Video: BMW HP4 vs. BMW R 1200 GS

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.

BMW R 1200 GS Named Robb Report\’s \”Best of the Best\”

Celebrating its 25th year, the \"Best of the Best\" issue of the <em>Robb Report</em> has hit newsstands for June and in it, they name the BMW R 1200 GS as their winner in the Adventure/Touring category. Among 175 winners, the iconic GS has retained its position as the category leader despite radical changes to the bike\'s design. In short, <em>Robb Report</em> is giving BMW credit for evolving the GS while managing to make a great bike better, not worse.

Video: Gratuitous R 1200 GS Engine Porn

With the 2013 R 1200 GS, BMW has done something completely new with the iconic engine: added liquid cooling. However, it\'s important to understand that this new engine is only partially cooled by the wet stuff. As demonstrated in the video above, water cooled in the GS\'s radiators is circulated through the engine\'s block, cylinders and the very bottom of the drivetrain. The rest of the engine\'s cooling is provided by good old fashioned ambient airflow.