timesIfeltthefullweightwaspushing
itabithardwhileplayingaroundin
firstgear,bushbashingorgoingslow
inasandyriverbed.Evennow,looking
atthephotos,I’mshockedathow
differentiffeels(small)comparedto
howitlooks(big).
AftersteppingofftheR 1250 GSA
ontotheF 850 GSAIwasseriously
wonderingifyouevenneedthe850’s
21-inchfrontwheel.The19-inchonthe
1250 canhandlesomeprettyrough
terrain.ButasIsizedupthisnew
obstacleIthoughtofonething–
physics.ThatsharpcornerIwasabout
tohitwouldobviouslybealotbetter
withabiggerwheel.Andthereliesa
goodreasontochoosethe850.
Surethereareothers.Forstarters,
weight–the 1250 GSAis 24 kilos
heavier,yeah,that’safairbitmore.Seat height options – the perch on
the 850 GSA Rallye that I was riding
was 890mm, which was perfect for my
188cm height, but you can get it down
to 815mm with a lowering kit or buy
the LS model designed for the
vertically challenged.
Upright cylinders – some people just
don’t like their pots hanging out in
the breeze.
Chain final drive – chains are easier
to fix and to carry bits for when BMW
Assist says: “Sorry, where are you, you
adventurous bastard?”MORE POWERFUL
The R 1250 engine is way more
powerful – 100kW v 70kW. It was
interesting to ride in a group of 850s
and 1250s on the bitumen and dirt. The
850 could keep up on the fast-ish stuff,although top speed on the 850 is
probably about 30-40kmh slower. To
keep up you have to ride the 850 harder
and kiss the throttle stop a lot more but
the bike isn’t screaming, in fact its
pumping out a glorious growl due to
the 270-degree firing interval and a bit
of aural engineering trickery.
I tried my hardest and managed to
ride close behind Miles Davis on his
1250 GSA while he put on a
masterclass of sliding beyond
McKillops Bridge. Search ADB’s
Facebook page for the Go Pro footage
that BMW marketing manager Nigel
Harvey captured. I’ll tell myself he was
going hard because few can ride as well
as Miles, but the fact I was staying in
touch with him for 15km or so shows
the bike can run with the big boys
(even if Miles had more in the tank!)FIRST RIDE I BMW F850GSA RALLYE
Did you get
burnt?
Why did BMW swap sides for the
chain and muffler from the F
800? Well, a few mechanical
reasons, but our favourite is that
there’s less chance of getting
burned while parking up from
the normal left side.74 | JUNE 2019 http://www.adbmag.com.au
Look who’s
talking
The electronics do a great job
individually but when using
Dynamic ESA, the suspension,
traction control, ABS and ride
modes all talk to each other and
make adjustments in milli-seconds.