R
eplacingtheoverlander’sfavourite, the R1100 GSwas
neve rgoing to be easy–but BMW hit thebulls eye with the
1150 GS.
The 1130cc motor (up from 1085cc) hadasix-speed box (up from
five) pumping out 85bhp. Every one of those ponies was needed to
shift the weight this bike carried–you were looking at around
250-255 kilos in wet configuration with fluids and fuel... Heavy,eh:
ask CMM contributor Alan Dowds who was on the (crash-strewn)
launch and who was hit by his cartwheeling GS on an off-road section.
The end result was broken ribs, collar bone andapunctured lung.
Everything was big about the1150GS, but theJuly 1999 launch
price wasjust £8140. Thelater2001-2004Adventure cost just
£8195 and you could specifythe ‘Overland Package’, which(for
£300) added30-lit re fueltank,shorterfirst cog, off-roadbiased
tyre sand adifferent finish to theengine. Other extrasyoucould
buy included heated grips andanalumi nium top-box and pannier
set, which gaveacavernous 105 litres of carrying capacity.
Issues were few,but the real off-road globetrotters would
reinforce the sub-frame and/or ditch the big metal top-box. On the
road, many would find the later servo-assisted EVO brakes were just
way too fierce...
Of course, many awardswere bestowed upon the bike and around
76,0001150 GS/Adventure modelswere sold between 1999 and
2004 worldwide when thebike was replaced by the R1200 GS –the 1150Adventure lasted until 2006when th e1200 version of
the Adventure wasreleased.The biggest PR success came when
actorsEwan McGregorandCharley Boorman took their Adventures
around the world an almost19,000-mile ride, which was
immortalised in the popular show ‘LongWayRound’.
Today we’ve seenvery lo wmile1150 GSsgofor daft money: how
does more than£11,000 forabike with fewer than 1000 miles
sound? Evenabike wit h20-30kon the clocks can be seen for up
to £7000!Thankfully,there areso many out there,that some slot
into a£3000-£4000 bracket. Just check the servicing andnabany
BMWaccessories that it comes withasyou can...cmmhttp://www.classicmechanics