statement – I know . Yes , I ’ m old school and have a long off-road background that perhaps clouds my judgement , but , no question , electronics have put me in tricky spots because the bike wouldn ’ t let me do what I needed to do . Of course , this is all dependent on rider ability level . For example , sometimes a good rider will want to lock the wheels or power slide around a gravel turn , because that ’ s what they need to do to successfully complete their manoeuvre . Other riders may never dream of such riding . My point is that the rider should have the choice and not be treated like a novice . Thankfully BMW has fitted the GS with a magic button . A quick button push on the fly and the TC is switched completely off . This enables slides , wheelies , burnouts and other ‘ essential ’ things , but be advised , the manual says in extreme circumstances the machine could flip over backwards . Well , hallelujah , there is a god ! I ’ m not sold on the Hill Start hold function . Yes , in theory it is helpful . But , honestly , how hard is it to hold the rear brake on ( or front for that matter ) on a hill and start off ? My annoyance with it is this ... if you want to roll backwards with your feet down to maneuver and use first gear
as a brake you can ’ t . The bike is locked in place from the rear brake being firmly on . So , then you have to start off a bit , put the bike in neutral and use only the front brake for control when rolling backwards . So , what ’ s the actual point ? Of course , you can roll backwards in neutral and use the rear brake , but this is trickier from a balance point of view . While this isn ’ t a big deal and can be managed , I see it as an unnecessary gimmick – thankfully it can be disabled . The ABS and TC intervention level is adjustable in Dynamic Pro and Enduro Pro modes when you select the configuration function on the excellent TFT screen . This means you can make adjustments for more or less intervention depending on your requirements . In Dynamic , Road , Enduro and ECO modes , the TC and power delivery and ABS defaults to the factory settings . So , with the PRO modes for Dynamic and Enduro there are six modes in total . Happily , you can choose not to have them all available , so that when scrolling through the modes it doesn ’ t take all day . ECO mode must be permanently selected and I only have Dynamic and Enduro Pro selected for use . I use Dynamic for all road work , which has the
54 KIWI RIDER