BMW R1200GS (2013 - 2016) Review

Steering is telepathic…. Brakes could stop a truck…

Wanted a two wheeled tractor… that’s what I got… not a whining screaming noise…. Just torque…

Need to keep on top of corrosion…

Fully loaded TE… within a week of purchase... decat, power plug and exhaust valve emulator…. Much more responsive and great sound from standard silencer… euro crap eliminated….

It’s ok, only, as previously stated I found my bike uncomfortable on anything but short rides.

Sounded like a tea tray of nuts and bolts, goes ok

From paint falling off engines and swinging arms for exhaust damper valves costing £1k, rear shocks £3.5k, don’t believe the marketing hype.

Value isn’t a word that sits easily with BMW

Heated grips, cruise control, sat nav, electronic suspension basically most of it is crap you don’t need or want the cost of fixing when it plays up.

Bike is very comfortable and l haven’t really suffered with fatigue issues.

Having previously owned a Bmw k1600 l do miss the sound, power and performance but not the weight. It’s all relative really though.How much power is enough power on these busy roads today

Bmw could as standard put extended mudguards as most owners seem to do this

Not serviced bike yet

Gear shift pro option .Didn’t realise what a difference it would make but it’s a great advancement and makes riding far more intuitive once you get used to it. Negatives side stand has to be extended and the same with the mudguards

Ride quality is superb, everything effortless. ABS and traction control brilliant, cruise control excellent at all speeds. Comfortable saddle with good ergonomic adjustment. I am 6 foot 5 and can ride for 2 hours easily with no aches and pains. Gear box is clunky low down but positive, you certainly know you're in gear. Clutch control is easy and gear change assist is far more effective in 3rd and above where flicking up and down the gears is very intuitive. Rear brake is a little on the weak side but front is excellent.

Smooth, predictable, powerful across the revs, loads of torque and easy to control. Lacks the character (and vibraton) of other bikes but that is no bad thing.

Easy to find a good example as there are so many out there and build quality is excellent. No problems at all in the first 6 months of ownership. Local independent garage happy to do all work and service a lot of them, won't be going to BMW for servicing.

Had a full service from the dealer so not serviced by myself yet.

So much kit but to be honest now I don't think I would have a bike without most of it. Heated grips superb, cruise control ABS and traction control all excellent as mentioned. Gearshift assist, electronic suspension, keyless ignition etc. It all just works. Speedo is the one let down of the display, takes some real getting used to and is verging on a distraction when checking your speed low down.

It’s a great all rounder, I normally do about 100 motorway miles before I need a break

I love the GS engine it’s my fourth GS and I wouldn’t upgrade to the 1250 for 50cc more and pay another 10k for the pleasure.

It’s what you would expect from a Beemer

It what I would expect to pay a year

I love Cruise control because of my carpel tunnel in my right hand and couldn’t ride otherwise. And also the Satnav

The ESA suspension gives enough variety of settings to cope with been fully loaded or being on the track

In 6 years & 60k+ miles In my hands it’s never let us down. A speedo replacement Has been the only Technical issue in a total of 71k miles

Average very easy to maintain at home.

I can probably do about 2 hours without a break about 100 miles or so.

Always starts first time I have had no problems engine wise with any of my GS’s

I have had no problems with any of my Bikes.

Not cheap but I have had no problem with Wollastons in Northampton.

I have cruise control on mine and as I have Carpel tunnel it means I can keep up with the traffic while the blood comes back into my hand.

Engine pulls in any gear and is robust.

Electronic suspension failed just after 2 year warranty. Exhaust manifold flap stuck open.

Equipment range is excellent

About 2 hours

Very reliable boxer engine

No corrosion and nothing broken 👍

Cruise Control is the Best. As I have Carpel Tunnel in my right hand I would have to stop very often to get the blood back in my hands if i didn’t have it on my bike.

The way it rides is absolutely flawless. You want to ride in comfort or have a spirited one, just flick a switch, it will not let you down. It can pull in any gear and above 2500rpm it just goes. It's nimble and easy to control, I commute in London and I have only a top box, it's absolutely brilliant if you want to move around fast. For me it doesn't seem heavy or big, obviously you can't squeeze like you would do with other bike, but if you have the space, it's as easy as an 125 to ride.

The engine is lovely, sounds great in my opinion and it just pulls in any gear (that's when it doesn't have a major failure).

A major engine failure is not a small issue. To replace everything after 28k miles I think is a bit scary. I don't want to know what would have happened if I was out of warranty. Rear brake pads have to be replaced every 6k miles, which I think it's a bit of a problem. It will go soon for a 600 miles inspection on the new engine and I hope they sort the brakes as well. The bike feels solid, no rust or signs of wear yet even though I am riding all year round(around 15k miles a year), but I do take care of it, ACF50 being my best mate every few months.

When I bought the bike, it had new rear brake pads and tyre fitted. After 6k miles, same story, but now I have the front tyre and pads to change as well next week, an additional £300-400. It is not a cheap bike to service and you need to make sure you do it properly not to lose the warranty.

Heated grips are not hot enough, the back wheel needs a proper mudguard to protect the back of your legs, clunky gearbox (the one before the engine was replaced, the newer one is much better) and sticky buttons. Apart from that, it's hard to find more significant faults.

Improvement in suspension and braking compare to earlier model

Smoothest + torquey 1200 boxer engine in 2018

Build quality not up to expectation

1 keyless control device + 1 spare key only

The ride is awesome, very confortable. The dynamic ESA does a wonderful job setting the bike at every meter. My pregnant wife loves when I take her on afternoon rides. (Yes, the bike can be that soft to ride when it is set on "Road" mode.

Lets be honest! 125HP is more than enough and the boxer engine has more than enough torque to pull incredibly hard in any gear! I have been amazed of how hard it pulls in 5th and even 6th! You barely have to go to lower gears to pass other vehicles... Still as the usual transition goes from Superbikes to Adventure Bikes, I kind of miss the brutal power of my ZX10R (about 180HP to the wheel). Given that other Adventure Bikes are going over or around 150HP. It wouldnt hurt for BMW to update the power of their engines... Not that the bike needs it but it is just freaking cool to open the gas and feel it once in a while... For the price you are paying for the bike, it should have it!

Everything about the bike is very expensive. I would say: "Almost Aerospace grade" expensive.

This comes with more toys you can even play with!!

Does a lot better on fuel than the air cooled one mine is doing around 60mpg it is a lot smoother and gearchange is improved on the 2016 version.Just completed a round trip to Austria/ Croatia/ Italy 3,600 miles .The hill start assist is great when you are fully loaded. Cruise control brilliant on long journeys or speed limits.

first service

Stops as good as any sports bike which considering the weight when fully laden is top marks. Wet stability gives confidence in any conditions.

Smooth power deliver through the rev range and more tractable than previous models - high frequency vibration through the bars which is cured with 'grip puppies' - does feel as though there should be another gear?

2nd year service jumps up to circa £300 but includes brake fluid change.

Choice of riding modes to suit all conditions and loading. Gear Shift Pro is great going up the box but lumpy on down shifts. Keyless Go useful once used to it but don't start up on the drive and leave the fob/spare on the hall table - could be embarrassing! Nav V is a great add on.

let down by driveshaft failure at 21k, water ingress into drive shaft resulting in need of drive shaft replacement. Never been off road, used jetwash or been in deep water. Bike was 6 months out of warranty, BMW would not replace under goodwill. Message in short was that as I did not take extended warranty this was my fault. Very disappointing attitude from both dealer and BMW!

12 k yearly = 2 services a year

Good choice are spoke wheels.

Generally, quality is high and gave a blast either touring or commuting, touring or scratching. Shame it looks as though BMW are stopping the paralever as best suspension set up.

throaty, meaty, plenty of torque and overtakes in top if necessary. a very forgiving bike for new riders or old hands alike.

On a tour to Ireland (smooth roads!): barrel lock for GPS completely fell out somewhere, and 3 of the five screen retaining bolts simply disappeared. Upon return to UK, numerous electrical battery fault problems leading to flat battery weekly. Dealer said unusual but no fault could be found - I must have bought the lemon. A very expensive lemon.

600 miles initially then yearly. average cost for Beemers.

Came fully loaded, as you would expect for the price. The vario panniers are probably the best I've ever encountered, allowing a slim profile without having to take them off when running empty but with loads of storage space when required. No problems in downpours either, at least mine seemed fully waterproof. The LED lights on the TE are probably the best lights I've used, give massive presence to other users and lit Ireland back country roads in the sticks up like a lighthouse. Shame they aren't being used by every other manufacturer.

I've been riding for a long time and had many different bikes but the way this thing handles and stops is very impressive. Took out the wife's MT07 and that was harder to stop.

Sounds gorgeous on its standard exhaust. Decent spread of power and the rider modes just adds to the fun factor.

electric fault with fog light but replaced by BMW FOC. Slight misting on computer panel. Centre stand seems to be taking a beating from the rear wheel chucking crud at it.

50ish mpg, better if you can lay off the throttle but that 1200 is very addictive.

I've got the TE version so it's only missing the kitchen sink. Tyres can be noisy but ear plugs soon stops that. At 6'3" I needed a taller screen but thats just my fault.

Suspension amazing, totally reassuring, never feels out of sorts, I mean never.

The engine is mostly great. It does drop in a hole at just after 5k rpm when you just whack the throttle open. If you are progressive it is just fine. I had an HP2 Sport and this is a much better engine. It is quick, not like a super bike, but quick all the same up to around 130mph which suits me just fine

The bike is designed and manufactured to a level of what you would expect of a technically advanced luxury product. Everything feels lovely about this bike.

The hourly labour rate is huge and makes the cost of getting anything done a daunting task. You can get great non BMW services at £50 per hour

This bike has everything you could imagine and it all works

The test ride sold it to me... Enough to said!

But lumpy in fist two gears at low revs.

One year of ownership no issues thus far.

Expensive to service.

Swiss Army knife of bikes

I accidentally ran over some road cones at 40mph and the bike wasn't phased at all, just ploughed straight through. Brakes work well in combination with my Anakee3 tyres

I like the engines character. Plenty of torque and acceleration and quicker than most things on the road. The gear range is good for spirited or leisurely riding and the engine modes add interest when you feel bored

Although the bike is still fairly new I really can't fault reliability. I've commuted, toured, ridden in all weather (after all this is meant to be an adventure bike not a fair weather tart) and never been let down apart from the odd puncture.

If you are buying a GS then you can expect to pay premium rates for extras and gadgets

Can't really fault the options here. Some people don't like the switchgear - personally I think they are being fussy. The Nav5 is good but is it really worth £600+? I bought mine for less on eBay. I recommend the Vario panniers and top box.

Boxer cylinders sticks out which is not great aesthetics (in my view). Very good performance except in slow traffic

Very good when everything is in place (at a cost)

Unbeatable

The beating heart!

Much improved over the 2013 model I had before. That had lots of warranty work, but this one is perfect!

Lots of outlay, but this baby does it all

Quick shift pro and Akropovic

Needed back pads after 5000miles, that was a joke. made from chocolate?! However in fairness to BMW they did not charge anywhere near the price they would normally do for such a change. But as to actual brakes in action, very good.

Happy in the 4-5000 rpm for reasonable pace, run up into red and yahoo.

Usual BMW service requirements, part of the ownership when you buy one, but I think helps keep re-sale value. Long term mpg 52mpg, can get down to 38-40 but if I want to just go canny (well did it once) gets 65mpg and the a tank range of about 260 on vapours!

It needs a proper mud guard arrangement, the mod everyone does is get a "mudsling". This should be std on a £14k bike. By far the muckiest bike in wet conditions.

Where my old GS felt remote and un-involving, the new one is an absolute hoot. I rode in torrential rain yesterday for 65 miles and the GS felt assured and fixed to the road. The rain 'mode' takes enough power out to smooth the power delivery without it feeling strangled. With the other two modes I can't really tell any difference. Gear shift pro is a revelation. I wondered what on earth it was for, having been riding and using a clutch for 30 years, but it makes gear changes up the box so much smoother. A bit clunky coming down, but now I am getting used to it I am getting smoother down changes as well. Much like the iPad, now I have it it don't want to be without it. Brakes are excellent, progressive with great feel and abs gives plenty of confidence.

More power and significantly better delivery. Water cooling has made a huge difference to the boxer engine. Very good at low speeds, especially good power delivery for slow filtering on the M25, which unfortunately is where mine will do much of its work. As I said above, I can't tell much difference between road an dynamic modes, but rain seems very good.

It has a real feel of quality about it. I have done 1300 miles in four weeks and everything feels and looks good. The improvements over the last model are many, but the sum mean a massive improvement. My 2011 GS had a gear box rejected by Massey Ferguson for being too clunky, and had a major oil leak at the first service meaning I lost the bike for a week. No such problems on the new bike. Too early to talk about reliability just yet.

BMW's are never going to be cheap and I have every bell and whistle. Managed to get the luggage thrown in for free, and the brilliant Navigator VI came free anyway. While you get what you pay for, there is no way you could call a new GS a bargain.

Expensive as they are, BMW's now provide a lot of kit. Keyless ignition, gearshift pro, semi-active suspension, 4 engine modes, countless suspension settings, a brilliant sat nav operated from the handlebar, heated grips, waterproof luggage (thoroughly tested yesterday), and an operating process that helps keep attention on the road and not on the buttons. BMW have raised the game.

Easiest handling BMW I have had in 40 years - great brakes and great comfort

Far more useful (everyday) than previous K1600 or Honda 1000

BMW "Wheel" control (computer) linkage system not operating BMW Sat Nav system.

ASC Pro gives great reassurance and handling is really sharp for an Enduro styled machine. Expanding top box / panniers are excellent ... Although NOT cheap

Excellent brakes especially two up with a articulated lorry running a red light!

2014 has lighter flywheel so engine spins up quickly for a big twin. Has power and torque in abundance. Annoying engine vibrations around 5000 rpm will give you a good massage.

Good overall build quality will last if properly prepared and ACF coated for winter. Main stand corrosion though

6000 mile service £220.00, 12000 mile service £280, PR4 Michelin tyre set £195 with offer, running costs on power with large capacity machines; fuel economy 57mpg average

TE version is fully loaded with auto suspension,driving modes, pressure monitor, heated grips, etc. Optional Crash bars are a must to protect cylinder heads. Bike is factory lowered so suits a 29 inch inside leg and the vertically challenged. Optional BMW Sat nav is fully integrated with instruments and provides clear information. Optional Vario panniers and top box make the GS a great tourer.