peakpower;theDucati’swiderpistons
don’ttravelasfarsocanmovefaster,
favouring less torque but at higher revs,
meaning more horsepower.
On A-roads and B-roads this gives
the Ducati an elongated rev range and
slightly less immediacy to its
performance — the way the GS leapsoff
the throttle is always impressive —but
the Enduro possesses more outright
slam-dunk punch than the BMW and,
when you ask for it, its top end is truly
explosive. Both are astonishing engines
and although the 1260 Enduro willdothe
numbers if you put a stopwatch on
them, as a riding experience on theroad,
the R1250GS is so close it’s no longer
second-best but sharing the honours.
The pair also have opposite handling
and chassis characteristics. The BMW is
almost lazily fast and smooth, the Ducati
more involved and hectic. When you get
off the BMW you’ve been gently stirred
with a spoon; when you get off the
Enduro you’ve been whisked with an egg
beater. The Ducati’s 48mm forks and
chain drive imbue a direct, conventional
handling dynamic — the bike steers with
sportyprecision,carryinga higher
centreofgravitythantheBMW
(although, on shorter suspension,the
Ducati isn’t as gangly crackers as itwas
last year), and fires into turns witha
determined commitment. The shaftie
GS,witha lowercentreofgravity,flowsandrollsintocornersinstead.
Whenit comestostopping— whichit
must, eventually – the GS, with new
Hayes calipers instead of Brembos,has
the edge; the Ducati’s Brembos need
more of a squeeze to elicit the same
force. And on electronic spec, there’s
nothing in it; both bikes have multiple
rider modes, traction control options
and braking set-ups. The Ducati ismore
deeply customisable for personal
preference, and has the better menuAbove: BMW
controls include
thethumbwheelTop right:
BMW’s colour
screen with
connectivityThe SOS
emergency call
can be activated
manuallyBMW justtakes
a full-face helmetsystem with intuitive pictograms and
obvious (backlit) buttons; the BMW’s
system of buttons and menus is a bit
clunky and hard to fathom.MOTOrWAyS
The GS’s superb engine smoothness is
hard to beat on a motorway; at 80mph
the flat twin spins at a smooth 4600rpm
in top, with generous acceleration
immediately available from its relatively
short gearing and compressed, compact
rev range. The Boxer twin is redlined at
8000rpm with a limiter at 8500rpm.
Meanwhile the Ducati is over-geared,
spinning at a similar 4800rpm at 80mph
in top, blurring mirrors and with less
torque and longer gearing that lets it rev
on to over 10,000rpm before a limiter
cuts in. Those extra revs are where the
Enduro gets its peak performance, but
it’s not much use on a motorway for top
gear roll-ons; the Enduro needs to drop
a cog to live with a rolled-on R1250GS.
In terms of cruising dynamic, the GS is
again the smoother, more refined and
more relaxed ride, and the Ducati has
the more active, agile and busy‘So the Ducati isa pretty quickadventure bike too’SPEC 2019 BMW r1250GS AdvenTure rAllye Te
Price £19,918 as tested (£18,165 base plus £305 E-call, £770 panniers, £678 sat nav) engine 1254cc flat twin, 4v per
cyl, l/c Power (measured) 127bhp @ 7600rpm Torque (measured) 100 lb·ft @ 6300rpm Transmission 6-speed,
shaft Frame steel tube Front suspension monoshock, 210mm travel, semi-active rebound and compression damping
rear suspension monoshock, 220mm travel, automatic preload and semi-active compression and rebound damping
Front brakes 305mm discs, 4-piston radial calipers rear brake 276mm disc, 2-piston caliper Front tyre 120/70
ZR19 rear tyre 170/60 ZR17 Wheelbase 1504mm rake/trail 24.9°/95.4mm Seat height 890/910mm Kerb weight
(measured) 294.6kg (49.1% front/50.9% rear) Fuel capacity 30 litresjuly 2019 | 75