BMW basically created the adventure touring category, popularizing the segment with its Gelände Straße motorcycles. Ever since, the German brand has created more and more “GS” bikes to help diversify its lineup for the tastes of riders, and also to defend its position from other brands.
Here, designer Oberdan Bezzi imagines a different kind of GS – a grand sport. Living somewhere between a scrambler and a maxi-motard, Bezzi’s creation sees the use of an air-cooled 1250cc boxer engine, wedged into a light adventure-sport format.
It is an intriguing idea (and design), and it pokes an obvious hole in BMW’s current crop of motorcycles. We didn’t think the Bavarian brand could use another boxer-powered motorcycle in its lineup, but Bezzi’s Global Sport makes a good case for such a machine.
We are seeing the rise of middleweight adventure-touring bikes right now. Triumph has revamped its Tiger 800 bikes, the Austrians have teased the KTM 790 Adventure, at some point in time Yamaha will release its MT-07 powered Ténéré, and even BMW has upped the ante with its F750GS and F850GS models.
A bike like Bezzi’s might not fit into that mold per se, but we are seeing a trend of ADV bikes that are lighter and more capable off-road than their 500+ lbs globe-trotting siblings. The popularity of the Honda Africa Twin proves this point further.
With that in mind, an air-cooled GS variant could make sense, if BMW can keep the weight down. It also makes the case for a similar model with 17″ wheels, which could fill a missing spot in BMW’s lineup, and go head-to-head with a bike like the Ducati Hypermotard 939.
Long-time Asphalt & Rubber readers should know how much such an idea intrigues my personal fancies…
Source: Oberdan Bezzi
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