A lot (well at least in the BMW motorcycle fan world) of us a wondering if there will be a F800GS.

Yes there will be one! It will be introduced at the November Milan show!

Pricing should be close to the F800ST one, chain drive, 21L tank and should be comfy for a 1m86 pilot!

That's all we know!

As some of our North American customers do ride with pride what is world wide known as THE bikers bike we had to test at least one Harley Davidson one day! Lucky us! We could test two of them: the FLSTC Heritage Softail Classic and the FLHRC Road King Classic, both 2007 models with the Twin Cam 96 (B for the Heritage) engine.

Feelings: shiny chrome everywhere, the sun reflecting itself in the huge front light, a large leather saddle, a noise allowing to count each piston move…and the whole beast shaking and vibrating on its side stand. Wow! One has to admit that getting close to a HD to ride it for the first time is a special event in a bike's life. The position of the Heritage feels more fluffy than the one on the Road King, as you are a bit higher and the handle bar is straighter on the second one. Feet are on the large feet rests, first gear in! And here we go! For such heavy pieces of metal they feel surprisingly light, thanks to the low center of gravity. Time for some throttle opening and the very first huge smile thanks to the noise of that HD engine! No idea how those pipes passed the European noise test but well, who cares? That is a noise you like! And enjoy playing with!

Vibrations: when you talk HD and Twin Cam you have to talk about vibrations. Some call them "good vibrations" and some…lose their teeth and bolts. On the Heritage, thanks to a softer engine mount, you will feel less vibrations, but the Road King is there to help you lose what was left to shake away!

Fun: riding a HD is definitely fun! The massive torque gets you and all that US iron flying above the asphalt in a twist of the wrist, but you will mainly stick to the speed limit thanks to the wind in your face and the good vibes. For someone used to the German handling efficiency or the Japanese slim bikes taking the first sharp curve with a HD is a …special moment.

 

What is that sound? As if the foot was on the road! Well in fact your foot IS on the ground only protected from the rude contact by the thickness of the foot rest. Now it becomes all clear why they are that thick! After the first surprise you can't stop playing with the torque and the foot rest scratching! Unfortunately only the people behind you enjoy the sparkles!

Dating: for the first time in the Unicorn Adventures Ltd newsletter we have to talk about the "Dating effect" of a bike (well in fact of two bikes). The style of a HD as well as the exhaust noise are a package that you have to account for! You cannot just jump in your "Honda" (or any other brand) leathers or your latest BMW world touring gear when you want to look like a HD biker! Well you could but then talking about dating doesn't make anymore sense. No! a HD deserves the proper style and look from its biker. Enhancing the beauty of the bike is a must and will point all the lights, fingers and glances at you! With a HD, especially with the Heritage or the Road King Classics with their leather side bags, huge fairing and chromes, people can see you are a serious rider, they see the Route 66 (what is left of it) and see you are a real tough one! Even though you will never make more than 100 km before your rear and back and hands and arms and legs hurt like hell. You will just look like "the right stuff".

Yes that titke sounds weird, but in a few hours and after years of motrocycling and motorcycle tours I am going to do something "said as" being special: I am going to ride a real piece of american steel!

In a couple of hours my "used to german efficiency and japaneese lightness" butt will sit on a Harley Davidson!

If I remeber well it will be a Softail Heritage...saw it...huge...guess that thing will need some time to understand how it works! We will see!

We are going during the next couple of weeks to test the Tripy, a GPS based on a road book logic, vs. the usual GPS solution every one knows.

The Tripy has been developped for motorcycle riders and should be an interesting solution for motorcycle tour operators to transfer tour knowledge to one guide to the other.

First reaction when we received the test package: that thing is VERY ugly! An big but looks very solid and well adapted to motorcycle riding in all weather conditions.

We also received the Road Tracer Pro which the complete road design software that allows you to design your roads on your PC and transfer the road bokk on your Tripy. Not that intuitive to use for the first minutes because you try to use it as a standard GPS software (like map source from Garmin, for example) and miss some handy functions. But after 5 mins you get used to it and it took me less than 10 minutes to plan a whol 1243 km ride in the Alps.

You will have to be patient to know what happened during the test as we will test it for two weeks! Riding the twisty Alpine roads.

Because of the BMW BOXER engine the GG quad are part of our biker interest. They are fine pieces of machines that come with a nice design. Here are some photos of those quads (click on "lire la suite").

Lire la suite

During the International BMW Biker Meeting we were among the lucky BMW fans who could discover for the very first time the brand new BMW R1200R. Even though we couldn’t test it (only a very limited set of selected journalists could) we the chance to be able to sit on it, look at it, touch it and get a first idea of the baby!

As you will notice the R1200R looks very similar to its predecessor the R1150R but also seems “lighter”. It is in fact a very fine motorcycle and the before last in the R series as now all models have the 1200 with its 109 HBP (by the way this implies for the guys in French a power limitation to 106 if I am right….when regulations are created by guys in suites never having ridden a bike, the stupid effect is never far away).

The front Telelever is definitely thinner than before but, I think (yes it happens), that it lost a bit of smoothness through its more linear design.

The dash board is now looking like all the latest BMW ones and has all the necessary information.

I hope that there will be more colours than the three presented at the Biker Meeting: Black, silver and a grey one. They give a classy look but some fun or at least something more on the warm side would be nice too.

Watching the journalists ride with it gives a feeling of a light and easy to handle machine with a good riding position, the saddle can be set and a low seat version exists.

That Boxer engine really helps to make lovely bikes! There is a big chance you may find the R1200R on the Unicorn Adventures Ltd tours in 2007.

Nice weather, nice twisty French Riviera inland roads, birds are singing, I am in a good mood and have the chance to take the brand new F800S for a test ride!

Launched less than a month ago the new BMW twin comes with a nice mix of features. Yes it is a twin engine but for once not a flat! BMW had a parallel twin developed by Rotax with a 360° setting and an innovative anti vibration balance arm, to avoid “bad vibrations”. The tank is, like on the F650 GS, under the saddle and like the F650 Scarver the secondary transmission uses a belt drive.

Contact! The dials run from one end to the other one, the digital dash board and its computer start to list numbers and info, plenty enough! For me, I am 1.85m tall, it is a bit low and I will have to look down, away from the road, when I have to get some data from it. A good point: the mirrors are wide and let you see the road and not your elbows, this will be confirmed during the ride! And they don’t vibrate! Nice job!

First surprise at the first strong breaking: the breaks do work! And well! But for a guy used to the telelever/paralever and the senatorial stability of the motorcycle with those systems, having the F800S, with standard front suspension, dive on the front wheel is surprising. This will definitely not be such a new situation to the customers this BMW targets: those used to the Japanese production.

The engine is dynamic and won’t let you down when needed! Plenty of power and grunt for such a light bike. Light! Like the handling! Having to ride through some nice traffic jams is easy, but needs some attention as the mirrors at the height of the car ones (this applies for countries where you can still ride in the middle of traffic lines).

With a low and thin saddle the legs get easily on the ground. The large curves in the fake tank allow for a very nice leg position and ease to keep the F800S tightly between your legs. It also allows the heat of the engine to keep you warm, which on the French Riviera is not always a plus. I couldn’t test the F800ST and can’t say if the framing will have an impact on that.

Finally, after some motorway, the twisty roads are running under the tires. No need to fight the bike, the F800S dives from one curve to the next one with ease and pleasure ensuring you will grin all the long! The one I was testing was brand new and the tires on their outer side weren’t worn which gave some wobbly feeling, not compensated by the fork shock absorber. Confusing.

I had to check the speedometer on a regular basis as I always fought I was riding too fast! In fact it nearly never happened (I swear it!)! The short fairing, nice engine noise make you think you are way faster! Which, considering the amount of cops, radars etc.. is a positive point as you can have a lot of fun and legal speeds! Saves your driving licence!

BMW proves with that bike that 800cc (like the VFR best seller) is a nice engine size! The twin (many think it is the best engine architecture for a motorcycle) has a lot of character and ensures pleasant riding!

The F800ST, compared to the S, comes with a fairing and higher handle bar (for more comfort in the position) and will for sure add a “touring” aspect to that nice motorcycle. A Motorcycle Tour Operator like Unicorn Adventures Ltd could make good use of such a machine, and will for sure as of 2007.

Finally a bit pf fresh air in the motorcycle world!

Most of the motorcycle technology used nowadays is aged more than a century or so, in regards of the motorcycle dynamic logic. Even though BMW came out with some innovative ideas on the latest K series (K1200S, R, GT) it still stays a bit on the mellow side. If you have a look as some of the scooters in the plans there are some more interesting things taking place.

But the good news can also come from the motorcycle world thanks to people like Geir Brudeli who started developing his concept in 2001 and is now close to launch it in the market (first orders should be taken for 2007).

As you can see the beast uses a funny front part allowing to take a crazy angle without that many risks! The rear part belongs to the KTM 625 Supermoto, the front…is new!

On the Brudeli web site the beast is really fun to ride and allows terrific slides!

We may consider this machine for Motorcycle Tours in the future, could be fun!

Most of the bikes you can get for a Unicorn Adventures Motorcycle Tour are 1200 cc engines, inside some pretty big frames. Not everyone may enjoy them and especially not people who prefer a light and low bike. The F650GS is the answer to your needs!

The "back to the roots" bike! One cylinder, two wheels, a saddle and fun, loads of fun! This is definitely a motorcycle you ride with a big smile on all the time (get a full face helmet to avoid eating to many flies and other nasty insects).

Compared to the rest of the BMW motorcycles you will find on our tours this is the one who worked the hardest on the Weight Watchers diet: 192 Kg (more than 100 Kg less than the K1200LT), which means there is no need for a huge engine: 650 cc and 50 Hp based on a Rotax ® mono cylinder engine. This doesn't mean you are going to stay way behind the rest of the group! No way! That little engine is full of fun and will push hard on your back to get you to the next curve. Surprisingly that little motorcycle jumps from one curve to the next one with a lot of goodwill! And does it with a lovely sound through its two exhaust pipes (sort of a designer thing!). Keep in mind though that this is a lone piston only engine and that with the wrong gear at very low speed it will make sure you are aware it doesn't like it!

Among the surprises you will notice that there is no cap on the tank, as that one is under the saddle for a lower CG, and for those not really used with the usual BMW blinker switches, the F650GS offers the Japanese standard "one switch, two blinker" solution. The handling is easy, an you feel on this bike as if you had always ridden it. Now for long distance rides you will appreciate to have a support truck as you aren't here on an oversized K1200LT or R1200RT with all the cases to store your belongings, and that some guide motorcycle carries some spare gas as there is no gas gauge for the 17L tank.

To answer the title questions: does size matter? The F650GS will prove that to have fun you can be smaller and slimmer and get a lot of smile on your biker's face.

For your next Unicorn Adventures Ltd tour ask for a F650GS!

Very recently launched on the market the K1200GT 2006 is the third BMW with the new 4 cylinder engine ; already available on the K1200S and the K1200R.

Our test took place on a sunny day on the French Riviera (from where all our 2006 tours start) on roads mixing small back country twisty roads and highways. As the test took place in France the power of the bike was limited to 100 BHp (another regulation created by a guy behind a desk who don’t even knows how many wheels a motorcycle has! As you can pilot a bike way faster than 130 km/h even when it has only 50 BHp). Due to this limitation some comments may not apply to the international version of the K1200GT.

First impression is when you look at the beast: size is ok and the frame is especially sleek, with no fancy design. Flat and efficient! Pure German design (this is a positive comment ;). The control panel is very close to the R1200RT one, except the clocks have a sort of cover. The saddle can as usual be adjusted to the pilot’s size as well as the handle bars, with a very smart system. Good point. Big handles for the passenger are also available.
Like on the K1200S or K1200R the clutch or gear bow (can’t remember) is very present on the right side and is, from my point of view, really annoying from time to time as you have to squeeze your boot underneath it? But I guess most will be ok with it.

Contact! The four cylinder 1157 cm3 engine purrs like a big cat. But like on the K1200S I tested it sounds as if the revs are too high even though they are at 1.000 rpm. A little twist of the handle gets the beast to roar like a wild cat! Exciting! The suspension gets adjusted to “Normal” thanks to the ESA (Electronic Suspension Adjustment) and here we go!
First feeling: that thing is very light (in fact more than 280 kg with all fluids on board)! Second feeling: damn each time I turn she wants to fall! In fact it takes you a couple of curves to get used to that feeling, and to admire how perfectly glued to your trajectory the bike stays! Like on a train track! That Duolever ® is amazing! I would even say you have to be careful as you get very quickly excited by it and on wet conditions …you may be surprised ;)

On the high way it is very quickly obvious that the windshield is less efficient that the R1200RT one (I am tall) and the frame doesn’t protect as well. For such a machine definitely dedicated to long runs it is surprisingly inefficient compared to the RT. On the feeling side and thanks to the engine noise you always get the feeling that you are faster than what you are, but you will anyway blow the speed limits all the time if you don’t pay attention!
Accelerations are quick and efficient and you get the feeling the engine will never stop revving up! Unfortunately, on the French version, you get the handle twisted to the stop to get a nice powerful acceleration with some sort of excitement (on a circuit).
Good point: the mirrors and high and in the field of sight, not like on the RT on which you need to look down to know what comes from behind (in case you let people over take you). But I noticed that they are too high…if you try to slip through traffic and SUVs, trucks, busses! But this is a very French way to drive, so may not happen elsewhere.

The same side cases like the RT are standard with the bike and allow for a nice amount of luggage (see comments from Christelle about luggage management).

While riding and thanks to the ESA you can adjust the suspension to:

• Normal
• Comfort
• Sport

And the bike gets the setting best adapted to the riding style and road. Really a great tool!

In summary and after that short ride this is definitely a great tourer made for long distances with or without a passenger. But I would say I prefer the boxer engine of the RT, more grunt at low revs, more funny.

What a nice day! The sun is out, birds are singing (spring is back) and I am off to test the new K1200GT and the already well known F650GS to write some test paper about them! And by the way just to make it perfect the test it takes place on the french riviera!

The F650GS test will appear in the quarterly Unicorn Adventures Ltd Newsletter you can register to on the web site. You can also access our newsletter archive here!

The K1200GT test will appear here as soon as I write it!

Before you ask: no that's not me on that R1200GS! Lighter, more powerful, modern looks and still the quality and the leg of a GS! After 25 years of GS on the roads and off-road tracks of the world BMW is still improving what is one of the best road/track (Gelände/Straße) bikes!

Compared to the former R1150GS it is not just an improvement but a fully new bike! Its new heart: a 1200cc flat twin (of course!!) gets 15 more Hp compared to the 1150 and finally plays with the 100 Hp figure. More power but at more rpms! This, to us, means that you have a more aggressive riding on the 1200 compared to the 1150. On the road it makes your life more funny (even though riding a 1150GS was never dull!), off-road it may be a bit of an annoyance as you will have less track at low rpm. But as a GS most of the time only gets on the road it is not a problem! The fact that as standard you get alloy wheels compared to the 1150's spokes supports the more "road" orientation.

A powerful and funny engine deserves a great frame….well there isn't any as usual, as the engine supports the suspension as well as the rear frame for the saddle. Stiff like the justice that bike is not moving or wobbling around! And thanks to the Paralever ® (rear mono-swing arm developed by BMW) and Duolever ® (front arm guided suspension developed by BMW) the bike sticks to the road whatever shape it's in!

As usual on a BMW you can adjust the saddle height as well as the wind shield (manually) to your size; well don't get me wrong this is still a very high beast! But on the lower saddle position a 1m70 person gets easily both feet on the ground when there is a need to stop!

As this bike is meant to get you to the end of the world, or at least the other side of it and back, the tank could have been bigger ("only" 20L) but you can still load it with luggage like no one thanks to the aluminium top box and panniers.

Did BMW improve the GS? Yes definitely!

For your next Unicorn Adventures tour ask for a R1200GS!