BMW launch R 1200 GS xDrive Hybrid – Electric motor assisted all wheel drive April Fools!
Since 1980 the GS brand has been the backbone of BMW Motorrad’s fortunes. Starting out with a 797cc boxer twin, before moving to the ‘oilhead’ generation in 1995.
In 2004 BMW then focused on putting the machine on a diet, with the move to the larger 1170cc engined R 1200 GS also bringing about a 30kg reduction in weight over the outgoing R 1150 GS.
Next water-cooling was introduced in 2013 and the whole pace of electronic safety aid improvements reached new levels.
Now, in 2017, BMW are on the cusp of bringing a hybrid front wheel drive system to its legendary all-roads touring machine. A battery powered electric motor adds 45hp of drive to the front wheel, which when added to the 125hp from the petrol engine brings the total driving performance to 170 horsepower!
With the world premiere of the near-series test version of the R 1200 GS xDrive Hybrid, BMW Motorrad opens up a whole new chapter in GS history and launches the world’s first series-production all-wheel drive travel enduro with hybrid drive.
The new R 1200 GS xDrive Hybrid is based on the R 1200 GS Adventure. The air/liquid cooled flat twin generates an output of 92kW (125hp) at 7750 rpm as well as a maximum torque of 125Nm at 6500rpm and delivers it to the rear wheel via shaft drive in familiar fashion.
The unique all-wheel drive of the front wheel of the new R 1200 GS xDrive Hybrid ensures even better traction on slippery road conditions, deep sand or mud. This technological feat was achieved using the system developed by BMW Automobiles.
All-wheel drive can be operated automatically or manually by the rider via the 2WD (Two-Wheel Drive) switch located on the left handlebar operation unit. It activates the wheel-hub e-Drive system which functions both as electric motor and generator.
With the additional output of 33kW (45hp) and overall 125kW (170hp) system performance, the innovative all-wheel drive system opens up a whole new dimension of performance and offroad-suitability.
A new generation of batteries, derived from BMW i battery technology, stores the energy recuperated during braking. The e-Drive system on the front wheel is supplied with this energy and the R 1200 GS xDrive Hybrid rider can use it for accelerating in addition to the power delivered by the combustion engine.
Thanks to sophisticated management technology the power is always supplied to the front wheel in the right amount and appropriately depending on the riding situation. This means that the front wheel only receives the amount of power as the traction conditions permit – for example in wet or deep snow conditions.
The rider can use a number of riding modes to customise how the all-wheel drive system operates and adjust the hybrid system’s recuperation strategies to suit his needs. Everything can be controlled using the innovative LCD display.
Apart from the significant advantages achieved with regard to ride performance, the xDrive Hybrid all-wheel drive also benefits braking greatly. Thanks to the recuperation process, which has been integrated into the BMW Motorrad ABS system, braking performance has been improved even further.
This intelligent combined solution also made it possible to reduce the conventional double-disc hydraulic braking system at the front to a single-disc brake system thereby saving approximately 2.9 kilograms of weight.
In combination with the wheel hub e-Drive, which only weighs 880 grams, the bike’s agility was also optimised. Thanks to the bike’s positive weight balance, the weight level of the current R 1200 GS Adventure could be maintained in spite of the additional hybrid all-wheel technology.
In the past months the test version of the new R 1200 GS xDrive Hybrid covered countless thousands of kilometres in the toughest of riding conditions.
The most extreme demands were placed on the bike last winter, when Reiner Scherbeck, the head of winter testing at BMW Motorrad, rode it to the North Cape on a first stage and from there across the frozen Barents Sea to the North Pole and back again.
Reiner Scherbeck – Head of winter testing at BMW Motorrad
“We were absolutely amazed how problem-free and reliable the all-wheel drive worked even at minus 56 degrees. Thanks to our functional BMW rider equipment, the cold temperatures were no problem for the rider, too. Probably the most thrilling conclusion we can draw from our test runs, is that for the first time we can offer a motorcycle that makes riding a motorcycle a pleasure at snow depths of 1.25 metres in high winter with the new R 1200 GS xDrive Hybrid. Special front section components have also been developed for this purpose as well as high-speed suitable M+S all-season tyres. This was also necessary in order to meet the necessary requirements for high-speed winter operation.”
Yamaha also offered a real two-wheel drive version of their WR450F in 2004, with the machine going on to great success in the Dakar Rally of the same year. To read the test on the 2004 Yamaha WR450F 2-Trac click here.
