Has the King lost his crown? As predator adventure motorcycle brands bite at the heels of BMW’s 35-year-old adventure bike series, will the company have to stand aside to allow newer, savvier brands into the number one spot. Has the momentum triggered by the Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman combo finally lost its thrust?
These sentiments seem to get rolled out following the announcement of any new kid (or even old kid) on the block and can oft be found in many of the regular motorcycle press offerings. The fast moving Austrians continue to expand (some say confuse) their KTM adventure bike range, while Ducati, Triumph, Honda et al, all have highly credible alternative overland bikes ready to de-throne BMW’s GS.
So do these headline stealing one-liners hold an element of truth? After all, when all’s said and done, the BMW’s “boxer” engine is pretty long in the tooth. Its basic design harks back to the 1920’s. Add to this the occasional critical comment, “too heavy”, “too big”, “too hyped”—and perhaps we are witnessing an overdue change to the leader board? A position BMW have held, many would argue, since the launch of the BMW R80 G/S over thirty-five years ago.
But hey, let’s just fix that stuck record, let’s wind back that brass neck, take in a little history and more importantly examine todays new R1200 GS Rallye, out in a shop near you come March 2017.
