BATTLE CRUISER
Last year BMW Motorrad sold 175,162 motorcycles worldwide – nearly six percent more than 2018 for its ninth successive record year. KTM still sells more units annually, but each predominantly at much lower cost, so in terms of Euro volume, BMW is still ahead.
The R1250GS/Adventure models accounted for around a third of those bikes sold, 59,000 of them found new homes around the world. But USA and Canada BMW dealers managed just 15,116 combined sales, while in the USA alone just 13,000 bikes were sold in 2018, a mere eight percent of BMW’s total production in the Western world’s biggest market.
ONE IS ENOUGH
Front and rear brakes are linked so you can haul the big ol’ girl down using just one finger, or stomp on the pedal for extra braking power
TWO IS ENOUGH
BMW’s biggest boxer is not its most powerful. With 67 kW it makes less power than the 82 kW R nineT but the big’un makes 50 percent more torque, with 158Nm
FOUR IS ENOUGH
“We did consider making a two-valves design,” admits BMW’s Miritsch,“But... the valve gear sits higher for such a format. Anyway, the greater efficiency of a four-valve head is hard to reject.”
THE WORLD IS NOT ENOUGH
The option list is long, with different seats, bars and exhausts available. So are heated grips and hill start assist, along with
