AS WE HAVE previously predicted, BMW’s bestselling boxer-engined GS models will get their biggest overhaul in years for 2019, with a new, larger engine. Now we have gained a sneak look at detailed specifications of what will be called the R1250GS and R1250GS Adventure. We’ve already published spy shots of the new engine, fitted to a R1250RT tourer, but now more specific details have emerged.
2018 BMW R 1200 GS
As the new names suggest, the big change is to the engine capacity. For 2019 the R1200GS will be gone, along with its partially liquidcooled 1170cc boxer twin. In its place comes a completely reworked 1254cc boxer, again with liquid cooling. That’s an 84cc increase in capacity, with a significant boost in power.
According to the still-secret specs we’ve seen, the 2019 R1250GS and Adventure will make 100kW at 7750rpm, compared to 92kW for the current R1200GS. That worthwhile increase should be backed up by a similarly large boost in torque. What’s more, it’s likely to use variable valve timing to increase the spread of power and torque.
The leaked specs neither confirm nor refute this, but spy images reveal a completely redesigned cylinder head that could easily be hiding a variable valve timing system. This would make the powerful new GS more user-friendly. The new boxer layout is also quieter, peaking at 88dB compared to 92dB for the 2018 version. Such a decrease must mean a new exhaust system.
That could explain why the new GS and the Adventure are 5kg heavier than their 2018 equivalents. The 2019 R1250GS comes in at 249kg with a full 20-litre tank of fuel, while the Adventure is 268kg when its 30-litre tank is brimmed. While we haven’t seen pictures of the R1250GS yet, specifications suggest it won’t look much different than the current model.
We might see detail styling changes, such as side panels and headlights, but we don’t expect major chassis alterations. The dimensions we’ve seen show several minor variations in height and wheelbase, but all are very close to the existing R1200GS and R1200GS Adventure. The most significant is in overall height, suggesting either a selection of different screen heights or possibly multiple versions with different suspension heights.
Previous Adventure model launches have followed a year behind the normal GS, but the information we’ve seen suggests both machines will appear as 2019 models at the same time later this year. We’ll find out for certain in the first week of October, when BMW reveals all its 2019 models at the Intermot show in Cologne.
