MRW Issue 33

NEWS DESK
There Are Now One Million
Boxer-Engined BMW GS
Motorcycles in the World
Exactly a century ago, in 1923, another
motorcycle maker officially became a
company: BMW Motorrad. Born in a
country known for its passion for motorized
vehicles, the brand is now the only German
bike maker that matters in this world.
Given how Motorrad is celebrating its
centenary this year, all eyes are on BMW
to see what else it is up to to mark the
occasion. And BMW seems eager not to
disappoint, as somehow it managed to
reach an important production milestone
right when it needed to.
Earlier this week, BMW Motorrad
announced the production of a BMW R
1250 GS in Triple Black Style. Rolling off
the production lines at the company’s
facility in Berlin-Spandau, this particular
bike will go down in history as the onemillionth
Bavarian two-wheeler of the GS
family to be powered by a boxer engine.
The GS breed was born in the 1980s as a
“new motorcycle genre of touring enduros.”
It all started with the R 80 G/S, and then
the breed quickly grew to become one of
the most successful models in its class,
or, as BMW itself says, “the most soughtafter
touring enduros in the world to this
day.” And this week’s achievement is an
important testimony to that.
The GS saga will continue, of course,
and at the end of September, while it still
has reason to celebrate its anniversary,
BMW will reveal the latest addition to the
family, the R 1300 GS. The Germans will
pair the unveiling with the opening of the
new BMW Motorrad Welt museum in the
country’s capital.
The opening takes place on September
28, during a special exclusive event, but
two days later the place will be open to all
visitors as well.
Before that happens though, the German
bike maker will be hosting the BMW
Motorrad Days in the Messe Berlin
Summer Garden. Scheduled to take place
on the weekend of July 7, it is a gathering
expected to draw in thousands of people.
Back to the BMW GS line, until the new R
1250 GS gets here customers still have a
wide choice of models to go for. Included
in the Adventure range the bike maker
is now selling, no less than eight models
(six for the American market) take center
stage, from the G 310 GS to the R 2150 GS
Adventure. Two special edition models, the
R 1250 GS Adventure - Edition 40 Years GS
and R 1250 GS - Edition 40 Years GS are
also on the table.