BMW R 1150 GS Adventure versus Yamaha XT 1200 ZE Super Ténéré

Cheap never, well mostly

MW driving has never been a particularly cheap pleasure. Although many specimens are around 20 years old and have collected correspondingly many kilometers, these GS are still not a bargain. It must be at least 5,000 euros, top-maintained specimens like our test bike like to scratch at the five-digit. You can understand this: The BMW R 1150 GS, if you don't catch a rocked-out model, is an almost ideal companion for the very big tour.

If you can do without cornering and agility, the GS is the ideal travel moped, where the road can be three steps below perfect.
As I said, a buddy for the good and the bad days.

Unspectacular and simply good

The 1200 offers a high level of long-distance comfort, which results from a moderate knee angle, the sofa-like seat cushion for riders like Sozius and perfectly placed footrests like handlebars. This comfort is supported by the low-vibration running of the twins.

So the spectacular thing about the Ténéré is that it is so unspectacular. But it is not quite cheap: at just under 16,000 euros, it is almost as expensive as a – admittedly naked – BMW GS.

The test bike was provided to us by Tecius and Reimers in Hamburg.