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It must be something in the schnitzel. Maybe somebody’s spiked the weiss bier. How else to explain the mad tear the Bavarians are on? A Hayabusa-hunting steamroller in the new K1200S? A ballsy muscle-flexer in the naked R version? A sharpened sport-Boxer about to break ground? Cool new inline-Twins on the way? A rumored MotoGP project? Now this…a BMW enduro bike? Mein Gott!
Surely, this is “enduro” in the weird Euro sense, as in “dual-purpose bike?” Apparently not; the factory has entered the new HP2 in the German Cross Country Championship and plans to tackle the Baja 500 and 1000.
CW got to throw a leg over this new dirt-worthy Boxer at the world press launch in a wooded area outside Valencia, Spain, one of the few places in Europe that the eco-weenies haven’t (yet) roped off. Not that we were roughing it. Nothing but the best for BMW, as in a fancy-schmancy five-star hotel, superb food and wine, factory mechanics attending to every need–the bike’s, not mine…
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| Damper defense: A rubber gaiter protects the air shock's seals and guides from wear and tear from off-road elements. Front "salvaging bars" mount the headlight, instruments and fender, are strong enough to be used to extricate the bike from mudholes, deep sand, etc. |
Home base was Enduropark Aras Rural, a 1000-plus-mile trail system filled with dirt roads, two-track and the occasional single-track. Starting off at the park’s training center was a plus, tackling man-made obstacles to get used to the feel of such a jumbo dirtbike. At a claimed 386 pounds dry, the HP2 is light for a BMW but still 110 pounds heavier than a Honda XR650, besides packing an extra cylinder and at 1170cc, almost twice the displacement!
Lineage is as you’d expect, derived from the R1200GS with concepts from the R900R, a.k.a. BMW’s works Dakar Rally bike. This makes sense, taking an award-winning adventure-touring bike and mixing it with race-winning insight.
After the obstacle course, we hit the trails to get some genuine saddle time. Despite its relative heft, the HP’s power-to-weight ratio quickly makes things right. We’re talking huge horsies here for something that’s supposed to thread its way through trees and over rock piles, a claimed 105 crankshaft hp. Torque is massive, 85 foot-pounds at 5500 rpm, giving the motor the feel of a heavy-duty diesel. This is smooth, controllable, useable power, and a boatload of it. Chug along a gear (or two) too high, or downshift and rev the wee out of it, the Beemer simply doesn’t care. Just be prepared for the velocities attained. BMW claims a top speed of 125 mph.
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