BMW R1150 GS – An afternoon with the Angry Platypus
Written by Neil Johnston
Tuesday, 14 October 2003
I'm going to tell you a secret. I rode this bike earlier this year (2003) for
the BMW test ride days, and I liked it –a lot. I know the cartoon character
headlights with one eye wide and the other squinted, beak front fender, and
gangly enduro styling give the bike an ungainly and odd appearance – fans call
it unconventional. Adding to that the fact that the GS is really big (at 536
pounds) and really high (easily accommodating a 31 inch inseam), and the bike
seems vaguely menacing. But, this bike doesn’t intimidate. Why? Because it’s
quirky and fun. This is what a fun German exotic looks like.
When the owner of CliXX Motosport offered me up the use of his R1150GS for a
weekend I pretty much jumped at the chance. The bike is tricked out a bit more
than the standard GS with a Remus pipe and a few other mods to take advantage of
it. So this GS sounds, well, angry, really angry; it gets a lot of attention in
traffic and probably develops a bit more than the standard 85hp. With its
duckbill and angry pipe we’d shortly dubbed it “the Angry Platypus”.
Despite the trail bike styling, this is a great road bike. The comfortable
upright seating position gives you a commanding view. There is something
amazingly empowering about lording over the traffic at SUV driver eye level. The
suspension doesn’t just travel, it tours up and down soaking up even the worst
bits of road noise, potholes, frost heaves and other bike-upsetting curiosities.
For a large portion of the ride I reveled in taking on such obstacles to see if
I could even vaguely unsettle this bike. I was not successful. The Angry
Platypus simply eats it up, and does so comfortably.
So, blasting along the Upper Levels Highway sitting bolt upright you quickly
realize that this bike is a mixed bag. If you want to revel in top end speeds,
move onto another choice. I only got the bike up to 160kph in a series of quick
clutch-less up-shifts through the smooth transmission, but suspect that 180 kph
this bike is pretty much giving it all it’s got. But if you want to comfortably
cruise at 120-130 all day it’s great! The R engine develops it’s power at around
3000 rpm and pulls to 6500 or so, and with a red line at 7000 you are relying on
the engine’s torque to get you where you’re going. You’re also relying on the
torque for a smooth ride.
Anyone who’s ridden an R engine equipped bike knows they have a character to
them. The horizontally opposed twin becomes smooth in the 4000-5500 range, and
outside of that it shakes. At a standstill a crank of the throttle will pull the
bike to one side, an effect of the inertia of those horizontal cylinders being
inline with the bike. It’s not that noticeable once in motion, but the twin vibe
remains and is transmitted to the wide elk-horn bars.
A minor change of riding style and the vibe isn’t an issue. The relaxed seating
means you don’t have to rest your weight on the grips, saving you any wrist ache
from the vibes. The other key is to remember that the R1150GS’s engine has
tractor-like torque, so to kill the vibe just up-shift a gear and you’re left
with a gentle thrum of the engine. Until you crank on it and unleash the Angry
Platypus!
The grip heaters, power port for electrics, hand guards and narrow windscreen do
an great job of civilizing the beast’s anger and keeping you comfortable and
warm – while adding to the eccentric look of the bike. The windscreen is
especially well thought out, for a narrow piece of plastic it does its job by
creating a high but narrow flow of air that even kept quiet the World’s Loudest
Helmet. The protection is narrow, so hanging off puts you right in the air flow,
luckily this is not a bike you have to move around on much anyway, so you stick
to its protective bubble. Enough about cruising because the brilliant fun on the
R1150GS is in terrorizing the traffic in the twists.
This bike handles it ways nothing two stories high has a right to. One of the
reasons I had to try the bike was I watched several R1150GSs at a BMW track day
and if taking a corner standing up nearly scraping a cylinder head while waving
strikes you as fun then these things are a laugh riot. In the twisties this bike
performs freakishly well, and it’s almost all counter-steer.
Just push on the elk-horns and lean, lean, then lean some more, and just when
you think you shouldn’t go further do. Then do it all over in the other
direction. And it’s all about counter steer! This makes it one of the most
relaxing bikes to take through tight twisties that I have ever ridden – stay put
in the comfy seat and push. Heck, while you’re at it remember to wave as you
take an inside line past a sport bike or two… not that you would, that would be
rude, but you honestly could.
You will also find yourself doing really silly things in parking lots, mostly
circles and figure eights in spaces that would make your MSF instructors weep in
joy. The bike plays well at slow speeds and even parking lots become a source of
entertainment.
Well low speeds on the pavement anyway. The R1150GS didn’t serve us so well in
slick mud off-road. But then we aren’t experienced off-roaders, so we’ll pass on
judging its trail abilities.
The R1150GS may not be the best high-speed highway hauler, but it more than
makes up for it in other departments. On the periodically rough roads of BC or
constantly twisty canyons of California this bike in real world conditions would
outperform many others on the road. That or one could just tour Africa… it’s
almost a trailly.
NOTE: Some of the photos on
Motorcycle Specs are owned by somebody. If you see any of your
photos, you can let me know so that I can acknowledge it, or if
you object to it, I can remove it altogether. If any copyright
holder objects to their articles being placed on Motorcycle
Specs, it will be removed upon request. Any correction or more
info on these bikes will kindly beappreciated
Contact MePrivacy
Policy
Website Stats
