BMW R1200 GS

First ride. Sunset on the 342 just west of Hudson, QC.

In one week, I bought a bike, sold a bike, and retired from teaching. Yes, there’s a relationship between those events.

At 59, I crunched the numbers and came up with three scenarios: retirement at 61, at 63, and at 65. Because I’m Canadian, I went for the compromise. Here it is, 4 years on, and I’ve taught my last class, graded my last essay, attended my last department meeting. The occasion called for something special: a new bike. No wait, two new bikes.

The original prize was going to be a Honda CRF300 Rally for playing on the trails. But as I was researching that purchase over the long winter months of the off season, I found myself more often drawn to Facebook Marketplace listings for a big GS. I watched buyer’s guides on YouTube, read about the different generations, models, years. I listened to the BMW Motorrad podcast Ride and Talk, and spent a lot of time at the BMW section of the Motoshow. It was clear that in many ways I was more excited about upgrading my touring bike than getting the little dirt bike.

I guess that is to be expected. My retirement plans focus on places I want to tour. In my final semester, I had 15 little labels on my office desk, each with a destination, and took one home at the end of each week as I counted down to retirement. I would need a big Kilometre Cruncher to get all across North America, something bigger and more comfortable than the Tiger, and I knew the BMW 1200 GS was the best bike within my budget for that.

I was leaning toward the 2013-17 water-cooled models. They had a little more power than the earlier oil/air-cooled models, a wet clutch that is easily accessible, rider modes, cruise control, and a smooth gearbox. Then my buddy Riley started singing the praises of the old oil-cooled models. He had an 1150 years ago so was familiar with those engines. No radiator, no water pump, no gaskets, no thermostat, he said, and lighter and generally more reliable. AI suggested that the water-cooled models were sportier but the oil-cooled ones were more reliable. And without all the electronics, the oil-cooled engine was easier to work on for the home mechanic like me and for trailside repairs.

There are pros and cons to both, and all GS’s are good, but in the end I followed my gut, which was telling me I’m an old tech type of guy. The original 650 Thumper had no rider aids, not even ABS, and while the Tiger at least had ABS and a fuel gauge, it also didn’t have modes or cruise control. I think the only essential rider aid is good ABS for those panic situations. Some form of traction control is also useful in rainy conditions. The 2010-12 GS was now my target, when the old R25 engine was at the very end of its run and all the kinks had been worked out.

In the end I followed my gut, which was telling me I’m an old tech type of guy.

By now, Riley had become my unofficial (or at least unpaid) consultant. He said he likes spending other people’s money. He was sending me listings and accompanying me to look at bikes. He found a white 2012 with low mileage and under $10G. I got excited and we went to look at it but that bike had too much history. It had developed a rattle and the dealer said the engine was finished so the first owner (or was it the second?) bought an engine off eBay and installed it himself. I don’t think anyone knew what the actual mileage on the bike was. So I backed out of that. (It turned out that the original engine had only something minor wrong!)

As we sat on my porch drinking beer, Riley mentioned a late friend’s bike. The first owner sadly had passed away about two years ago and he didn’t know what had happened to his bike, which was a shame because it was apparently a really nice low-mileage bike. After he left, I naturally opened Marketplace and looked at the GSs. There was a low mileage triple black at a good price so I left a message. A few days later, Riley and I were on our way to see it.

As we turned onto the street of the address, Riley said he knew someone who lives here, and as we pulled in front of the house, he recognized it and the bike sitting in the garage. It was his late friend’s bike! It was one of those coincidences that seem like it was meant to be. And from a practical point of view, it meant I knew the history of the bike. It had always been serviced by the dealer, never ridden off road, and ridden conservatively. Buying it was a no-brainer.

So let me introduce to you the bike that will take Marilyn and me across North America over the next 10-15 years, God willing, and maybe some of Europe too.

She’s a beauty. The Triple Black came with optional cross-spoke wheels.

The bike has 35K on it, exactly the same mileage as the 650 when I bought it. These bikes apparently aren’t broken in until that mileage, so there’s plenty of life left in it. In fact, many of these engines last well over 200,000 kilometres if taken care of with regular oil changes.

I don’t know what the options were for this particular model, but the bike has ESA (Electronic Suspension Adjustment) and ASC (Automatic Stability Control, or BMW’s early version of traction control). It has heated handgrips, a must in my opinion for touring in Canada and at elevations. I think those things are standard.

It was one of those coincidences that seem like it was meant to be.

I like most of the modifications the first owner has made to the bike. Since it doesn’t have cruise control, he has added an Atlas Throttle Lock and a Throttle Rocker. That might seem like overkill but I like both. There are times when I just use the rocker, and on the open highway, times when I use the throttle lock. I had an Atlas on the Tiger and they are great. He’s also added Grip Puppies to reduce vibrations in the hands.

In lieu of cruise control, for crunching the miles.

You can see in this photo a mount for a GPS. The bike came with a Tom Tom unit, and while I’ve gotten used to touring with my phone, I’m going to try the GPS for now. I like that it’s waterproof and heat and vibration resistant. It also works of course by satellite and not cellular service, which will be handy when touring out of country. On the other handlebar, he’s added a double USB port instead of the standard aux port. There is an aux port, however, under the seat near the back, so with an adapter Marilyn will be able to plug in to charge her phone or use heated gear.

He’s added a Mudsling rear suspension guard to protect the rear shock, and at the front, PIAA auxiliary lighting with a separate switch on the left handguard. I’m pretty partial to my Cyclops Aurora lights, so will probably swap them in as my aux lighting. I like how visible the amber halo makes me when riding around town, and I like the 4000 lumens they provide when I hit my high beams.

The bike has a Canbus electrical system, so I was preparing to install a CANsmart Controller to do that, but then I lifted the seat to find this.

Nice! The Denali Powerhub 2 Distribution Module works with a CANbus system, making the install of the Auroras a lot easier. There are six circuits and only three are currently used (presumably one for the PIAA lights) and all six circuits can be either switched or non-switched power. I had the Centech AP-2 Aux Fuse Panel briefly on the Tiger but this is clearly a superior system.

I’m not really a top box guy so will probably eventually take off the GIVI box, but I have to admit, it sure is handy around town. I’m enjoying it for now but have bought an SW-Motech Alu-Rack and Quick-Lock Luggage Rack for touring. The Alu-Rack is a durable, secure base for a small tail bag when I’m not touring, and the Quick-Lock Luggage Rack can quickly be added over and will provide a larger platform for a duffle bag.

Last but certainly not least, he’s added excellent protection for the engine with Hepco-Becker bars and head covers from Machineart Moto. No need for big bars going halfway up the faring; these are all you need with the boxer engines.

I love everything about this bike. I love that it’s black—triple black, to be specific. All my bikes have been black, even my bicycles growing up. I used to buy bicycles at the police auctions, strip them down, paint them black, then reassemble them with new grease. When I bought a new bicycle from Canadian Tire in my early 20s, it was burgundy, so naturally I had to do the same. I don’t know why because blue is my favourite colour, but my bikes are always black. It just wouldn’t have felt right having a white bike.

I love everything about this bike.

I love that it starts on half a crank and twitches when you twist the throttle. I love that it shakes a little at idle and at low revs. And I love the baffle that BMW added on the 2010-12 years, giving it a real throaty exhaust note. It’s a far cry from the silky smooth Triumph triple and reminds me of the original thumper but without the buzziness at highway speeds.

BMW added an electronically controlled exhaust flap (flapper valve) on the 2010 model to control noise while keeping a throaty exhaust note.

Given the context, I can’t help think of the original owner when I swing my leg over the bike. In some way, it feels like I’ll be riding the adventures he should have had in his retirement but for some rotten luck. I don’t know what he would think, and I obviously can’t speak for him, but I like to think that part of him would be happy that his bike will be used for its original intent.

We must count our blessings and appreciate what each new day brings. That may sound like a platitude, but as I age, I recognize the wisdom of it more and more.

This year, my wish list is very short.

Once, while watching a VRRA race, I saw a guy pat his bike just after he crossed the finish line. It was a real nail-biter and he managed to squeak out the win in the last few meters of the race. I noticed the gesture—a double pat on the side of the fuel tank—because I sometimes do this to my bike, but privately, usually as we either head out on or return from a long adventure. It’s a gesture of kinship, or thanks. I guess I feel silly doing it, but at least now I know I’m not alone.

The pat is silly because, of course, machines don’t have feelings. Perhaps the gesture is only an acknowledgment of our own. If you work on your bike, and especially if it takes you on some adventures, you develop a bond, dare I say an intimacy, with the bike. You trust it with your life and return the favour of that loyalty by keeping it well maintained. And sometimes, I will publicly admit, I even talk to my bike, promising from inside my helmet some much needed maintenance as we cover the last few kilometres of a long tour. No wonder my wife sometimes feels second-best.

I mention all this because, yesterday, while browsing Facebook marketplace listings, I came across my old, first bike, the original Beemer after which this blog is named, the one that took me across Canada and up to the Arctic Circle and Marilyn and me over The Rockies. I put 100,000 kilometres on that bike and did all the maintenance myself, and now here it was, sitting in a stranger’s driveway.

The original 650 Thumper. photo credit://Alain Thibault

I always wondered what had happened to it. Last I heard, the woman I sold it to didn’t keep it for long but sold it, I was told, to trade up to a bigger GS. Her loss, I thought, since she was a learner and it’s a perfect learner bike and more. Now that new owner is selling it, and for a moment I actually considered buying it back. But I’ve got other plans.

Next spring I’ll be buying a new bike, or new to me. I’m looking at the Honda CRF 300 Rally.

I’ve always wanted a little trail bike. As good as the 650 was as a starter bike, there really is some truth to the adage that you should start small. It’s a lot easier to develop off-road skills on a little dirt bike than on a big adventure bike, a point on which Clinton Smout has founded his SMART riding school and which Adam Reimann argues in a recent video.

The polemical Adam Reimann.

I will also throw some rackless saddlebags on it and use it as a light adventure tourer. I’ve already bought the Enduristan Monsoon 3’s in a Black Friday sale at Dual Sport Plus; now I just need the bike.

I know what’s coming, so let’s just get this out of the way early. Why doesn’t everyone who is reading this leave the comment, “That’s the same bike Itchy Boots used,” and I will henceforth become inert to the remark. But seriously, I’d rather you weigh in on another decision I’m making.

I’ve also decided to sell the Tiger and get an even better long distance touring bike, and yes, it will be a big GS because that’s the law. If you’re over 60 and into adventure street touring, you must get a big boxer. I’ve never owned a big GS but I rode one in a demo ride at La Classique a few years ago and was immediately hooked. If you don’t understand, you clearly haven’t ridden one.

But joking aside, hear me out. I’ve been trying to do it all—trail riding and touring—with a middle-weight bike, but that inevitably involves compromise both in the dirt and on the street. With retirement approaching fast, I think I’m ready for two bikes. The Tiger is a really fun bike, but it’s still a big bike for technical riding and a little small for long-distance touring. The GS carries its weight so low you can turn it on a dime, and where the 800 triple is straining a bit 2-up at 120 km/hr (70 mph), the 1200 GS is cruising in its element. There’s good reason that the GS is the best-selling adventure bike of all time.

I’ve considered getting a dedicated touring bike like a Gold Wing but wouldn’t want to go up The Dempster on one of those. I’ve also considered a sport touring bike like the discontinued Yamaha FJR but want the option of top-loading panniers for my camping gear. No, I knew a 1200GS was somewhere in my future; I just didn’t realize it would be this soon.

Why a 1200 and not a 1250 or even 1300? Mostly due to budget, but there are benefits to going with an older bike too. I like to work on my own bikes, so the simpler the better, without a lot of electronics, and there are literally thousands of old 1200 GS’s out there, so lots of choice. Ah, there’s the rub: I have choice paralysis.

What is the best era of the 1200? The simple, reliable, and relatively lightweight 04-12 1st Gen oil/air-cooled models; 2nd Gen 13-16 water-cooled models with more power and a wet clutch, electronic suspension, quickshifter, and rider modes with cruise control; or 3rd Gen 17-18 models with TFT display, dynamic (i.e. self-levelling) electronic suspension, cornering ABS, and finally a smooth transmission? There are incremental updates in each generation too so the decision gets complicated fast. Please let me know if you have a preferred year and why. I’ve got all winter and probably most of next season to decide, but I’m researching and narrowing down my decision now. I think I’ll probably go GS Adventure for the extra range and better wind protection if I can get my old Touratech panniers to go on it. (Do all GSA’s have the bent luggage rack on the muffler side?)

As for the Tiger, it’s been a really fun, sporty, adventure bike, and I will be sad to see it go, as I was when I sold the Beemer. We’ve had some good adventures together, and I’ll give it a few pats and parting words before the new owner rides it away. The only consolation for such loss is the promise of new adventures on new bikes. As Galway Kinnell writes of separation, “the need / for the new love is faithfulness to the old” (“Wait” 14-15).

650thumper

Life is an Adventure

Back to BMW

In one week, I bought a bike, sold a bike, and retired from teaching. Yes, there’s a relationship between those events.

The Wish List, 2025

This year, my wish list is very short.