The BMW GS, in any guise, has always been perceived as an old man’s bike. The world’s most popular ‘big’ bike leaves a nasty taste... Video: Old or New? 40 years of the BMW GS

The BMW GS, in any guise, has always been perceived as an old man’s bike. The world’s most popular ‘big’ bike leaves a nasty taste in the mouths of the sportsbike fraternity, like it left a big, stenchy turd under their pillow, or something far worse given the contempt. The GS has never been sexy and it hasn’t got 200bhp, but it’s proven to be the ultimate do-it-all utilitarian, function-over-fashion steed with unbelievable versatility.

And purely out of coincidence, BMW sent a press release – hours after we published this video – with details on how the GS and GS Adventure have once again topped the over 500cc sales charts in 2020 with over 1300 units of each model sold.

To celebrate the GS’s 40th birthday, we grabbed the latest R 1250 GS Adventure (complete with Suzuki V-Strom lookalike upgrades) and wheeled out Chris’s very own trusty 2014 R 1200 GSA – the first of the water-cooled models – which also happens to be half the price of the 2021 model. 

Inappropriate trackday coming soon…  

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[…] And what better bike to do that on than 2020’s bestselling ‘big bike’ (over 500cc), the GS A. By rights, I’m probably not old enough to own a GS of any description, but I actually don’t […]

Adam T
Adam T
2 years ago

Bring on the inappropriate trackday ! One of the best trackdays I ever did was at Knockhill in an old Volvo 740 estate .. yes really!

Richard Fleming
Richard Fleming
2 years ago

Can’t argue with that. Best bike ever.