There ‘s an old adage in performance: it ‘s not how much power you have, it ‘s how much power you can use. For all its off road and world exploring street cred, the BMW R 1200 GS is still a 1.2L, finely tuned motorcycle with a top notch suspension. In the right hands, the big GS can be ridden to extraordinary limits. Take for example this video, pitting the 125 hp BMW R 1200 GS against what ought to be no contest: the track-bred, fire-breathing, 194 hp HP4 variant of the BMW S 1000 RR. This should be a mismatch, yet the GS more than holds its own.

What makes this contest so tight? The track itself has a lot to do with it. In a drag race, this would be no contest, but navigating around this twisty race track, the GS ‘s greater torque plays a huge factor, even at nearly 100 lbs of weight disadvantage. Not only is the GS making nearly 10 ft-lbs more twist, it ‘s making peak torque output a good 3,000 RPMs lower than the HP4. That ‘s power you can use.

Granted, we have no insight into who the riders were and what the relative skill levels are between them. Even more than horsepower or torque, the rider makes the biggest difference on the race track. Either way, it ‘s a hell of a track day battle and a fitting testament to just how much bike the BMW flagship really is.

Source: YouTube
Via: AutoBlog