Not content with developing adventure parts, accessories, suspensions, luggage, lights, boots, jackets and, well, just about everything you could imagine for the well dressed, well equipped 21st century adventure tourer, the only thing left for German specialist Touratech was to take the final step from conversion parts and kits to a whole bike make-over …
German specialist Touratech says their new R 1200 GS Rambler interpretation “takes it to the extreme” - well, extremely ambitious, yes - and, as far as the reaction from the notoriously hard to impress off-road media industry is concerned, they have managed to pull it off, and did so extremely successfully.
“A super-lightweight 1200 cc adventure bike with excellent enduro characteristics, high performance potential and fantastic suspension”. Well, that just about says it all really. And with a liquid-cooled boxer weighing in at less than 200 kilos that “bounds nimbly over rough terrain”, Touratech’s R 1200 GS Rambler conversion is “good to go”.
With a target weight of 199 kilos, their ‘K 199’ has got to be one of the lightest R 1200 GS conversions ever…a modern interpretation of the BMW HP2 – a motorcycle that not only looks like a sporty bike, but also rides like one. A bike that shows just how closely the touring and off-road sports product divisions at Touratech are interlinked.
Touratech CEO Herbert Schwarz had the pleasure of putting their K 199 to the test in the Azores (dirty work, but someone had to do it, right?), and his verdict has clearly been a positive “thumbs up” to his R&D team.
Touratech developed the Rambler in coordination with BMW Motorrad and built two prototypes, differing only in colour - one in the black-grey-yellow Touratech design, and the other in classic BMW Motorsport white, blue and red. Design implementation with clay model construction and prototyping were carried out at TT-3D in Murnau, while the technical components were developed and manufactured at Touratech in Niedereschach.
Touratech got clever by combining the engine-gearbox unit from the R 1200 R Roadster model with the shaft drive from the GS. This gives the Rambler a directly responsive, high-torque drive system with 125 PS that benefits from the Roadster’s stock tele fork.
With suspension tuned by Touratech Suspension, the boxer is extremely stable, even at high speeds. The use of modern materials and technologies, fairing sections made from super-lightweight aluminium tube in conjunction with carbon fibre, a titanium exhaust system, and a powerful but less heavy replacement lithium-ion battery, all help to bring the overall weight down. Compared to the standard model, the Rambler has shed nearly 50 kilos - making it incredibly agile, according to Herbert Schwarz.
Once the motorcycle was stripped of its fairing and all unnecessary mounting brackets, the frame was reinforced for hard off-road use. The original fairing was ditched to make way for the custom airbox with a fairing made from carbon fibre reinforced plastic (CFRP), and adapted protection bars.
Behind this is a self-supporting 16.2 litre aluminium tank, which also forms the subframe. Together with a separate plastic tank (1.8 litres) housing the fuel pump, the total tank capacity is 18 litres. The extremely slim seat, developed in a new process by TT-3D, does not require a base plate and is therefore extremely light.
Another unique feature on the Rambler is the front brake - a lightweight single-disc brake, as found on sports enduros, but with ABS. A CFRP engine guard panel protects the crankcase and sump.
Tech Spec
• Airbox: carbon fibre reinforced plastic with original air filter (Touratech / TT-3D)
• Fairing: aluminium tube construction (Touratech)
• Tank: aluminium, lowered side walls, capacity approx. 16.2 l (Touratech / TT-3D)
• Fuel pump: in separate plastic tank (1.8 l) beneath the main tank
• Seat: enduro rally seat made from PU foam (Touratech / TT-3D)
• Frame: unnecessary mounting brackets removed
• Rear frame: aluminium with partially load-bearing function (Touratech)
• Handlebar & fittings: Magura TX handlebar, very light high-performance radial pump master cylinders for clutch and brake (Magura HC3)
• Triple clamp: custom-made by XTRIG
• Stem: aluminium tube construction (Touratech)
• Brakes: front 1 x brake disc Ø 300 mm; rear 1 x brake disc Ø 276 mm
• Brake lines: braided steel hose (Stahlflex)
• Bracket fork protector / brake hose guide: aluminium (Touratech)
• Bracket for number plate, rear light / indicators: plastic parts (Touratech / TT-3D)
• Rear light: BMW R nineT kit
• Main headlight: BMW G 450 X kit
• Indicators: BMW R 1200 GS
• Enduro exhaust system: titanium and carbon fibre reinforced plastic, custom-made by Akrapovic
• Rear silencer bracket: aluminium (Touratech)
• Battery: lithium-ion 12 V, 4.6 Ah
• Rear fairing: carbon fibre reinforced plastic (Touratech / TT-3D)
• Wheels: rugged Haan Excel rims (custom-made) with Metzeler Karoo 3 tyres; front 21 x 2.15 with 90/90 R21, rear 17 x 4.24 with 150/70 R17.
• Skid plate: carbon fibre reinforced plastic (Touratech / TT-3D)
• Sport mudguard: carbon fibre reinforced plastic (Touratech / TT-3D)
• Suspension: rear shock absorber custom-made by Touratech Suspension (Extreme type with 200 mm spring travel)
• Forks: original BMW F 800 GS Adventure fork with Touratech Suspension Extreme cartridge kit (230 mm spring travel)
New Touratech catalogue 2017/18
“Streamlined, revised, updated, with a new format (16.5 x 21 cm), a fresh design and 1,576 pages, the Touratech catalogue 2017/18 presents a host of new ideas and innovative products for all adventures big and small on two wheels”, says the company.
The range comprises accessories for around 40 motorcycle models, including the 2017 version of the BMW R 1200 GS, accompanied by brilliant impressions from the “Red Continent” test ride with this motorbike. 150,000 copies have been printed in five different languages (German, English, French, Italian and Spanish).
TOURATECH AG
www.touratech.com
