Photo: Oberdan Bezzi
The motorcycle world would be a much better and far more interesting place if more of the ideas coming from bike designers could make it past the drawing stage and into the real life.
Here's another great idea from Oberdan Bezzi, a bike that BMW could actually consider building and make a lot of riders happy. The R1200GS Adventure Sport would slot somewhere between the base version, the one with the no-good-on-bad-roads BMW cast wheels, and the top-of-the-line, heavy and fat Adventure version.
The idea behind the R1200GS Adventure Sport is as simple as it gets, and relies on shaving some weight off the GS to make it agiler when the going gets tough.
Bezzi imagined the BMW R1200GS Adventure Sport with a classic USD fork to spare the front shock assembly. The front side of the fairing has also been modified for more traditional looks and possibly less material needed, thus lighter. Protecting the engine still requires optional crashbars, and this will add some bulk to the bike in the end, too.
The major improvement is represented by the wheels, which now sport classic wire spoked rims, instead of the cast ones. This will endow the BMW R1200GS Adventure Sport with a significant advantage when treading on bad roads and will provide the riders with real off-road capabilities straight from the box.
Maybe a shorter, lighter exhaust could also shave some kilos off the GS, adding to the superior feel and performance on rough terrain. The coolest thing is that BMW doesn't need too much R&D to actually deliver such a bike, as the changes are rather minimal, and the results could easily outweigh (sic!) the efforts.
The idea behind the R1200GS Adventure Sport is as simple as it gets, and relies on shaving some weight off the GS to make it agiler when the going gets tough.
Getting rid of the unnecessary bulk and adding stronger wheels
Now, the R1200GS is a heavy bike, even in bare trim, so making it lighter is not the easiest of tasks. However, Oberdan Bezzi believes that the right "diet" could drop the weight of the GS to 235 kg (518 lb). A rather insignificant difference from the 238 kg (525 lb) of the stock version, some might say, but when on the trail, every pound one can spare makes the bike handle better.Bezzi imagined the BMW R1200GS Adventure Sport with a classic USD fork to spare the front shock assembly. The front side of the fairing has also been modified for more traditional looks and possibly less material needed, thus lighter. Protecting the engine still requires optional crashbars, and this will add some bulk to the bike in the end, too.
The major improvement is represented by the wheels, which now sport classic wire spoked rims, instead of the cast ones. This will endow the BMW R1200GS Adventure Sport with a significant advantage when treading on bad roads and will provide the riders with real off-road capabilities straight from the box.
Maybe a shorter, lighter exhaust could also shave some kilos off the GS, adding to the superior feel and performance on rough terrain. The coolest thing is that BMW doesn't need too much R&D to actually deliver such a bike, as the changes are rather minimal, and the results could easily outweigh (sic!) the efforts.
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