I picked up the dual purpose BMW R1150GS midday Saturday and put on 50 kilometers before putting it to bed that night in the vain hope that perhaps it would transform itself into a graceful swan by morning. Upon lifting the garage door Sunday morning, the ugly duck was still there and it hadn’t lost any of the lines beaten into it by the very large ‘ugly stick’,.... ah well.

Friend and BMW devotee, John Tucker, owned an R1100GS and his comment about the design of the bike was, "I didn’t buy it for its looks, I bought it because it could take us around Australia."

Quite so, and after riding the 1150GS here, there and everywhere during the weekend, I reckon it’s the best choice dual purpose bike for the ‘big country’. I stand by my earlier comments regarding the Triumph Tiger being the WRX of the motorcycle world, it’s lively and exciting, begging the rider to fire it up and let it fly. The Bee Emm on the other hand is saying "take it easy, enjoy the scenery, there’s plenty of time."

Now that doesn’t mean the 85hp GS can’t tear up the tar, it can, more a case of it invokes a more relaxed style of riding.

I want to make this very important point. The GS is built in such a way, that major servicing can be done by a skilled home mechanic while out on the road, with standard tools (plus oil filter tool) whereas, the Tiger and its other contemporaries, will require a trained mechanic and fully equipped workshop. The test bike had heated handgrips, fuel injection, 2 position seat height (840 to 860mm), 3 position windscreen, carry rack, pannier brackets (panniers are $850), side stand cutout, digital readouts for the clock, fuel, oil temperature and gear indicator. There’s also a bash plate, adjustable hand levers and a superb BMW tool kit. The carry rack converts to a top box ($625) bracket. The rear seat, while quite comfortable, has a hard ridge that can annoy your pillion if they choose to sit back. The seat comes off to allow its base to be used as an extra carry rack.

Rear suspension preload is easily adjusted by a twist knob down near the left foot peg while an easily reached damping screw is positioned at the base of the shock, and, thanks to the innovative telelever front end you can set 3 extra positions of pre load there as well.

Sixth gear equates to about 3,000 rpm at 100kph, match this with the quiet air cooled ‘Boxer’ twin cylinder engine, comfortable seating plus shaft drive and you’ll be surprised that you’ve got to stop to fuel the 22 litre tank every 400 klms or so. Australia has some of the most incredible sights in the world and if you are going to see it on a motorcycle, then the R1150GS would be the best choice for so many reasons.

The headlights are excellent and should allow the rider to traverse great expanses of kangaroo infested landscape in relative safety. The mirrors do vibrate a bit at highway speeds, but not to the degree of being unable to see what’s behind you.

The test bike came shod with Bridgestone tyres and gave excellent grip. Tyre prices are $166 front and $228 rear for Metzler Enduro, no doubt the Bridgestones will be a bit keener as is the norm. Dual piston Brembo caliper twin disk brakes up front and single disk rear are excellent at pulling the 250kg mile muncher to a halt, and for an extra $1750 you can equip the GS with ABS braking.

I gingerly took the brand new GS along a well used bit of dirt track not far from where I live, and found that there was plenty of height for the bike to ride very smoothly over all deformations and surefootedness is a strong point. No wonder they’re the choice for long distance rallies. Because the cylinders hang out from the motor like the wings of a Jumbo jet they may collect long grass and twigs etc. All in all, this is one very impressive motorcycle.

Damnation! Which bike would I put in the garage? I have to admit to being biased toward the Tiger, it being very inspiring during my test ride last month, however, no matter how critically I looked at the R1150GS, I had to grudgingly accept its mastery. The practical side of me wants the Bee Emm while the Trumpy gets my vote for style and acceleration, I guess it requires a lotto win and space for both in the shed. However, should I have to make the hardest of decisions, I would have to narrowly vote the practical German machine over the fine English one.

Price on road is $18,600. Accessories include panniers, tank bag, anti theft device, top box, and hand guards ($37). Colours available - Night Black, Mandarin and Titanium silver metallic.

May your lid never skid.

Engine Cubic Capacity 1130cc

Bore/Stroke 101/70.5 mm

Max Output 62.5kw 85bhp at 6750rpm

Max Torque 98Nm

No. of Cylinders 2

Valves per Cyl. 4

Fuel Supply Motronic MA 2.4

Power Trans/Gearbox 6-speed

Clutch Single plate dry clutch – 165mm dia.

Suspension Rear wheel drive – BMW Paralever

Spring Travel Front/Rear – 190/200 mm

Brakes Twin front single rear dual piston - ABS optional

Wheels Front – 2.5 x 19

Rear – 4.0 x 17

Tyres Front – 110/80 – H19TL

Rear – 150/70 – H17TL

Dimensions/Weights

Seat Height 840/860 mm

Weight – Unladen with full fuel tank – 249kg

Maximum Weight 460kg

Fuel Tank 22.1 litres

Fuel Consumption @ 90km/hr - 4.5 ltr/100km

Fuel Consumption @ 120km/hr – 5.7 ltr/100km

Acceleration 0-100km/h (62mph) – 4.3 sec

Maximum Speed 194 kph

Motorcycles and specifications shown are indicative only and subject to change.