By
The Lonely Rider &
Stella, The Riding Princess

Not too long ago, Stella The Riding Princess and I were visiting BMW Toronto. She was there to place an order for some goodies for her F650GS for an upcoming trip to Montana and I took the opportunity to introduce myself to the Motorcycle Sales Manager, Tim Sarch.

Recently Stella had mentioned to Tim that she had joined the BMW Motorrad exclusively female test ride event and commented on how much she enjoyed the new F800GS. Due to the relationship she has with the dealership, he offered to let her take one for a day. He and I talked for a while and after discussing this website and other associations, he in turn offered a motorcycle for me to take for a day also.

With much anticipation, Stella and I returned a few days later, on a Friday morning, to take out a couple of Ultimate Riding Machines – Stella on the F800GS and me on a R1200GS. I was as giddy as a kid to finally try this bike. Thoughts Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman came to mind since this is the base model of the GS Adventure machines that they rode around the world on for months on end. Of course this ride was only going to be for one day…unfortunately.

To get a really good feel for the bikes, we needed to ride a variety of roads. We began with a stretch of highway that quickly took us well north of the hustle and bustle of the big city to some quiet country roads, which were far more enjoyable to ride on without all the road congestion. At this moment, I wished that I was fully loaded and headed off for several days of blissful riding.

Both bikes were very stable at highway speeds, despite the crosswinds and we found both bikes were very comfortable. Personally I got a sense that huge distances could be chewed up rather easily without experiencing much discomfort to my backside. Stella was of course eager to take the F800GS for a long haul and to compare it to its smaller sibling, the F650GS.

The F650GS has long being known for its go-anywhere capability and although it is fire-road friendly, the single cylinder version isn’t quite up to par for high-speed distances. Could the F800GS fill in that gap with it’s more nimble twin parallel engine, without loosing the dual-sport aspect? She was immediately impressed with the F800GS’ stability, balance and lightweight. The steering is quick and just right and the overall impression was that the bike is quite joyful to plod along at idle speed or react instantly with abundant torque when the throttle is rolled on. Not to mention the doubtful rigid seat that supported well throughout the ride with no discomfort at all.

Once we got a couple hours out of the city, we found some nice twisty back roads and I was very impressed at how sure footed the R1200GS actually was. I thought for sure that it would feel more like some lumbering hippo but instead I found it was very nimble in the corners. Despite being a big, heavy Enduro bike and quite capable of riding on rutted dirt roads, the suspension was rather stiff and linear making it very easy to flick it from one tight corner to the next with total confidence. My smile was ever growing in my helmet as I leaned through corner after corner at a comfortable, yet spirited pace through Mohawk Territory.

After stopping in Bala for lunch, we assessed our route – and the time of day – and realized that we would have to cut our route short in order to get the bikes back to the dealership on time. With that in mind, we headed back and picked up the pace even further. It was during this brisk pace on the highway that I noticed the total lack of wind buffeting of my helmet. The large, adjustable windscreen ploughed nicely through the air resulting in virtually no helmet shake at all. It was also around this time that my fuel light came on and not knowing how far the bike could go at this point, I started thinking about nearby gas stations. I selected the closest station on my GPS, even though it was out of our way – of course the first one we pulled into isn’t a gas station anymore. Selecting the next nearest station (even further off the highway), we finally found what we needed. Great…now we are both fuelled up but running very late. It would have been useful had I known to look at the information display options on the bike to find out exactly how far I could of gone before running dry. Live and learn I suppose. Back on the road, we kept to our spirited pace and selected a series of back roads to avoid major rush hour gridlock at known problem points on the highway.

In the end we returned to the dealership 500km later and 30 minutes late with huge grins on our faces. It was an amazing day despite the chilly, damp weather and we both thoroughly enjoyed our loaner bikes and ourselves.

Roundel wearing bikes really are the Ultimate Riding Machines in each of their styles. Though perfectly capable of long dirt road detours, the GS motorcycles also make excellent street bikes. With their upright sitting position, cornering confidence and dual sport suspension, the GS’s are ready for the real world and they are sure to bring many great experiences that leave you grinning from ear to ear and yearning for more.

*A special thanks to Tim Sarch at BMW Toronto for loaning us the motorcycles. Of course we are now both thinking of upgrading from our current Beemers to the models we rode on the ride.

Ride Hard…Ride Dirty…Ride a GS!