On the
road
AANDB-ROADS
TheBMWR1250GSAdventureis
absolutelyonthestop;flatstickona
flattwin,2019’senlargedpairofpistons
lumpingaroundlikebricksina spin
dryer,monotoneexhaustwailinglikea
rapid-firespudgunasit quick-shifts
throughitsgears.Andmysweetlord
above,it’sso,sofine,barrellingthrough
thewarm,springtimecountrysideina
careeringblurofBMWMotorsport-
colouredenthusiasmandjoiedevivre.
Whata crazytimetobealive.
Lincolnshireisa longcountyfrom
bottomtotopbutthenew 125 4ccmotor
evisceratestheWoldsinmereminutes,
peelingits topographyapartwitha
lanky,nonchalantswaggeranddoing
thatunearthly,hugelyimpressive,GS
Adventurethingofcombiningcolossal
momentumwitha serene,imperious,
uncrashableairofself-entitlement.It’s
likeridingmotorcyclingroyalty,witha
rocketupits magisterialbum.There’sno
doubt:thenewR1250GSAdventureis
moreseriouslyrapidthantheold 1200 ,
andjustasplush.ItsTelelever/Paralever
chassis,constantlyupdatedandrefined
since 1993 ,isnowthelastwordin
sophisticationandcontrol— justpopit in
DynamicmodeandletBerlin’sboffins
setthebikeup.It’sbeyondreproach,
sweepingbetweenapexeswithan
insulated,butcompletelyengaged,
expertise.Bumpsbotherit nota jot.
A loftyridingposition(seatsethighat
910mm)addsthefinishingtouchof
arrogance.Outofmyway,pheasants.
Butthena rushofairfrombehind
indicatesthearrivaloftheMultistrada
1260 Enduro,boomingbysofastit lifts
thefloralpatternofftheBMW’sskirt.Ah.
SothatDucatiisa prettyquick
adventure bike too,then.Twoflagships
loadedwithpanniers, 30 litresoffuel
andweighingovera quarterofa tonne,
chargingaboutlikesportsbikesontall,
semi-activesuspensionwithenough
traveltosoakupallbuttheharshest
shocksandcontrolledbya raftof
electronicmanagementfeatures—
they’rea sighttobeholdand
extraordinaryfeatsofmotorcycle
engineering.Buttheirphilosophiesof
adventuretravelaredistinct— inthe
searchforridingperfection,theBMW
andDucatihaven’tsuffereda
sportsbike-styleevolutionary
convergence.They’reverydifferent.
TheDucaticomeswithpowerasa
designgoal,asopposedtoBMW’s
torquepreference.Withthesame-size
motors,it’saboutboreandstroke— the
BMW’ssmallerpistonstravelfurther in
thebores,favouringlowerengine
speeds,higherpeaktorqueandlower
TheBMWisthe more
refinedandeasy-to-
ridemachine
BMW
74 | JULY 2019
NEW BIKES
