A liquid-cooled R 1200 GS is the 500,000th Boxer-powered GS model to be built on the production line at the BMW Motorrad factory. The first BMW motorcycle was constructed at the Berlin-Spandau plant in 1969 and the first ever GS entered production in the autumn of 1980.
What started as the R 80 G/S, a 798cc, 50bhp dual-purpose model has evolved into a 1,170cc adventure motorcycle, making 125bhp and offering riders state-of-the art technology and performance enhancing aids, including on- and off-road ABS, traction control and semi-active suspension.
The liquid-cooled R 1200 GS was the best-selling motorcycle outright in Europe in 2013. With over 25,000 registered worldwide, the first-ever liquid-cooled Boxer GS became BMW Motorrad’s fastest-selling new model in the company’s entire 90-year history.
Stephan Schaller, President of BMW Motorrad, said: “By combining street, off-road and everyday qualities, BMW Motorrad created the new travel enduro species with the R 80 G/S. The flat-twin GS became the synonym for this segment. The outstanding talents of the Boxer-powered GS models – ride dynamics, off-road qualities, comfort and endurance – have been continuously nurtured, developed and transferred very successfully to other BMW Motorrad model series”.
Marc Sielemann, Head of the BMW Motorrad Berlin Plant, said: “As a plant it is a privilege for us to continue building on the successful history of the legendary flat-twin GS. With the precision-cooled drive unit, a new evolutionary stage was reached last year. Manufacturing half a million units underlines the fact that the Boxer GS represents a cornerstone of our motorcycle production more than ever before”.
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