BRAKES
Both these bikes rely on 305mm discs matched to four-piston calipers for primary retardation. Both examples too came with ABS, which can be switched off for off-roading.
Unsurprisingly they both offered a very similar level of performance. That said, braking styles differed considerably. Maybe it's the way the 1200 is ever so slightly taller, but on the newer Adventure you use
considerably more rear brake - we suspect to counter the amount of forward pitching that accompanies a handful of front brake.
The rear also gets used a fair deal mid corner where subtle variances in speed are called for. The 1150, however, is as good as gold. A handful of front brake here worked in the same manner as any sports bike rider can relate to: Simply pile it on.
However, the 1200 does have the benefit of a revised ABS system, the primary benefit (for us) being nothing more than an easier manner of disabling it. On the 1200 you merely press the ABS button anytime and immediately a light flashes 'brake failure' (slightly disconcerting, if not to say inaccurate) to confirm. With the 1150 we're talking a far more complicated and bothersome procedure. Something like holding the ABS down while switching on the ignition then keep on pressing for 10-seconds etc etc. In short, a bother.
CHASSIS
As the salesman shouted, "Which part of all-new do you not understand?" Okay, you can see the genealogy, but the reality is so many parts bear no more than a passing resemblance to the previous model. The forks, or sliders perhaps (this is Telelever), are up from 35mm to 41mm diameter.
The Paralever rear you can see now carries its torque arm above the shaft drive, not below. The steering head angle and trail have been significantly changed - less angle, more trail. BMW have engineered a full 30kg weight saving, so you start to appreciate no spacer was left unturned.
And yet once again, when it comes to how this conveys to the rider we seem to be picking at incidentals rather than an overall paradigm shift. You notice you are sitting higher, probably storming along just a bit faster, but perhaps more so you're picking up incidentals like screen protection, seat height, tank width, pretty clock dials.
With both bikes you have these high and wide handlebars so you have almost ludicrous amounts of leverage on the steering. And with both bikes you are ever mindful that you are forcing god-knows how much weight, lets say circa 350kg of kinetic mass through what are 110- and 150-section tyres. And given these are tall beasts that's a lot of weight moving its centre of gravity. Enough to make you moderate your aggression somewhat.
So does the 1200 feel better? No. It feels about the same. Only it feels the same carrying about an extra 5-10mph everywhere. That's enough to make the 1150 rider pedal considerably harder to keep up, but not enough to call 1200-land an all-new place.
However, our 1200 owner hasn't been short-changed. There are many improvements that really help improve the Adventure's status. For a start those are cool anodised alloy motocross bars to steer by - light years ahead of the black painted steel bars on the 1150. Same goes for the new oversize alloy footpegs. Compared to the finger-thin steel pegs on the 1150, again a massive improvement.
The screen's quite something too, offering more protection without compromising the view forward. It adds at least two-degrees more warmth to the rider too - standing up while on a night run confirmed it much cooler 'out there' than behind that screen. As well the rider is well protected by the 33-litre tank, which is now sculpted to the rider's legs. The downside to that is when your legs get tired you can no longer stretch them out over the cylinders - a favourite pastime of Boxer owners.
The seat too is now adjustable. The lower position is 'seriously tall', the higher position, 'stratospheric'. Alas, it's no more comfortable than the old bench seat of the 1150. For real distance on either bike you'd be inclined to order an aftermarket item.
LOOKS
The 1150 is a classic. When launched it re-wrote the book of neo-industrial automotive design. Not since the Tiger Ausf. E (we call them Panzer) of 1942 has Germany created such an imposing touring tool. Forget how impressive the 1150 Adventure is off-road, with looks like this it was a must-have for anyone who fancied long distance work coloured with a frisson of attitude. Big counts.
Bigger counts even more, and the 1200 Adventure is even bigger, in bulk if not weight. Parked together on their centre stands the 1200 towers over the 1150. With the screen close to reaching an altitude of six-foot it's a case of stepladders for anyone shorter than 5'10". That new 33-lite tank does a hell of a job of creating the 1200's imposing broad-shouldered posture. Added to this are the now fitted-as-standard crash bars for tank and cylinders, which help suggest adventure pending, on a Herculean scale.
After five years the 1150 was certainly due an update and with the demands of meeting Euro3 regulations the time had come for a makeover. Aesthetics are a personal, emotive issue. We can argue for informed educated opinions, but with bikes like the 1200 Adventure there is only one uniform reaction - awe.
CONCLUSION
There has been among the GS brotherhood muttered words of dissent on the 1200GSs. That they're not proper GSs, since they utilise too much plastic and light alloys. And sin of all sins, CAN bus takes away nearly all notion of field-fixes for electrical failures. On that last point they may have an argument. But for the vast majority of GS Adventure purchasers, CAN bus is a non-issue, throughout much of Europe the nearest BMW dealer will be little more than a 30mph-limited limp, or even a truck-bound relay trip away.
In truth, the 1200 is bigger and better, faster and meaner. And Euro3 compliant. It does nearly everything better than the 1150. Yet unlike the 1098 vs 999 splitting heirs of a couple of months back it does nothing to show-up the shortcomings of its predecessor, if anything it highlights the 1150's strengths. Eventually math replaces emotion: if you've got £5000 you buy the 1150; £10,000 you buy the 1200. Either way you're not going to be disappointed.
