BMW R1200GS Rallye

July 2021
The empty space in my garage where Dora, my Triumph Tiger 1200 Explorer once lived didn’t stay empty for long, within a few days there was another beast taking up residence, meet Gina my BMW R1200GS Rallye and I love it, Ooh Aah… Just a Little Bit…

July 2021
The farkling has started, today I fitted a set of BMW engine bars, a black Givi Trekker Outback 58 litre top box complete with a set of top box divers from The Top Box Divider Man to help arrange the contents of the Givi box.

January 2022
Had a nice little run over to Wheel House Tyres in Coleshill and had a pair of the brand new Michelin Road 6 tyres fitted.

June 2022
Wow, June already, time truly does fly when you’re having fun!
Coming up to its 1 year anniversary, I thought it was about time I did an update on how I’m getting on with the BMW.

I’ve just had a Denali SoundBomb supplied and fitted by Steve and Tom over at www.abikething.com, this horn produces an ear splitting 120 decibels of sound and really helps you get noticed on the road.

At the beginning of June 2022, I had a 24K mile service done by Mikeyboy over at Overland and Classic Motorcycles in Holwell near Melton Mowbray.

July 2023
After covering 7,024 miles I decided to replace my Michelin Road 6 tyres, there was still plenty of tread left but the tyres had stared to squared off, so I took a trip over to Wheel House Tyres in Coleshill and had another set of Michelin Road 6’s fitted.

August 2023
With a service due and the bike also requiring a ‘open technical enhancement check 0033130000’ on the driveshaft (cardan shaft) I got it booked in at Pidcock BMW near Long Eaton for both of these things to be sorted, so I dropped the bike off at Pidcock’s and they very helpfully gave me a BMW G 310 GS loan bike for the day while the service and warranty, opps, I mean technical enhancement check were performed.

The technical enhancement check includes them drilling a hole in the underside of the driveshaft and then fitting a rubber bung to allow any water that gets inside the driveshaft to escape, I was warned about being careful when washing the bike as this bung can easily get dislodged and when I picked the bike up, I looked underneath the driveshaft and there was indeed a little black bung under the driveshaft, but when I arrived home just 30 miles away I checked again and the bung had gone! it had obviously fell out on my journey home (what great design BMW!) I contacted Pidcock’s to inform them of this and maybe purchase a replacement but very helpfully I’ve heard nothing back from them, ohh don’t you just love dealers!

July 2025
Another quick update and another service milestone for Gina! She’s now clocked up 36,000 miles, so it was time for the big service. BMW have been offering a free cardan shaft replacement, so I booked her in with a local BMW Motorrad dealer to get it sorted.

Unfortunately, my usual go to, Pidcock BMW, had gone into receivership (RIP, you’ll be missed), so I ended up trying Sytner Warwick BMW Motorrad instead. Spoiler alert: that turned out to be a massive mistake.

Here’s how it went:

Not exactly the level of service you’d expect from a main dealer — especially one with “BMW” over the door. Still, Gina’s running sweet as ever and ready for plenty more miles, despite the dealership drama!

May 2026
The time has finally come to say goodbye to Gina. After taking up residence in the garage following Dora’s departure, the big BMW R1200GS Rallye has officially moved on to a new home in Scotland.

It is always a bit bittersweet watching a brilliant bike leave the driveway, but looking back at the numbers, we certainly had a proper innings together.

Time Owned: 4 Years, 10 Months, and 20 Days
Total Mileage Covered: 18,877 miles

Nearly 19,000 miles of absolute biking bliss (mostly!), taking in everything from local runs to the Peak District, brilliant loops around North Wales, and epic trips up to Scotland.

Gina was an absolute powerhouse of a mile-muncher. From day one, the “farkling” was fast and furious. She leaves me with quite the legacy of upgrades—from the massive black Givi Trekker Outback 58-litre top box (with those handy Top Box Divider Man inserts) to that ear-splitting 120-decibel Denali SoundBomb that definitely saved me from a few oblivious drivers over the years.

We went through multiple sets of Michelin Road 6s courtesy of Wheel House Tyres in Coleshill, and she never failed to put a massive smile on my face on roads like the Cat & Fiddle or anywhere in Scotland!

Of course, it wouldn’t be a proper long-term ownership review without mentioning a bit of character. Gina ran sweet as a nut mechanically, but dealing with the BMW dealer network was always an adventure.

I’ll never forget the great “disappearing driveshaft bung” mystery after the Pidcock BMW technical enhancement check. And, of course, the grand finale service with Sytner Warwick, who managed to forget the actual cardan shaft replacement, upside-downed my anti-squeal shims, and tried to sell me “worn out” brake pads that were barely touched.

Dealer dramas aside, the bike itself was nothing short of legendary. The R1200GS Rallye completely lived up to its reputation as the ultimate go-anywhere machine.

With Gina gone, that familiar, echoing, motorcycle-shaped void has returned to the garage once again… for now!

Thanks for the memories, Gina.