Known for its Paralever and Telelever suspension, the BMW R1200GS is exceptionally proficient on the pavement and items like 19/17-inch wheels show a trend leaning towards the tarmac. Going off-road on such a large motorcycle is daunting, but the R1200GS Adventure model adds some components for extra dirt-worthiness and greater fuel capacity to take the BMW motorcycle farther. A single-sided swingarm and shaft drive are low-maintenance as is the air-cooled engine – an important selling point for riders who want to tour the world. BMW offers ABS brakes as optional equipment for the R1200GS, and a good one at that considering the 504 claimed pounds for the standard GS model.
The original mission was to get out of the city traffic, pick up the Angeles Crest and ride it as far as we could, but Mother Nature had already forced us to re-route. Last year’s wildfires combined with recent rainfalls meant sections of this notoriously twisty two-lane were decommissioned for cleanup and repair. Our new route threw us a surprise, as road crews had just spread two inches of loose gravel on a two-mile-long section of our alternate. Of all the machines in our presence, only the BMW — with its upright off-road-ready riding position and substantial ground clearance — was suitable for this job, so we were forced to redirect on the fly. The result left us taking flat super-slab almost exclusively from Palmdale to Vegas.
