pushes the price without a suitcase or cross-spoke wheels up to around 18,000 euros. A lot for a motorcycle, not much for a fantastic ride. The phenomenon, the GS generation, goes even stronger into the next round.

Technical data BMW R 1200 GS

Water-cooled two-cylinder four-stroke boxer engine, bore x stroke 101.0 x 73.0 mm, 1170 cm³, 92.0 kW (125 PS) at 7700 / min, 125 Nm at 6500 / min, bridge frame made of tubular steel, telescopic fork guided by trailing arms, Ø 37 mm, two-joint cardan single-sided swing arm made of aluminum, central spring strut, double disc brake at the front, Ø 305 mm, disc brake at the rear, Ø 276 mm, ABS, tires 120/70 R 19; 170/60 R 17, wheelbase 1507 mm, steering head angle 64.5 degrees, caster 100 mm,
Spring travel v./h. 190/200 mm, weight with a full tank * 251 kg, tank capacity 20.0 liters, price from 14,700 euros, price / additional costs of test motorcycle 18,590 / 380 euros.

This is new in the 2015 model year

A minor facelift marks the 2015 GS year. Above all, this includes the increased flywheel mass, as seen in the BMW R 1200 GS Adventure and R 1200 RT rotated from the start. The Adventure is now also available in a lowered version.

BMW R 1200 GS

  • increased centrifugal mass of the crankshaft: weight increased from 6189 to 7004 grams, mass inertia increased from 8150 to 11,250 kg / mm2. The newly designed primary wheel weighs 1162 grams instead of the previous 850 grams
  • Shift Assistant Pro allows upshifts and downshifts without using the clutch (special equipment)
  • Keyless Ride (special equipment)
  • new color alpine white in connection with drive and chassis components in black
  • new colors Frozen Darkblue metallic and Blackstorm metallic

BMW R 1200 GS Adventure

  • Lowering option by 50 to 840/860 millimeters (special equipment): suspension travel restriction to the value of the BMW R 1200 GS, i.e. 190/200 instead of 210/200 mm; Suspension / damping setup specially adapted to the requirements of the GS Adventure. Lowering is only available with the optional Dynamic ESA
  • lower seats of the BMW R 1200 GS (minus 20 mm, special equipment)
  • Shift assistant Pro and Keyless Ride (as special equipment)

Interview with Josef Miritsch

Sdun

Josef miritsch.

"Versatility and balance"

Josef, known as “Sepp”, Miritsch (51) is a graduate engineer in vehicle technology and head of the Boxer series at BMW.

The BMW R 1200 GS is the best-selling motorcycle in Germany. In which countries still?

The BMW R 1200 GS is also the best-selling motorcycle in Italy, Great Britain (as of June 2014), Switzerland, Austria, Belgium, Finland, Norway, the Netherlands, Poland and Romania (as of December 2013).

What is the proportion of BMW R 1200 GS Adventure on the produced water-cooled R 1200 GS?

The share of Adventure in the R 1200 GS is 37.5% (as of October 2014).

What is the current share of the R 1200 GS in total BMW Motorrad production?

The current BMW R 1200 GS has a share in production of 20.6% (as of October 2014). The GS Adventure is 12.3% (as of October 2014). The share of the Boxer series (all R models) is currently just over 50 percent.

The best-selling BMW motorcycle of all time is called the R 1200 GS. Has the water boxer given the demand a boost since 2013??

Yes, the demand for the liquid-cooled R 1200 GS has increased noticeably again. With 26,631 units in 2013, the previous record for a BMW motorcycle (air-cooled R 1200 GS in 2005: 25,705 units) was exceeded.

Isn’t the great economic (and psychological) importance that the R 1200 GS has for BMW Motorrad also a burden – "nothing must never go wrong"?

The BMW R 1200 GS has certainly been our most important model for years, and we are aware of the great responsibility we have towards our customers. We see maintaining the high technological level as more of a challenge than a burden. A look at our growing range of models also shows that we don’t want a monoculture. With the R nineT and the S 1000 R, for example, we immediately launched two high-volume models on the market.

Why is the larger centrifugal mass now used in all models with a water-cooled boxer?

Very positive feedback on the BMW R 1200 GS Adventure and the R 1200 RT, which were introduced after the GS, prompted us to use the same crankshaft on the GS. Added to this is the standardization of the engines for what are now five box models with air / liquid-cooled drives, including the R 1200 R and R 1200 RS, thanks to identical crankshafts and the primary gear. Basically, this is not about weight gain. Only the mass moment of inertia influences the running behavior of the basic motor.

For 2015 there are potent competitors in the starting blocks (KTM 1290 Super Adventure, new Ducati Multistrada, new Honda Africa Twin). Is the big one BMW R 1200 GS well equipped for this?

We welcome this development and the resulting recovery in the market. The development of the competition is of course also taken into account in our long-term product planning. We see our models very well positioned for the future.

Will BMW participate in the arms race of travel enduros, 150 hp and more, in the future?

The Boxer GS founded the segment and occupied the top position from the start. She does not achieve this through individual top performances, but through unmatched versatility and balance. In the interests of our customers, we will continue to attach great importance to the expansion of these properties and not to singularly high engine performance. With the new S 1000 XR, we are closing another gap for sporty customers. It serves the adventure sports segment.

Increasing electronic equipment in travel enduros does not lead to potential problems on long-distance trips in remote areas?

We have been asked this question again and again since the introduction of the BMW R 1200 GS with CAN on-board network in 2004. Numerous customers together covered millions of kilometers on our GS around the globe without any technical failure, which strengthens trust in the technology.

In the MOTORRAD endurance test over 50,000 kilometers, the current BMW R 1200 GS suffered a major gearbox damage. Is the damage analysis available for this? Was the cause of the bearing defect the bursting of a single ball?
The bearing manufacturer’s analysis report is now available. Due to the extreme damage to the parts, the cause of the damage can no longer be precisely determined, the damage hypothesis of ball breakage remains.

Conclusion

With a GS you buy more than a motorcycle. Namely all options. The cleverly designed, well thought-out R 1200 GS perfectly embodies motomobile versatility: fast over the home route, wonderfully confident over alpine passes, with pillion passenger and luggage on vacation. One for all! The now slightly more good-natured, since "unstoppable" boxer is good for the concept.

Current offers for used BMW R 1200 GS in Germany

1000PS marketplace app

The selection of used BMW R1200GS is almost limitless.

The BMW R 1200 GS is a real customer favorite, which is why the large selection on the used market is no surprise. The number of used R1200GS is enormous, because of each year of construction you can find several copies with a wide variety of kilometers and accessories. Here is a current price comparison of used BMW R 1200 GS: used BMW R1200GS in Germany.

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