Boxing Smart…
It’s not every day you get to see ALMOST all of BMW’s GS Boxer lineup in one place… On a visit to BMW Motorrad East Rand, we lined em all up…
While most of the focus is on new models these days, it’s pretty cool to catch a bit of history. We noticed a fairly well used GS 1150 on the floor and started sniffing around to see what other GS’s were in the shop.
It was pretty interesting to see the lineup and even the guys on the showroom floor did not realise what they had. We did exclude the smaller GS’s in the form of the 650’s 700, 800’s 850’s and the new 900, focussing rather on the Boxer powered bikes that have made BMW famous the world over.
Here’s a bit of GS history, it’s interesting to watch this models progression over time…
Since 1980, the GS acronym has had several different meanings. Originally, designer Hans Muth had intended to call it the “Gentleman’s scrambler” but it was later launched under the name G/S meaning “Gelände/Straße” (Lit.: terrain/street).
Later models removed the forward slash and now GS is generally accepted to be German for “Geländesport” (Lit.: terrainsport). The BMW GS is generally accepted to be the first “adventure bike” combining some off-road capability of a dual-sport motorcycle, with the comfort and luggage carrying ability of a touring motorcycle.
Did you know that the BMW GS is also a commercial and historically significant model for BMW Motorrad? Before its launch in 1980 the motorcycle division of BMW was struggling financially and in early 1979 the new director of BMW Motorrad Karl-Heinz Gerlinger was tasked with either making the motorcycle business profitable or shutting it down entirely….
Initially some reviewers of the new R80G/S model were unimpressed with the compromised dual nature of the motorcycle, with the magazine Motorcyclist calling it “Conventional wisdom said it was too heavy and cumbersome to be dynamically proficient on the dirt”.
On the contrary the German publication Motorrad claimed the R80G/S was “the best road bike BMW has made yet” (“das beste Straßenmotorrad, das BMW je gebaut hat”). We had one in our family and my brother literally rode the wheels off that bike. It was pretty indestructible.
By the end of 1981 BMW had sold 6,631 R80G/Ss which was more than twice the number originally hoped for, contributing to saving the motorcycle division.
The rest is history and the BMW GS models have gone on to become the best selling model in BMW Motorrad’s lineup.
The first BMW GS model was the R80G/S (They didn’t have one on the floor) powered by a 797.5 cm³ air-cooled, 2 cylinder boxer engine, the 247 series which was also fitted to many other bikes in the BMW range of the time. This engine is known as the “airhead” because it relies on airflow across both the cylinders and cylinder heads to provide the majority of its cooling. These early models used a combined rear suspension, drive shaft and swingarm called a “Monolever”.
In certain markets a smaller 649.6 cm³ R65GS version was also available. With a lower power output of 20 kW (27 hp), this was targeted at riders with restricted licenses and was also sold to some nations’ military forces.
In 1987 the G/S name was changed to GS (see above) and the Monolever was replaced with the “Paralever” swingarm. This system included a torque arm intended to lessen shaft effect and strengthen the swingarm to final-drive connection. A host of other updates included a bigger subframe, a new front fork and tubeless rims. The new bikes were produced with engines of 797.5 cm³ (R80GS) and 980 cm³ (R100GS).
Production of the standard machines stopped in 1995 with the R100GS Paris-Dakar, but special “Kalahari” and “Basic” editions were produced until December 1996, which ended airhead GS production.
Second Generation Boxer: 1993 – 2005 “Oilhead”
In 1994 the next generation (Type 259) of BMW GS was introduced with the R1100GS. This generation is commonly referred to as the “oilhead” due to the engine relying more on oil-cooling than the previous version. In 1998 it was followed by a smaller R850GS model, which was largely identical besides a less powerful engine.
The R1100GS model signified a significant jump in technology introducing features like a four-valve engine, electronic fuel injection, a catalytic converter and ABS-brakes. BMW also claims it was the adventure motorcycle with the “biggest capacity and greatest power output” of the time.
The R1100GS also introduced the “telelever” front suspension to the GS range. It replaced the conventional forks with an A-shaped control arm and a shock absorber. This system is intended to improve performance of the front suspension by separating the forces exerted by weight shift of the chassis, from the forces generated by bumps from the road surface. It also eliminates compression of the front suspension under braking, called “brake dive”.
East has the 1150 on the floor.
In 1999 the model was updated to the R1150GS (Type R21). This model received a slight increase in engine power and displacement, a change in design of the front fairing and headlight.
The R1150GS also received a 6-speed gearbox, up from the previous 5-speed. In September 2001 the “Adventure” model was announced which is analogous to the earlier Paris-Dakar models. This model added a larger fuel tank, lower gearing, longer suspension travel and optional off-road tyres. This was done to make the Adventure more suitable for arduous off-road trips with a heavy load of gear and supplies. The R1150GS model is by many regarded as the motorcycle that kickstarted interest in traveling on big adventure bikes.
Third Generation Boxer: 2004 – 2013 “Hexhead”
In 2004 the R1200GS model introduced the third generation (Type K25) of GS models. Commonly referred to as the “hexhead” simply due to the hexagonal shape of the cylinder heads.
While not representing as big a change in basic design as there had been between the first and second generation, this model took many of the ideas of the previous version and improved upon them. Most notably the R1200GS was significantly lighter, shedding some 30kg from its wet weight compared to its predecessor. Interestingly 13kg of this reduction came solely from weight savings in the gearbox. The engine of R1200GS model gained a significant amount of power while at the same time being both smoother and more economical, due to gaining a balance shaft and improved fuel injection.
In 2008 the R1200GS received an update that made the steering geometry steeper and added 5hp. The biggest innovation was probably the implementation of Electronic Suspension Adjustment ESA, which enabled the rider to change the characteristics of both damping and preload of the shock absorbers via the switchgear.
2010 saw another update, this time with the engine receiving the biggest changes. The valvetrain was changed from employing pushrods and rocker arms to a double overhead camshaft design. This allowed for a higher rev limit and an additional increase of 5hp, now up to 110hp in total. This design was originally made for the BMW HP2 Sport and later employed in several other models. Although still hexagonal in shape, this represented a pretty big technical change to the cylinder heads. For this reason some enthusiasts refer to these later engines as the “camhead” to differentiate it from the earlier engine types.
As you know, the R1200GS proved to be a massive commercial success for BMW Motorrad. On 27 July 2007 the R1200GS became the first model to be produced in 100,000 units.
Fourth Generation Boxer: 2013 – 2023 “Wethead”
In 2013 the new R1200GS model introduced the fourth generation (Types K50 and K51) of GS models. Although the model name and engine capacity remained the same, the fourth generation represented a pretty big change in engine layout and design language. These bikes were launched to the world’s press in The Cape.
For the first time a BMW boxer engine was of “unit construction“, where engine and gearbox was combined into a single unit. Other innovations were the usage of liquid cooling of the cylinder heads, Ride-By-Wire throttles and a wet clutch. While none of these technologies were groundbreaking they were all firsts for a BMW boxer engine.
The R1200GS also introduced “ride modes” to the GS models. This idea (pioneered by Ducati’s Multistrada) allowed riders to select different modes that changed the response of the engine and suspension, significantly altering the riding experience. The suspension was updated to Dynamic ESA which not only allowed electronic adjustment like previously, but also allowed the suspension system to autonomously and continuously adjust the suspension’s settings to best suit the current conditions. Another notable change was the swapping of positions of the Paralever drive shaft and the exhaust from right-to-left. This was done to prevent riders burning themselves on the hot exhaust pipe.
In 2017 the R1200GS received an update that slightly changed the design of the fairings, the workings of the Dynamic ESA suspension and the engine calibration was updated to comply with the EURO4 emissions standards.
In 2019 BMW introduced the R1250GS models. Just like the 2010 update to the previous model, the most significant change was updates to the engine which grew from 1170cm³ to 1254cm³ and the valvetrain was redesigned to incorporate BMW’s system for variable valve timing called “ShiftCam”. This system allowed for an increase in output of both power and torque at the same time, to 136hp and 145nm respectively. This made it the most powerful production boxer engine BMW had made at the time. Other notable changes included a colour TFT instrumentation and an LED Headlight now being standard equipment.
Fifth Generation Boxer: 2023 – Current
On 28 September 2023 the fifth generation of BMW GS was announced, the R1300GS. (Type KA1). The engine was again a completely new design. Like the predecessor the engine is a unit construction but internal components were rearranged, with the gearbox now located below the cylinders and crankshaft, allowing for a shorter and more compact engine.
The construction of the chassis was a big departure from previous models, all of which were constructed of tubular steel. The chassis of the R1300GS is made of pressed sheet steel, with the subframe being die-cast aluminium. Recognising that weight had continually crept up over the last few generations, project manager Reiner Fings claimed that “at the top of the list is to lose weight.” All of these changes were made in an attempt to make the new generation lighter and more compact. Another notable change was the new design of the front headlight which was no longer asymmetrical – a feature that had been present since the R1150GS.
A little under a year later on 5 July 2024, the sister model BMW R1300GS Adventure (Type KA2) was announced during BMW’s “Motorrad Days” event in Garmisch-Partenkirchen. Just like the preceding Adventure models the R1300GS Adventure has a bigger fuel tank and an increased focus on comfort while traveling. The system Automated Shift Assistant ASA was introduced on this model, electronically automating the control of the clutch and gearshifting, effectively giving the motorcycle an automated manual transmission.
The design language of the “standard” and Adventure models took a very different approach to that of BMW’s previous models..
Another notable development on both 1300 models is “Dynamic Suspension Adjustment”. This system allows the rider to control both the suspension ride height and stiffness of spring rate via hydraulic circuits, in addition to adjusting the damping and spring preload like previous versions.
So there you have it. A bit of history about one of the most successful motorcycles that the world has seen. If you’ d like to have a look at most of these, they are currently on the floor at BMW Motorrad East Rand
