It may feel like there’s a BMW GS model on every street corner these days, such is the sales domination the R1200GS model has had in markets such as the UK over the past decade and more.
It wasn’t always like this. When the first BMW R80 G/S model was first shown way back in 1980, the model was a pioneer as it attempted to blend on and off-road riding capability. Before this, of course, there had been bikes that could so one or the other very successfully, but not both to the same level.
The original R80 G/S actually came about because of tinkering by BMW staff and enduro rider Herbert Schek, and it wasn’t even an officially sanctioned idea at first. After some unexpected racing success in the German enduro championship it was decided by BMW bosses to put an R80 enduro bike into production.
Fairly hefty changes were made to the eventual production bike and it was considerably softened off for road users, but the overall concept remains. The bike was rapidly put into production and went from initial sign-off to production in just 21 months.
In 1980 the BMW R80 G/S was introduced to the press and within a year it was a massive success and this model alone accounted for 20% of total BMW sales.
What does G/S stand for?
When it first appeared, the R80 G/S was named as a shortened version of the German Gelände StraBe which means off-road/road in a literal translation.
In later years the slash between the G and the S was dropped and the model name evolved through R100GS to R1100GS, R1200GS and most recently R1250GS as engines expanded in capacity. BMW stated in 1987 that the S stood for Sport, and not Street or StraBe as it had previously been.
Timeline: history of the two cylinder BMW GS adventure bikes
BMW R80 G/S Monolever – 1980 to 1987
This is the original bike, which evolved gently but not much between launch in 1980 and the end of the model line in 1986. The 797cc air-cooled boxer twin engine is known as an ‘airhead’ as it was cooled not with any kind or radiator or oil-cooler but by air passing over the finned cylinder heads sticking out of each side of the bike. Power was just 50bhp and it was a simple bit of engineering; renowned for being reliable and easy to fix.
In 1984, following racing success by BMW in the Paris-Dakar Rally, the R80 G/S Paris-Dakar model was launched which featured a larger fuel tank similar to the racing bikes.
BMW R80 G/S Paralever and R100GS – 1987 to 1994
The original R80 G/S model was known for its single-sided Monolever swingarm, from 1987 this was replaced and upgraded with the Paralever double-sided swingarm and a larger-capacity R100GS was added to the range with a bigger 980cc engine. There were also R80 GS Basic and Kalahari models added to the range in 1996 and 1997 as special editions brought in as the R80 ended its long production run.
BMW R1100GS – 1994 to 1999
The introduction of the 1995 model year BMW R1100GS signalled a huge change for BMW and a move into a much more identifiably modern era of motorcycles, as the engine changed from air to oil-cooling. These ‘oilheads’ marked a new era for BMW and sales began a relentless climb across many regions across the world.
The 1994 BMW R1100GS remains a hugely-loved motorcycle by the GS fraternity – the four-valve cylinderhead design and overall simple, yet modern engineering design makes it highly regarded as a bike that can tackle long adventure rides around the world.
BMW R1150GS and R1150GS Adventure – 1999 to 2004
In 1999 the model was updated with a raft of new technology and a larger-capacity 1130cc boxer twin engine and, in 2001, the Adventure model was added alongside the standard model for the first time. The Adventure model gained a larger 33 litre fuel tank, updated suspension, offered the option of knobbly tyres for off-road riding as a factory option and lower gearing to suit lower speed off-road riding.
BMW R1200GS and R1200GS Adventure – 2004 to 2009
Engine capacity again rose, this time to 1170cc and power was raised to 96bhp but it was the large amount of weight that was shaved off the bike that made the biggest difference to the way the bike handled and performed.
This was the model that really started the ride in popularity of the adventure bike in general, and the GS in particular, coinciding with the ‘Long Way…’ adventure series featuring Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman. The duo had ridden R1150GS models in the first ‘Long Way Round’ series, and switched to the R1200GS for 2007’s ‘Long Way Down’.
With the loss of 20kg from the overall weight of the bike, this was the best-handling GS ever seen and sales just grew and grew. Technical changes included the addition of the CANBUS wiring system which reduced the overall amount of wiring on the bike and essentially linked many elements of the bike like ABS and traction control together.
Sales of the Adventure model were increasing in split share with the standard bike as more owners opted for the larger fuel tank and other modifications on the more hardcore model.
The Electronic Suspension Adjustment (ESA) was introduced in 2008 which allowed the adjustment of the suspension without the need for any manual adjustment at all. This could be tuned to suit pillion or luggage load.
BMW R1200GS – 2010 to 2012
There were performance enhancements added in 2010 with the introduction of a more powerful, 108bhp, four-valve, double overhead cam engine added to the range. This more powerful motor had first been seen in the performance BMW HP2 Sport model.
BMW R1200GS and GS Adventure – 2013 to 2019
The biggest change ever seen since the advent of the GS model range in 1980 was introduced in 2013 with the launch of the water-cooled R1200GS and a short while after, the Adventure model. The motor was completely re-engineered and power rose to 125bhp.
There was hardly a part left unchanged across the entire bike, it gained a new chassis, new styling, new technology and sales rocketed across the globe. Importantly in regards to sales, an adjustable and lower seat height (as well as the availability of a factory lowering kit) made the GS suitable to a much wider audience than previous models.
The ESA system was upgraded to Dynamic ESA which meant the rider could choose a suspension set-up for five different riding modes. The bike’s engine characteristics could be altered with the riding mode and there was also the integration of the BMW Navigator satnav system which could be worked via a roller wheel mounted on the handlebar.
Fuel economy was hugely improved and while tweaks were made in 2017 to the engine and gearbox in order for the bike to pass Euro4 emissions regulations, the next major change was in 2017 with the introduction of the full-colour TFT (Thin Film Transistor) dashboard.
In 2017, for the first time ever, the Adventure model outsold the standard bike in many markets as buyers opted for the physically bigger machine.
BMW R1250GS and GS Adventure – 2019 to current
The 2019 model year saw the introduction of a heavily-revised ShiftCam engine in the R1250GS which not only saw an increase in capacity to 1150cc but there was a significant lift in power to 136bhp thanks to variable valve timing (or ShiftCam as BMW call it).
The changes to the rest of the bike were fairly small in comparison to the engine changes – there were some technical changes to ABS and the TFT screen became a standard fit item across the range.
What about the other GS models?
There have been a good many other GS models along the way, R65G/S, F650GS, F750GS, F800GS, F850GS and G310GS to name a few but none of these smaller-capacity models have either inspired huge sales or the loyal fan base the larger models do.
The ‘F’ models all featured a single cylinder engine, rather than the ‘R’ models’ flat twin engines. The mix of single-cylinder and twin-cylinder engines, when combined with lower overall weight, reduced seat height and lower cost seen in these bikes make many of them hugely capable and more accessible to a wider audience. Although they were hugely capable (and even won the Dakar rally in 1999 and 2000) the smaller machines never really caught on in the same way and never quite reached the legendary status of the iconic twins.
