KIWI RIDER 11 2019 VOL1 | Page 22

BMW INTERNATIONAL GS TROPHY BIKES REVEALED B MW’s International GS Trophy heads to New Zealand in February, and with the bikes needing to make their way here from Germany on time they’ve already been outfitted for the adventure ahead of shipping to Aotearoa. Based around the F850GS (rather than the GS-A model) the 2020 Trophy will see the flagship GS – in this case, the R1250GS Adventure – missing out on being the bike of choice for the international competition. In total, BMW Motorrad is shipping 140 bikes to New Zealand from the German factory, an increase of 26 bikes over the last event in 2018, with each bike in an exclusive specification just for the International GS Trophy. All 140 bikes are identical in keeping with the competition aspect of the GS Trophy, with each adorned in its own one-off black and yellow colour scheme with special GS Trophy graphics – including a New Zealand Flag – for the 2020 edition. In contrast with the black/yellow is gold anodising on the USD forks and cross-spoked tubeless-spec wheel rims. For the GS Trophy, BMW has also delved deep into 22 KIWI RIDER the options list for the F850GS and selected a long list of equipment to help riders make the most of the middleweight GS during the competition. Sure to make a difference for riders are the inclusions of a host of electronic aids, with BMW’s dynamic suspension adjustment and DTC traction control systems, Gear Shift Assist Pro quickshifter, and 6.5in TFT screen with BMW Motorrad Connectivity and the Riding Modes Pro (Dynamic/Enduro/Enduro Pro) all part of the built-in tech on offer on these exclusive bikes. BMW is also, and quite naturally, outfitting all the bikes with an aggressive set of off-road rubber and bike protection to ensure the bikes – which are guaranteed to take a hammering – make it to the end of the eight-day competition. Sadly, it doesn’t look like we’ll have a local team of riders to represent us in our home GS Trophy. To date, there are 18 teams confirmed to date including riders from Australia, Argentina, China, the USA and United Kingdom with an all-female team and regional teams representing the Middle East, North Africa and South-East Asia included as well.