Bike Reviews: The 2016 BMW R1200GS...2 years in

"The greatest adventure touring bike ever made..."

We've all seen it after Ewan and Charlie did their Long Way Round and Long Way Down shows, highlighting the capability and durability of BMW's GS line. This led to an apparent boom in the adventure motorcycle market with nearly every manufacturer trying to make the next best thing. Even Harley Davidson appears to be jumping on the adventure train with its hideous Pan-America. But BMW still seems to be on top of their game with the GS line still being one of their best sellers. While not much seems to have changed with the new release of the 2019 GS aside from the shift-cam technology and the TFT dash, this review could serve as a decent baseline for an aspiring GS owner of any year.

The 2016 BMW R1200GS will be the focal point of this review.

Of course the big motorcycle magazines and websites are going to give gleaming reviews of motorcycles at press launches and such, but how would those reviews hold up over a few years? These are my personal experiences with a 2016 R1200GS that I bought used over a span of two years and 40,000 miles. Take this review with a grain of salt, as with any review, as your mileage may vary.

Durability

One of the main reasons I bought this bike was how well it seemed to handle the adverse conditions that it was put through on the previously mentioned shows. I'm sure BMW engineers were watching the show very closely and made the necessary changes to things that were breaking in order to make the bike more robust in the long run. So if two actors could take these bikes all over the world, why couldn't I just use one for my commuting and small trip purposes without any hiccups? Apparently I was mistaken.

I'm not sure if it's just my unit, but a few solid issues made themselves apparent within the first year of purchase. The first problem came in the form of a factory recall on certain VIN numbers due to an issue with the top of the fork tubes breaking. The dealership did their measurements, found that my forks were on their way to failing, and took care of the issue free of charge. The second issue was a little more intense. My wife noticed an out-of-the-ordinary ticking coming from the left valve cover after my return from a road trip to north Georgia. After a diagnosis from the dealership, a phone call to the tune of "Yeah, your left side valves are toast and we don't know what could have caused it" was received, I was out of a ride for three weeks while the warranty work was being done. Since it was an issue that the dealership had never seen or heard of before, a "PUMA report" had to be completed and sent to BMW Motorrad in Germany. A little disconcerting, but I figured it was a one-off so I continued on my merry way to issue number three. I've owned motorcycles before that have had stator failures and they were easy enough to replace. But when a stator fails on a GS, the entire engine has to be dropped due to its location. Yet another three weeks with no motorcycle since warranty claims take forever to make their way through the necessary channels.

The location of the stator assembly on the GS. Note the engine has to be completely removed from the bike.
Image credit

Two of the three problems listed here were essentially issues with the power plant, which is usually covered under warranty should a problem arise, which is a good thing. I'm just hoping that I've been able to shake all the gremlins out during my ownership thus far and I don't need to worry about anything else along the way. However, I do recommend going ahead and buying the extended warranty if you're planning on riding your bike every day or taking it on some exotic trip where you'll eat up the regular warranty mileage in the first year like I did. Since BMW is a premium brand, parts and service come at a premium price. It's worth the piece of mind, unless you have that kind of cash laying around. Ask if your dealership offers a maintenance plan while you're at it, because services are downright expensive. Undertake some of the minor services yourself if you're handy with a wrench to take a little off the monetary load.

Aside from the issues mentioned above, the overall motorcycle seems to the holding up pretty well to the beatings I sometimes give it. Crash and fall protection was added, which is always a good idea, but other parts like the fairing and the windscreen don't break or crack as easily as I thought they would. The beak of my GS has been contorted this way and that but still maintains its original shape, aside from the boo boos on the worst of dumps. Damage sustained from trying to go over a large fallen tree with a bridge made of smaller fallen trees around it immediately comes to mind. I won't bother to mention consumables, because that's exactly what they are.

It's been smooth sailing for more since my last major problem, which was about five or six months ago. I've met other GS owners that have had no problems at all over a span of a gazillion miles, so that just goes to show how ownership can vary from rider to rider. These were just my problems that I've made apparent. Don't let my words deter you decision, especially since the big problems are usually covered under warranty.

Comfort and Ergonomics

To this day, I still find this to be one of the most comfortable bikes I've ever owned. The seating position is fairly neutral and the handlebars are nice and wide for excellent control on and off road. I have a set of Roxx handlebar risers that the previous owner had installed to bring them closer to his body, but he had them tilted so far back the control units on the bars would hit the plastics at full lock. A problem easily rectified by rotating the risers and bars up and away. This made it more comfy for my orangutan arms and helped with the overall position of the controls for off road riding (they were tilted more downward.)

The seat is still holding its own after 40,000 miles, but everyone is going to have a different opinion on that depending on what type of butt you have. The stock seat does have a "high" and "low" setting, but I keep it on the low setting. I'm about 5'10" on a good day with a 30-31 inch inseam and can flat-foot with my boots on with no issue. There are plenty of aftermarket options out there to replace the stock piece, so shop around if you feel the need. Sargent and Corbin tend to be pretty popular. Less expensive options like a cover or one of those wooden bead things that I've seen cab drivers use on their seats are also out there. Choose what's most comfortable for you based on your body and budget. Simple enough advice to follow.

The instrument cluster, in my opinion, is perfectly fine. Some out there may find that the numbers on the speedometer are too small, but I personally don't have that problem. If it is for you, there is a way you can get it displayed digitally on the LCD portion of the cluster. I still use the windscreen adjuster nearly every day, so that doesn't get old. I'm still fairly surprised that BMW hasn't made it electronic yet though, but I do prefer the manual anyway. If the electronics were to break, it would suck to lose the ability to adjust the windscreen height. Cruise control is always lovely on longer trips and the "Shift Assist Pro" (SAP) still makes me giggle when I crack the throttle open. ESA is used on the daily as well.

Are the numbers on the analog speedometer too small for you? You can change the setting on the LCD dash to display it digitally. Or you can run a GPS app on your phone that has the speed overlaid on your screen like Waze.

Road Handling (on and off road)

The GS, as per its namesake (Gelande Strasse,) is meant to be capable on the street and the trail. You can't really get everything you want for both types of surfaces in one motorcycle. So let's be clear. The R1200GS is a street motorcycle that can be taken on the dirt. You can't really put percentages on something like that because people are going to build and adjust their bikes to suit what they want to do. As far as mine goes, I've leaned more towards the off-road segment even though I commute a lot. Others may want to make theirs more road oriented, which is just as easy to do given the multitude of aftermarket parts available.

A good set of tires can drastically improve your confidence in off road situations.

When sitting still, the GS is still quite a hoss, even with the center of gravity so low due to the boxer engine. Once the bike gets moving, it's surprisingly nimble. You think about where you want to go and it goes there. After a few miles on the street, even newer riders to big bikes could become comfortable. The turning radius, due to the incredibly wide angle from lock to lock, is amazingly small and allows for on the spot u-turns and ease of getting out of tight spaces. One may not think that is a big deal, but once you have it, you'll wonder how or why you got along without it. Power is easily manageable through all ride modes (Road, Rain, and Dynamic on mine) thanks to the ride-by-wire throttle. Road mode is my go-to for every day stuff. Dynamic is used whenever I'm in the mountains. Rain is used when it's raining. Shocker!

Enduro mode knocks the power back from 125 to 100 hp, allowing for more controlled power output when on the dirt. Occasionally, I will use Road or Dynamic in these situations, but it just leads to a lot of rear tire spinning, so I try to stick with Enduro most of the time. The foot pegs have removable rubber inserts to switch between street and dirt riding, but I do find them to be a bit narrow when standing up for a while. Traction control and ABS are easy enough to turn off with the press of a button (actually the holding of a button, but yeah.) Handling off road is good for its overall size and when you stand up it feels much narrower than it actually is. The 19 inch wheel up front works wonders with that, though I'm sure a 21 would be much more suitable. The tight turning radius also shines in off road situations as well. You don't have to pull an Austin Powers style back and forth bit when trying to turn around in tight trails. However, due to the overall weight of the GS, hitting some of the larger pits or divots in the road can be quite jarring and downright scary. Since I have cast wheels, that feeling is magnified due to the fear of cracking one. Also, if you hit anything loose like sand or mud, things can get interesting very quickly if you end up needing to stop. Remember; lift with your legs and not your back!

The GS has a plethora of aftermarket parts to create a motorcycle that suits whatever your needs may be.

Overall

The R1200GS is a great bike and there are many thousands of people who have bought and ridden one without issue. While that may be the case, there are just as many people that may have had a sour taste left in their mouth caused by GS ownership. I've seen some pretty scathing reviews that actually made me second guess my purchase when I was researching my warranty issues. That being said, I'm still pleased with my GS and it still does what a motorcycle is supposed to do when you ride it, which is make you happy. Would I call it the best adventure touring motorcycle out there? I don't know! With how many different adventure bikes there are out there and the varying degrees of rider capability, I personally don't think that any one bike can fit that bill perfectly. The GS might be more comfortable than the Africa Twin on long road trips, but the Twin has a 21 inch front wheel and is a little lighter, potentially making it superior off road. The KTM 1290 Super Adventure has more horsepower than most people have sense, but perhaps the v-twin engine orientation makes the center of gravity too high for some people, in turn making it difficult to handle? There are so many variables! The one-upsmanship of the manufacturers as of late have yielded some amazing and very capable motorcycles so there are many to choose from. Do your due diligence, research different models, and pick the one that suits you best. But the GS, in my opinion, is enough bike to keep people happy for many, many years.

Happy riding!

- To find more information on the R1200GS, click the hyperlink to visit BMW Motorrad's website.

- If you're looking to buy a GS or any other BMW model in the Jacksonville area take a look at BMW Motorcycles of Jacksonville.