Another shitty day at the office ...

It's not a bad job really. Ride a bike for a week or two, analyze what it's doing and then spew out some witty wordage. Slap in a couple of pics, post it online and it's time for the next one.

Trouble is, ultimately it's just a snapshot of the bike under the best conditions (new and in tip-top condition at all times), which is why we like long-term tests so much.

I know what you're thinking, that bastard 'arris gets a brand new bike to ride all summer and all he has to do is pay for the gas. Yep, sweet isn't it? But don't let this article's splash page fool you – we do try and do a decent job in the process, that being to analyze the bike over the long ride, get opinions from other staffers and then tally up the running costs over the duration.

Hopefully we end up with an informative series of articles, get to do some interesting tours and then finish with an in-depth review of what we discovered over the last year. That's the plan anyway.

With the hope of establishing the new CMG Touring section, last year we managed to get our hands on the new BMW K1200GT. Actually, we had two - sort of.

One day we road it all the way to London Bridge (Arizona). Photo: Editor 'arris

Over the year, the GT was taken on all the CMG tours, racking up a total of 18,103Km. We took it to the east coast, all around Quebec and through the north-eastern States. In order to get the series kicked off in a timely manner, I managed to scam one to ride the 4000 miles between Daytona, Florida and Los Angeles, California in March. This enabled for an initial test ride, while the first impression of the Canadian bike was submitted courtesy of Ed. Finally, a comparison with the much acclaimed Yamaha FJR1300 was completed, albeit on a chilly late Fall ride to Pennsylvania.

In this final wrap-up piece, we summarize the bike-specific bits for you, sans story and anecdotes. We've also itemized all the running costs, so that a prospective buyer can get a good idea of the cost of owning such a bike. All this information was garnered from any of the CMG staff that took the GT for a lengthy spin, namely Ed, Larry and myself, thus providing viewpoints from a mixture of body types, biases and wants - not to mention attitude.

ENGINE

Careful with that throttle! Exploring the motor's capabilities meant that we got to know the local constabulary in the process. Photo: Editor 'arris

No two ways about it – it's a gem. Turbine smooth with gobs of torque and a linear power delivery all the way to the 9,000rpm redline, make it the perfect motor for this bike. Need to pass? Just roll-on the throttle and all 300Kgs launch themselves forward as if just released from a massive cartoon slingshot.

The only downside to the motor was a tendency to smoke at start-up. Again, it's a relatively well-known BMW K series phenomenon, thanks to the flat positioning of the motor allowing oil to sit in the cylinders and weep back into the head during down-time. Although a lifetime of faux pas has meant that I'm not easily embarrassed, getting lost in a cloud of blue smoke with a new $25,000 Beemer would probably get a mild blush out of me.

Although the average BMW rider might not attempt to do any of their own maintenance, a simple oil level check and topping up proved a tad more troublesome than it should – A small, inaccessible window and filler hole meant that it was a two person job, and a tough one at that.

The six-speed box was quite capable, but did require a firmish foot to ensure that you got the change you wanted.

Heavy but solid.

In the comfort department, it's up there, although not without its niggles. Photo: Editor 'arris

• Trying to set the seat to a new height is a real bitch. Getting all the bits to fit, slide-into place or latch secure is a tad overly complicated.
• The additional wind protection provided by some additional bits of plastic do actually work but look a bit last minute, with the leg protectors getting in the way when putting feet to the ground, or during an on-the-go stretch.
• The throttle cables are routed in front of the clock and gear indicator - requiring you to move up and forward to see them.
• Although the electrically adjustable screen works well, it only has 2" of travel and didn't quite come up high enough to give the taller riders a full wind block.

Servo-assisted brakes have evolved.

Bags work well, but left side loses out to pipe location.

FJR or GT? That depends where abouts you sit on the sport-touring spectrum.

As a long-distance tourer the GT is in its element. Great comfort and a superb motor combine with a strong – although heavy – chassis to make munching the miles a pleasure. Although it can be pushed into sporty mode, weight and lack of clearance/sport posture make it a bit of a work-out to do so, so it's definitely on the touring end of the sport-touring spectrum.

As a flagship BMW we were slightly disappointed by some of the problems encountered. Although they were all on the small side, at C$24,600 you shouldn't really be having any! That's also a good $6,400.00 more than Yamaha's luscious FJR1300, although the GT does come with a 3 year road-side assistance program and some mechanical extras not offered by other companies.

Would I buy one? No, I don't have that kind of money ... or any money for that matter. But if I did, then I'd still probably go for the FJR, but that's simply because I prefer the sporty side of the spectrum. If you prefer the touring side, then it's unlikely that the GT wouldn't satisfy.

Keep an eye on CMG for some upcoming touring articles to Moncton and Mont Trembant involving the GT.

RUNNING COSTS (first 18,000Km)

Note - Service Intervals occur at every 10,000k or 20,000k or a once a year service - whichever comes up first. The 10k is a service while the 20k is an inspection.

THANKS TO…

*Bavarian Motosport (now part of Open Road BMW) for the prep and service work.

**Moto Internationale for the Montreal service work.

BMW Canada for giving us the bike in the first place and letting us do what we do.

K1200GT links:

	TEST RIDE 1	Initial Impression
	TEST RIDE 2	Full Test
	COMPARO	With the Yamaha FJR1300
	GRAND TOUR	Across the Southern US
	Photo: Editor 'arris