BMW Motorcycle Road Tests
& Reviews
BMW Motorcycle Guide
BMW, an acronym for Bayerische Motoren Werke, is a German motorcycle, automobile and engine manufacturing company founded in 1917. BMW motorcycles were first manufactured in 1923, powered by an air-cooled, horizontally opposed 'boxer' twin engine, a much modernized version of which still powers several models in BMW's current lineup.
2010 BMW R1200GS/Adventure Review
Arden Kysely
June 20, 2011
photography by Kevin Wing and Jonathan Beck [This 2010 BMW R1200GS/Adventure Road Test was originally published in the August 2010 issue of Rider magazine] Standing beside the mud-splattered, BMW 2010 R 1200 GS in my garage, I was losing my patience. A friend who races dirt bikes—those skinny, lightweight... Read more »
2012 BMW K1600GT and K1600GTL Road Test
Rider Magazine
June 9, 2011
photography by Bernhard Limberger, Alberto Martinez and Daniel Kraus GTL emphasizes comfort with a larger windscreen, plusher and more relaxed ergonomics, milder exhaust sound and a standard top trunk and other amenities, but it's still fast and nimble. [This 2012 BMW K1600GT and K1600GTL Road... Read more »
2011 BMW F800R vs. Ducati Monster 796 vs. Triumph Street Triple R Road Test Comparison
Rider Magazine
June 7, 2011
photography by Kevin Wing [This 2011 BMW F800R vs. Ducati Monster 796 vs. Triumph Street Triple R Road Test Comparison was originally published in the April 2011 issue of Rider magazine] Left to right: Ducati Monster 796, Triumph Street Triple R, BMW F800R in action. Gathered around the shiny, all-knowing... Read more »
2011 BMW F800R Road Test
Rider Magazine
June 6, 2011
photography by Rich Cox [This 2011 BMW F800R Road Test was originally published in the March 2011 issue of Rider magazine] Whenever I cram too many alphanumeric motorcycle models into a conversation, my girlfriend, Carrie, rolls her eyes and says, “It’s all beeps and whistles, dude.” I can hardly... Read more »
Great (Mis)Adventure: Six Countries and Garmisch BMW Motorrad Meeting
Kevin Ash
April 7, 2011
story and photography by Kevin Ash This was going to need some serious spicing up. You’d expect a weekend gathering of 30,000 motorcyclists in a single place to be a source of countless laughs, drunkenness, wild stories, mad antics and mayhem. But 30,000 BMW owners? That’s the annual International... Read more »
2010 BMW R 1200 GS Road Test
Arden Kysely
August 6, 2010
photography by Kevin Wing and Jonathan Beck [This 2010 BMW R 1200 GS Road Test was originally published in the August 2010 issue of Rider magazine] 2010 BMW R 1200 GS off road. Standing beside the mud-splattered, 2010 BMW R 1200 GS in my garage, I was losing my patience. A friend who races dirt bikes—those... Read more »
New Six-cylinder BMWs: K 1600 GT and K 1600 GTL
Rider Contributor
July 2, 2010
Munich, Germany (July 2, 2010) – Since BMW Motorrad presented the six-cylinder Concept 6 last fall, rumors have circulated about what model might receive such a potent, in-line six engine. Six-cylinder in-line engines have powered BMW automobiles for over seven decades. Today BMW announced that... Read more »
2010 BMW S1000RR Road Test
Rider Contributor
January 15, 2010
by Kevin Ash; photography by Jason Critchell [This 2010 BMW S1000RR Road Test was originally published in the March 2010 issue of Rider magazine] 2010 BMW S 1000 RR in action. If you’re going to hype a motorcycle as much as BMW has been hyping the S 1000 RR, then it had better be good. If you’re... Read more »
2009 BMW K 1300 S Road Test
Greg Drevenstedt
April 28, 2009
[This 2009 BMW K 1300 S Road Test originally appeared in the June 2009 issue of Rider magazine] As cool as it is to ride a sportbike on the track, all decked out in leathers and doing my damnedest to grind down my knee pucks, that is a special occasion. My bread and butter riding is done on the street,... Read more »
2009 BMW K 1300 GT Road Test
Rider Magazine
April 28, 2009
photography by Kevin Wing [This 2009 BMW K 1300 GT Road Test was originally published in the June 2009 issue of Rider magazine] 2009 BMW K 1300 GT One measly pound, just 16 ounces. That’s how little weight the top-line 2009 BMW K 1300 GT sport tourer has gained, even with numerous improvements and... Read more »
