All entries for Wednesday 03 November 2004

November 03, 2004

R1200GS vs R100GS Paris–Dakar

On Sunday I went for a ride out with another local GS rider, Steve from Harbury, who I met through the CW Motorcycles Rider's Club. Steve has had five different GS's, including an R1150GS Adventure, the same as that used by Ewan McGregor and Charlie Boorman for their recent Long Way Round trip.

Steve has ridden these bikes around most of Europe, and has some interesting travels to talk about. However, he now has something rather special, a new R1200GS just like the one in this photo…

The latest in the 25 year history of BMW Gelande-Strasse bikes is a huge step forwards in the evolution of the most successful off-road tourer. Compared to my 1993 R100GS Paris-Dakar, it's more like a sports bike.

Some stats:

  • dry weight R100GS-PD = 236kg, R1200GS =199kg
  • power output R100GS-PD = 65bhp, R1200GS = 100bhp

My old Dakar does have the advantage of a big 21" front wheel and a 35 litre long range tank. I also have an Ohlins shock which makes it handle really well off-road. But as we raced along the road to Moreton, the power difference was obvious. The new GS was able to make overtaking manouvers that I would never have even contemplated as possible. It's cornering stability was also quite obvious when viewed from behind, much more certain and smooth than the old bike. Even taking into account that this was my first fast ride since I got bashed on the head by debris in Spain, and was therefore holding back a bit, I would have had no chance of keeping up if Steve hadn't generously allowed for my sluggishness. Thanks Steve!

But speed isn't everything. As I rode through Leamington on the way home I pulled up next to an R1150GS at the lights. The rider looked at my old Dakar, and with deserving reverence said "that's a great bike, they don't build them as tough as that anymore".

To celebrate, I blasted it over a steep 3 foot high earthen ridge to get into my street via a blocked off short-cut. Just like a real Dakar racer…


Robert O'Toole : 03 Nov 2004 23:32 |  Tags:       |  Comments (4) |  Report a problem

Migration and geophilosophy

Follow-up to Ted Simon and the art of deterritorialization from Transversality - Robert O'Toole

Two perspectives on migration and deterritorialization, the recieving milieu and the migrant…

…philosophy was something Greek – although brought by immigrants. The birth of philosophy required an encounter between the Greek milieu and the plane of immanance of thought. It required the conjunction of two very different movements of deterritorialization, the relative and the absolute, the first already at work in immanence. Absolute deterritorialization on the plane of thought had to be aligned or directly connected with the relative deterritorialization of Greek society. Deleuze, What Is Philosophy?, p.93
I looked at myself in the same light, as a monkey given my life to play with, prodding it, trying to stretch it into different shapes, dropping it and picking it up again, suspecting always that it must have some use and meaning, tantalized and frustrated by it but always unable to make any sense of it. Ted Simon, Jupiter's Travels

Robert O'Toole : 03 Nov 2004 07:34 |  Tags:              |  Comments (0) |  Report a problem