The man with the toughest job in motorcycling

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BMW R1200GS: PROJECT LEADER
THE MAN WITH THE WHO IS RUHE?
Ruhe started at BMW in 1995 as an
TOUGHEST JOB IN
intern and has never left. He had
worked on the K1200S, R1150GS
Adventure, R1150R Rockster and
R1200ST before taking charge of
getting the R1200GS Adventure
ready for production at BMW’s
MOTORCYCLING
production plant in Berlin. He
has been heading up the latest
R1200GS project since
it started in 2007.
In an MCN exclusive interview, Antonius Ruhe, the man
in charge of developing the new BMW R1200GS, reveals the
stresses and strains of the five-year project to replace an icon
By Andy Downes
ntonius Ruhe is at the
A
helm of BMW’s most
important project of the
past five years – chan-
nelling the firm’s top
talents and technology
into updating the firm’s
two-wheeled talisman, the R1200GS.
Ruhe recalls the moment he was
asked to head up the project way back
in 2007. He laughs and says: “It was a
combination of pride and really looking
forward to the project, but also mixed
with a little bit of being scared. The
hardest part was looking at the task
of making the bike better in every way
when the bike we were changing was
already so good at so many things.”
It’s hardly a surprise he was mildly
fearful. The BMW R1200GS isn’t just the
German firm’s biggest seller, bringing
in a massive chunk of profit, it also has Ruhe (left) at work. Every aspect of the
a 30-year heritage – and GS owners NEW GS IN NUMBERS bike was evolved to produce the new GS
around the world know exactly what
sort of bike they like. Get it wrong and
they’re not going to be happy. The GS
accounts for more than half of all BMW
310,000miles of road testing
Q The bike’s enduro talents when
taken off road.
But what of water cooling? Why is
bikes sold around the world. Jobs in the new GS (partially) water-cooled
the motorcycle industry rarely get
tougher than that.
‘Three phases of the GS’
621,000
miles covered on the dyno
after a 30-year tradition of being an
air-cooled boxer twin? Ruhe says:
“Water cooling wasn’t an intention;
we did not set out to make the new
more power, like the Multistrada, we
realised almost everyone was getting
off the Ducati after about one hour
because they were tired. They wanted
BMW takes great pride in understand- engine water-cooled, but it became to get back onto the GS because it was The hardest part
ing GS owners and the whole evolution
process started with global market
research, which confirmed rather than
changed what BMW already knew.
500
new examples built already – some
clear we were going to have to do this
because of the extra power needed,
which creates more heat. The engine
is still 65% air-cooled, with the water
not so tiring.
“GS owners have told us they don’t
want lots more power, but they do
want more torque, so finding 125bhp
was trying to
making the bike
are ready for dealers in early 2013
Ruhe explains: “The market research cooling covering the rest. and 125Nm (92ftlb) of torque will
was just a part of the process of defin- make them very happy.” better in every
ing the project and this was carried out
throughout 2007. By the end of that year
we set out the technical design. There
400
millilitres – twin radiators’ capacity
Back-to-back tests
“One of the most important parts of
the project was to get those working
Alongside the new, sharper styling
of the GS, two of the most noticeably
revised elements are the exhaust
way, when it was
were no big surprises, but it did help us on it to understand the talents of the and the single-sided swingarm – already so good at
be sure of what we were about to do.” GS, both on and off the road. BMW they have swopped sides, with the
so many things
Key to the new GS – which you can
read about in full detail over the previ-
ous four pages – was improving upon
125
bhp from new engine
set up riding days so everyone could
understand just how good a GS can
be off road and just how far it can go
swingarm now on the left and the
exhaust on the right.
Ruhe explains that, rather than this Antonius Ruhe
the ‘three phases of the GS’ which are in comfort on the road. All of this was being a complex engineering solu-
defined as: carried out in back-to-back testing tion, there are two simple reasons for alongside in deep mud, this stops them
Q The ability of the bike to be a tour-
ing machine.
Q The sporty handling when the bike
30
years since the first GS was built
with rivals.”
Ruhe adds: “We knew we needed
more power, but after lots of people
this. He says: “We moved the exhaust
to the right side because when the
motorcycle is being ridden off-road
getting burnt if the bike falls over. The
swingarm is now on the left because
it looks better from a styling point of
is pushed hard. had ridden some of the rivals with lots and riders need to get off and walk view when the bike is resting on the