The BMW GS line started in 1980 with the R 80 G/S powered by an air-cooled 50-horsepower boxer motor with two-valve heads. Now, 43 years later, the one-millionth boxer-powered BMW GS motorcycle has rolled off the German production line; however, the milestone Triple Black Style R 1250 GS features liquid cooling, a four-valve head, a Shift Cam with variable valve timing, and a peak output of 134 horsepower. While that’s progress, there’s more to come, as Head of BMW Motorrad Dr. Markus Schramm announced when noting the milestone.
“With the R 80 G/S and its unique combination of on-road and off-road suitability, everyday qualities, and long-distance touring abilities, BMW Motorrad created the new motorcycle genre of touring enduros in 1980,” Schramm said. “The BMW GS with boxer engine became an icon, which achieved global success in this segment. What is more, the BMW GS became a legend and, at the same time, an indispensable cornerstone in the BMW Motorrad model range. Its outstanding talents, such as dynamic riding performance, brawny off-road qualities, superior long-distance comfort, and enormous robustness, have since been continuously developed by BMW Motorrad and transferred to other BMW Motorrad model series with great success.”
“I am therefore very pleased that today, and especially in our 100 Years of BMW Motorrad anniversary year, we are able to contribute a major milestone to the corporate history of the BMW Group with the one millionth BMW GS motorbike with a boxer engine,” Schramm continued. “I am equally pleased that the unique history of BMW Motorrad models with boxer engines will soon be supplemented by an exciting chapter with numerous innovations with the new R 1300 GS.”
BMW insiders tell us that the 2024 BMW R 1300 GS will debut in Berlin on September 28 when the new BMW Motorrad Welt celebrates its grand opening.
