Majority of 1250 adventure riders will never ride in such terrains, unless they have no choice and are with a few other riders to help pickup such a bike on loose muddy trail. I bought a 1250 knowing I need to ride dirt roads to my campsite, but none of the fire roads I have taken on my GSA were this beaten up.
Ditto on that I have a 2016 GS but could not imagine it is capable of what you demonstrate you have set the bar high for us to aspire to your level of skill
impressive riding skills! and I'm happy to see someone who is not afraid of really using their brand new GS!!! This could have been a part of a BMW commercial!
Great to see a video on the real abilities and limitations of these bikes. I've dropped my XT1200 Super Tenere on wet muddy ground twice due to the front wheel losing traction due to the colossal weight and it wasn't fun!
I love my 250 2-stroke Kawasaki enduro. Fast enough on the highway, powerful and light on off road. I also have a GSA for 90% highway 10% off road use. Different strokes, for sure!
Thanks for the video. Both wipe outs were not the bikes fault. The GS is way more capable and can be ridden just as quickly as the 790. I haven’t ridden the 1250 but from what I understand it rides even better than the 1200. Suspension is always soft on GS because most riders doing real technical stuff are not choosing a GS. Have fun and stay safe. That thing is a beast and will kick you off from time to time if she is in traction off in, specially in Dynamic mode.
Very informative as always. On a real travel, days will look twice longer with the GS than with the 790 or T7 on off road-parts. Thank you, and try to go with a friend on such tests... It's not safe alone.
scha0306 Thanks! To each their own apparently 😊. I’m just used to that sand. That’s the ultimate challenge we have here: sand and mud. What impresses me is seeing guys hammering their bikes through rocky terrain where any crash can lead to serious injuries. We don’t have much rocky trails here.
Deep, sandy soil like that is difficult to ride in. Even in the flats, especially up and down hills. The roads you were on would have been tricky even in my XR650L. You sir are a very good rider.
I agree with your conclusion regarding the suspension modes with my 2018 R1200GS. Enduro PRO gives a nice, plush ride off-road, but when you ride aggressive, the rebound damping is to low and it starts to "bounce" up and down. I find myself constantly switching between Enduro PRO and Dynaminc PRO with TC and ABS disabled according to the road surface...
@@Elskins It is my only major complaint about my bike. If I were able to select the DYNAMIC or ROAD suspension setting in the ENDURO Pro riding mode, I could get a tight suspension setting together with the good off road TC and ABS. The older pre Facelift 1200gs had settings which you could select HARD and SOFT within your suspension settings in all riding modes which worked great. Withe the last 1200 and now the 1250, one cannot do this anymore. MIN and MAX does not give the desired effect as those are only preload settings and does not alter compression and rebound.
Nice video and Great riding I Did not knew that the speedometer is measured on the back wheel. At 5:13 you can see clearly by taking off and lots wheelspin, the speedometer shows 60 á 70 km/h and practically standing still Good to know 👍
Most modern bikes have a speedometer sensor that observes the output to the final drive system. In the GSA it's probably in the front connector of the drive shaft. Some enduro bikes have that sensor attached to the front wheel to provide the rotating speed of the wheel as the actual speed.
I miss my DRZ400 every day! Yes I know it’s not a GS and was not the best motorway bike but my gosh I have never laughed so much in my life on a bike before. Now riding a CBF1000 due to my commute requirements. Love you Suzi, wherever you are 😭 You do have some really good riding skills on that GS, they are heavy as hell. Awesome! Keep at it!
Honda Africa Twin is really built for off-roading condition - any one of you brave enough to tackle Los Angeles-to-Lima, Peru excursion, then choose no other than Honda (or Yamaha if you are ok with top heaviness). GS does everything in the middle (it does off road decently, and handles paved road decently) - Los Angeles-to-Las Vegas (with 3 days off to the Death Valley), then BMW what you need. It handles the road the best, and it is so responsive it feels like the bike is actually reading your mind. Best long trip bike in my opinion. Personally, I still choose Honda or Yamaha because of this reason: On any given Wednesday, I see the cloud and beautiful sky, and I hop on the bike, and head off to Death Valley, and end up in Utah or Canada...
Exactly what i wanted to see.....the point of view and how the 1250 performs. you nailed it brother. best wishes from me here in India......amazing, you are a champ.....keep riding
Great video . I just 12 O’clock + an extra 1hr my big 1290 super adventure R . The big girl went down hard she didn’t even get hurt . Myself on the other hand did . Once my shoulder heals up I’ll be back out on the trails . Anyone can ride a 225lbs dirt off-road, I prefer the challenge of the big ADV bikes
Wood splitter heck ya. So true, booting around on a 250 is much easier and fun, but the process of learning to ride a big bike off road is a great challenge!
So it’s a capable bike. But not a dirt based bike like the 790 KTM. Now will the 790 perform like the Gsa (if I’m not wrong or is it a Gs) on Tarmac or for touring with panniers nd all? And also the 790 is much lighter and weight balanced for dirt. I’m sold on the Gs and do own a rallye pro. Might consider upgrading to the touratech after I practise my level 2 training after watching your fabulous video. Stay blessed
That's what the name of the mode suggests, right? But this mode has limitations. And it's the rebound control. It's too loose. You can't go fast in Enduro pro over bumps and whoops. For me Enduro pro is a safe mode, so that nobody crashes on hard packed gravel road.
ERV I can fully agree with this. And the thing is that enduro pro does not allow you to tune the damping anyway, you can dial traction and abs and throttle but not damping with only enduro option. Then if you set preload to max but still have soft damping? Therefore dynamic pro can also be an option as you can play the other variables but have a firmer damping. Like he does. It’s not a sin.
Great video, felt very nervous as I ride off Road and did see the crash coming. I have a lot of videos on my channel nearly all of it on BMW GS1200 off-road training. Lot of tips for beginners and advanced riders.
Andrew Edmond I run lower pressures on tarmac too. Tires wear faster but I’m always prepared to hit the dirt. I don’t want to mess with pressures back and forth every time I get of and on the road again and again. For me tarmac is only to get to the dirt. I don’t travel the world and don’t commute on this bike. 😊
nice feedback.. good test.. I do hope that you sir can test other adventure offroad bike like, honda africa twin, triumph tiger, yamaha tenere or indeed ducati multistrada enduro.. 👍 👍
raja ridwan ridwan thanks, the new africa twin is definitely on my list, T7 I did already although not an extensive test ride. Triumph maybe, not a big fan of those bikes. What concerns multistrada, our local dealer doesn’t do test rides, he says ducati is the best money can buy and there’s no reason for demo 😀
@@Elskins did ducati dealer ever said that.. what a shame.. cause I really like seeing those bikes perform on a really challenging offroad.. to see their capabilities, onboard. Anyway.. thanks for the reply😄
Thanks for the great and informative video! If it was today and you had to decide on having one all-around bike, would you choose the Ktm 890 r or the 1250 HP? Or maybe a different allarounder ? Thanks 🙏
1250 is my choice. I tested 890 and 1290 and while they are great bikes I find 1250 to be much more comfortable and still very capable off-road. I have ordered 21/18 wheels for 1250, lets see how that plays out.
Could you feel the extra weight of the BM'r? Do you think a "fatter" tire would help? Or, airing down a bit? Were there any power issues? That is a big bike.
John Roth No power issues. I already run lower pressures in my tires, even on tarmac. Could go lower though, but not a big fan of messing with pressures while out on the trails to be honest 😊
Actually, skinnier tires would help in that terrain more than fat ones, especially on the front. With a skinnier tire, the contact patch becomes longer which ads stability in soft and sandy terrain. I have a 21" front tire that I sometimes run on my 1250GS HP. It's a 90/90 width x 21" tire and it is so much more stable and reliable in soft terrain than the chubby oem tire.
thanks for your video. I personally find the stock ESA suspension to be very good. I am only 70Kgs but the bike handles the jumps very well. Well done though :)
Good morning, congratulations for the beautiful video. Could you tell me the brands of the blue footboards and the blue rear brake fluid reservoir cap ???
I think, i’m going to sell my 790adv R and buy a BMW 1250 Gs. It’s my dreambike anyway and i currently can’t afford both. I’m having too many issues with my 790 now in the garage with clutch problems. Won’t trust it for long trips anymore. And as i can see in this video incould nearly do anything with the Gs1250 as the 790’with some more effort... awesome video!
Jamal M 1250 will be also much more comfortable bike. Don’t know about reliability, I have no issues with 790, but if I had to sell one now, that would be 790, even though it has lots of costly upgrades nobody will be paying for.
Nice video. However, one of the things I do not like about the GS is the gearbox speedo - you are barely moving but it shows you going 70. Come on BMW.
I think ability is way short of suspension issues. People have literally taken these bikes around the world pushed hard not just cruising around some soft sand. Looks like the bike got a lot more capabilities than the rider.
Steve Austin If I was in a market for a new GS today, I would definitely go with non ESA bike and swap out stock suspension with Tractive Extreme shocks 😊
Very impressive! You are very skilled and also have a lot of guts to ride that big bike so fast in sand. Where is this anyways? I have never seen so much sand in the forest before!
FineRoadsAhead Latvia. Not everywhere but here around Riga we have a lot of forests like these. You guys must have more rocks and stones up there in Sweden, but here the biggest challenge is loose deep sand and mud.
ERV Really!? That is so interesting! I had no idea there was such a big difference between our forests in Sweden and those in Latvia. We do have a lot of rocks and regular soil I guess.
Hi ERV, thanks for video of riding the GS in sand. I am interested in the OEM suspension vs touratech details and the benefits you have found. Would you mind providing some more detail on this.
Hi, Garry. I’m skinny built, 5’ 11’’ and around 175lbs in full gear. And even for me the OEM suspension felt on the softer side. Coming from a KTM 990 which has pretty good suspension out of the box, ESA on GS was a huge disappointment. Off road I struggled maintaining the pace. Riding modes and auto levelling feature really made no big difference. I could maintain 1/3 of my usual pace or risk crashing. The only way to ride the bike with OEM suspension off-road was in Dynamic Pro and levelling on MAX, it made the bike stiff and unpleasant to ride, but at least it was not all over the place. Also on the tarmac it was far from plush and comfortable riding. We don't have the best roads here where I live. Potholes, small chops - ESA couldn’t handle that. OEM shocks were overheating (not enough oil), too small/weak valves to handle such a big bike. I started to look for suspension upgrade and reached out to Touratech and Tractive. Best decision and best upgrade for this bike hands down. They will set and adjust the springs and shocks depending on your riding style and weight. And they are fully serviceable. Now it is completely different ride. I can finally keep up with the orange squad off-road, the riding modes and auto levelling finally make sense. I can set levelling to MAX if I want the front wheel to push and dig more in the sand and still the bike is plush and comfortable. Or I can set it to MIN and have the front wheel to float and fly over the sand if needed and not worry about bottoming out. On the tarmac - potholes, small chops - it’s plush and deals with it in much more comfortable manner. The only thing I still miss with these Touratech ESA shocks is better rebound control. If I was in a market now for new GS, I would go with non ESA bike and get Touratech/Tractive Extreme shocks which you can adjust manually even more precisely.
Sand is not found in City Downtown and where the adventure is found the sand trails are near by. Watch the BMW GS training in Dubai. A skill rider trains in all kinds of terrain conditions. Sand is the Nemesis for many riders and requires a lot of practice.
Never understood why the GS1250 Adventure models comes with street tires installed, I can see you have the dirt knobby tires on your bike, did your bike came with them or you had to buy them?
Over 8 inches of suspension travel on a 250kg bike and you were going to sell it because it's not a dirt bike. Your a bit too much bud. It's not a dirt bike. Maybe at half the speed your going it would be alright. Love that you just pin it and claim it's no good.
riding through deep sand is only possible with speed on big bikes and if you stay in the throttle. the deeper the sand, the faster you have to go. he rode moderate tempo in my opinion, the bit where he crashed, he was to slow...
And he was going up as well, so it clearly needed momentum. Yet I notice on the waving the front reached the edge on the right which ended all of the sudden any movement he had. Similar somehow to his accident recently also ending on the right front waving and reaching edge.
He didn’t say he was going to sell it because it didn’t perform like a dirt bike. He said the suspension was too soft, which is a common problem with adventure bikes.
Thanks, yes, of course. But for me the biggest problem in Enduro Pro is rebound damping. It is too loose and doesn't keep that rear end planted. Dynamic Pro is much better in this regard. At least on my bike.
Hi, congrats on your new bike, good choice! I went with Tractive ESA suspension front and rear. Touratech used to sell those shocks and their label on them(and high price). I have heard now you can get them directly from Tractive. They will set them up for your weight and riding style before shipping. There are other options on the market, but Tractive is said to be the best for GS.
I think it would be equally interesting to see if the KTM 790 can keep up with the 1250 GSA on a long adventure trip like the kind for which it was designed. Just a thought.
It is not understandable you have the best suspension that seems to have manual adjustments but at the same time you still have the dynamic damping control? how is that possible?
Andrés Padilla Only damping can be adjusted manually. The rebound is still adjusted by computer on these ESA shocks. And Dynamic pro gives the best rebound control in my opinion.
ERV in the mean time went to read on. So has two for quick and slow compression, thought esa controlled that too.... interesting. I’m far from giving the GS a treatment of a seasoned off roader but it’s good to know.
@@Elskins I actually love telelever for the most part. However, there are some issues for example hitting relatively large consecutive ruts at a decent speed is pretty harsh with a stock telelever front end. Also, I'm not sure if it's telelever or just the bikes design but the big GS deflects very hard. Those two reasons are probably why I wouldn't want to go too fast on the r-series.
@@Elskins I may be mistaken but I suspected it was the rigid telelever contraption transmitting force directly to the center of the bike lol. And having all the weight centralised at one point might also give it a strong point of leverage. The price of having a relatively heavy bike handle like it does. Take my ideas with a grain of salt though. I'm not a real expert in motorcycle chassis design.
By the way, for anybody wondering. I have purchased the full kit. The suspension is better, mostly due to the fact that it is built and tuned to my weight. However, I regretfully write that it does not relieve the issue. Just the way GS bikes are.
Simon Carrier That’s a rear hub cover by www.rizoma.com The product number is ZBW041U Not sure if they produce them anymore, but you can try ebay as well.
Depends where you live and how good your roads are. Here where I live the tarmac can be bumpy, and the bike feels much safer and much more planted and comfortable on Tractive suspension.
@@freisiandraugr2427 I think just for cruising on the highway that's probably an overkill. But if you have the budget, go for it. It will be better no doubt.
Your set up is wrong: Riding mode it should be Enduro Pro because you can have Enduro Mode Suspension only in that setting. Preload!! It has to be MIN. In MAX the suspension doesn't have enough play to work properly; GS Academy teachers taught me that. And when you're going up on a climb keep a straight direction and keep a constant level of gas; still a GS teachers taught me that. Good video though. Thank you
I know what you mean, but just because that mode is called Enduro Pro, doesn't make it the best off-road. Two main concerns: ESA rebound damping is too weak, and traction control is not fully disabled. Academy teachers use that as a "safe mode", good enough in fast non corrugated terrain, hard packed terrain or slow pace whoops/rollers. Try going faster over the whoops and the rear end is a total mess, bouncing all over the place like a tennis ball. Try it in deep loose sand and the traction control will kill the momentum. Dynamic pro mode will stiffen it up and allow you go much faster over the same bumps and whoops. Just don't forget to disable abs and traction control manually. I use Enduro pro only on gravel roads, that's where it shines. As for the preload, I do ride in Min as well. As ESA can only change the rear shock preload I play with it depending how I want the bike to steer(oversteer or understeer).
