About BMW GS
BMW made their way to the adventure-travel segment by simply creating it. Not many people know what the Yamaha Tracer or Triumph Tiger is, but everyone will understand you when you say BMW GS. In recent years, BMW R1250GS was the most selling adventure motorcycle on the planet. This sub-20k EURO motorcycle sells better than the legendary Africa Twin or Yamaha Tenere. Having such fame, it also highlights the entire GS lineup, among which you can find the F750GS and F850GS. But why is there not much hype around smaller siblings of “big” GS?
Why was F850GS lost in between?
Sometimes, you can create a product which everyone wants. You probably don’t even expect it to happen, but humans are strange creatures. And if you can trigger them to “wish” what you have, there is no turning point. That happened with BIG GS. But I will publish a separate article about that bike later.
But what if not everyone can afford the “greatest” or not everyone might want it for specific reasons, such as size or weight? In this case, you have to offer something else. So that’s what BMW did. They offer 750 and 850 GS bikes. Unfortunately, for 850, it has been lost between the most affordable BMW and the most expensive motorcycle many people desire. I explain that many people start with 750 GS, and then once they’ve got into the BMW loop. They want to maintain the same when upgrading to the next bike. So they do a straight jump to 1250 GS. That’s why we can see that for the 2024 lineup, its successor – 900GS, is a pure off-road focused machine aimed to compete with Tiger 900 Rally and Tenere 700. It is a separate category now. There is no need for mid-solution between entry-level and top-of-the-line GS motorcycles. But the 850 GS is a good motorcycle which deserves attention.
Summary
It offers you a great versatility. It is a severe motorcycle for off-road use and can do miles and miles on the highway comfortably. It has plenty of adjustability and serious electronics that the big GS also has. It can carry two people and a set of luggage. It has spoked wheels and a powerful engine. I spend some time with this bike, and if I want to be moderate on my budget, I’d choose that bike with several packs to have the best BMW can offer.
