Kiwi Rider May 2022 Vol.1 | Page 51

it ’ s quicker than it feels because the fulsome acceleration is masked by its brilliant torque and civility . Some engines are fast and feel it ( we ’ re looking at you KTM ), but the delivery can make the power tricky to apply . The best engines are fast , effortless and totally intuitive in use . BMW has given the 1250 a crucial balance of torque , power and ease of use just right . And , because it ’ s such a forgiving engine it works well in the hands of less experienced riders too .
SUSPENSION The Telelever front-end on previous GS iterations has never been a standout for me . I found it has felt high at the front and , because the system does not compress when braking ( as telescopic forks do ), it often felt reluctant to turn-in . I found it could be difficult to initiate turns , particularly on gravel . In effect , if you didn ’ t get it quite right , it had a tendency to want to go straight ahead . Well , that ’ s how it felt to me coming from a lifetime of riding bikes with conventional forks . Tarmac was never really a problem because there ’ s greater latitude to just lay the bike over . The 1250 has no such issues and is brilliantly light , agile and accurate on road . It is planted and very confidence inspiring . At times on gravel you can notice the lack of brake-induced dive when wanting to use that dive to aid turnin , but it ’ s such a minor feeling now that few used to conventional forks would notice much
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