This week marks a milestone for BMW Motorrad, as the company rolled its 500,000th boxer-twin GS series off the production line, fittingly a BMW R1200GS.
Designed to be the perfect blend of an off-road and street bike with everyday drivability, the top-selling GS series has captured the hearts and minds of adventure enthusiasts for the past 34 years.
In the autumn of 1980, BMW released their first travel-enduro motorcycle to feature a horizontally-opposed, or boxer engine, the R80G/S.
When it was first released, the boxer-twin GS produced a mere 50hp from 798cc of displacement. Three decades later and BMW is producing one of the most powerful, best-selling motorcycles on the planet.
“The outstanding talents of the boxer-engined GS models – ride dynamics, offroad qualities, comfort and endurance – have been continuously nurtured, developed and transferred very successfully to other BMW Motorrad model series,” said President of BMW Motorrad, Stephan Schaller.
With the R1200GS, boasting 1,170cc and 125bhp – along with semi-active electronic suspension, traction control, and ABS – BMW has shown that they are committed to continuing success and rider satisfaction.
“As a plant it is a privilege for us to continue building on the successful history of the legendary flat-twin GS. With the precision-cooled drive unit, a new evolutionary stage was reached last year,” said Marc Sielemann, Head of the BMW Motorrad Berlin Plant. “Manufacturing half a million units underlines the fact that the boxer GS represents a cornerstone of our motorcycle production more than ever before.”
Source: BMW Group
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