Dirt ad Trail Online Nov 2020

Cycle Technology ccT/A
EST. 1978
Adventure, Classic & Custom
Motorcycle & Accessory Specialists
Kurt Says: The new 1250 GS, the most
powerful GS so far, lots of fun to ride,
pretty much the same chassis, styling
and suspension as the 1200 GS, but a
very different motor. The 1250 accelerates
hard, is deceptively fast, you’d be
wise to keep an eye on that speedo, or
use the cruise control on the long road
to avoid speeding fines. The GS has the
best TFT dash I’ve seen, very clear matt
surface, very uncluttered and informative.
Our test bike had a quickshifter, up and
down, but it felt a bit vague, as did the
suspension, I am used to standard forks
and swingarm, I don’t get the suspension
feedback on a GS… Nevertheless, the
GS is very stable in all conditions, the
different suspension setup just takes getting
used to, and it works very well. The
left handlebar Sony Playstastion is very
busy, but very functional. Comfort and
wind protection is great, this is an all day
long distance tourer, as well as a very
competent dirt road adventure bike. The
GS was well worth the long wait before I
got the chance to enjoy it.
Donovan Says: We don’t need to write
anything about the GS because it’s a GS
– everyone knows it will most likely be
the motorcycle everyone buys regardless
of we write in this test.
Saying that, its major drawback might
just tempt those die-hard loyals to start
perusing the alternatives – in the region
of R300,000, it’s a massive chunk more
wallet relieving than anything else.
On the other hand, the 1250 version of
the GS has managed a new feat that has
until now alluded it: I like it.
By that, we don’t mean that the BMW
head honchos sat in board meetings in
Bavaria, racking their brains in an effort to
figure out how to impress some guy living
at the bottom of Africa. Rather, I am an
example of a chunk of the population that
never quite saw the allurement of the GS.
It had something missing – it didn’t
create a pantomime in which the rider
was a godly warrior battling all the world
can throw at it. Instead, this rider felt
like merely a tool for moving to different
places. A very good tool, but a tool nonetheless.
That’s where the 1250 is different. It will
move the rider as elegantly as before but
should the Spartan inside wishes to be
unleashed, a dab of throttle at any revs
will quickly disperse with any tedious
sanity plaguing your mind.
It can be a gentleman or a hooligan – the
choice is yours.
Debbie Says: My fourth ride for the day.
By now I am finding my derriere in the
saddle and really enjoying the change
of steeds. We did the same dirt road as
the KTM 1290. An extremely comfortable
bike, great to stand as well as to sit.
It handled the road very well. For me,
the difference between the 1290 KTM
and this Beemer on the dirt was that the
Beemer ‘floats’ on the dirt for lack of a
better expression. Her suspension is not
as forgiving as the KTM.
The heated grips work like a bomb!
(Glenns favourite trick!).
Kyle says: Hollee sh…t I love this bike.
Our editor has always raved about it and
I did not quite believe him until I tried it
for myself. That engine is just so good
for – well anything. Love it! What a great
improvement over the old GS. It’s like a
whole new motorcycle.
Glenn says: If you read my thoughts at
the press intro to these bikes a while ago,
you’ll know what I think. BMW suddenly
gave the GS lots of personality while
retaining its day to day ease of use and
all round practicality. This is, absolutely,
one of the very coolest adv offerings on
the market. Best of all– it’s just so much
fun to ride…
Sean says: Another bike that I blow hot
and cold on … or so I thought.
I am not a huge fan of the GSA version
purely because it is soooo big and quite
a handful for me, especially in very thick
sand.
The HP on the other hand is quite petite
by comparison. Like a cage fighter it has
plenty muscle and agility especially in
‘dynamic pro’ and ‘enduro pro’. We did a
couple of ‘3rd gear roll on’ dices against
some of the other 1200cc plus bikes and
completely destroyed them by a country
mile … well, most of them. The big boxer
HP has got some serious kick in the
pants but is still predicable and controllable
right through the rev range - but if you
aren’t careful you will get prison shower
eyes, especially when you forget about
the big speed bumps in “The Cradle”
while drag racing very motivated riders
on similarly matched bikes.
Fortunately, the BM’s suspension is really
good as are the brakes keeping a potentially
eina situation all nice and tidy which
only served to encourage the stupidity.
Our resident KTM fan chose this as his
overall favourite bike for the dayAnd that
says something. With the traction control
and ABS fully switched off it is a proper
hooligan bike, spending most of the day
on its back wheel or completely sideways
in the dirt, yet you can still switch on the
cruise control and aim south down the N1
towards Cape Town in absolute comfort
and then go mountain climbing with it.
THE ADVENTURE
& DIRTBIKE
SPECIALISTS
IN PRETORIA!
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