This is what I have been feeling all along. The R Series GS is nothing more than a pavement pounder and dirt road rider and BMW is catering to this market quite well. You don't need 100+ hp to do a round the world trip and the R series is too big of a bike for serious RTW adventures. If you want a serious RTW bike and want to stay with BMW then it is the F800 GS - 21" front wheel, lighter weight, better fuel consumption and much cheaper price. If I was to do my RTW trip tomorrow and it had to be on a bike produced in the last three years or two upcoming years, it would be the F800 all the way.
The bike in the spyshots looks like it could be production ready, particularly in the original photos at Solomoto. The plastics on it are different to the current GS, and it's more finished than the Triumph Tiger 1200 that was spotted last autumn. I'd expect a 2012 model. Though BMW are rumoured to be running the old air cooled design in parallel to the new model to give the traditionalists time to adjust.
Damnit Dean, I hate it when you do that! You are almost always right! Jim PS OK, so who is up for a free service on the new Waterhead?
Maybe 2014? It was 01-04 (4 years of the 1150) It was 05-09 (5 years of the hexhead) Sooooo, '10,11,12,13 is 4 years of CamHead.
touche (and well played, sir!) The camhead does go back a ways further. Just the mass production of it does not, and maybe that doesn't matter. Maybe this is gonna be like the Russian/US race to the moon. Ducati's Multi did well enough at Pikes Peak this year so maybe BMW will want to catch up with more power and bring it to market sooner? I personally don't need 150hp in anything 2 wheeled, and I love the current Boxer as it is, and I loved the one before it. And I reserve some assumption that slower development increases reliability but I don't wanna bring the trolls out to start slamming BMW's innovations either.
Really you should look at it like this 1994-2004 1100/1150 (basically the same engine) 2005-201x 1200 With the introduction of the 1100GS the 100GS was still going in limited numbers 'till 1997 wasn't it with the Kalahari Edition of the R100GS? Perhaps they'll have a Dead Horse Edition of the R1200GS... along side the R1300GS
Perhaps the Dead Horse Edition is in fact the 2011 triple-black GS. After all, it's the undertaker's color.
Then it would be the Adventure that's running besides the 'normal' GS 1300 like the 1150 ADv. diduntill 2006. so I would say 2012 GS1300 2014 GS1300 Adv my worthless 2ct
That makes sense in that it would allow the bike to be unveiled at the next Intermot in 2012, which is BMW's home show. And most new engines get teased the year before production, so a Wasserboxer at EICMA this year.
and, unfortunately, my R12GS is as close to a Goldwing as I intend to get. 1.5 litres or more is fine for a big tourer, but that's not what I bought a GS for. It's already a little too big and heavy for a dual sport tourer.