Master Chief Test Ride : Comparison of the R1200 GS Adventure vs the 1190 Adventure

 

Master Chief and the Dualsport Shootout

 

More fun than a platoon of covenant at a birthday party

With his Warthog in bad shape and disrepair, the Master Chief was asked to reviews new combat vehicles. This time around, he is looking at 2 wheels. The hope is to find an all terrain vehicle that can navigate narrow hallways on Covenant warships and slotted canyons while carrying all the necessary ammo for his massive arsenal of weaponry. The big dual sport bikes may fit the bill.

With a legacy of continent conquering travel under its belt, the BMW 1200 GSA is a strong candidate, but newcomers promise to deliver something better. The Master Chief must choose wisely as the hopes of all mankind hang in the balance.

The Big Beemer is a handful in the rock fields

While the R1200 GSA can carry a buttload of fuel… a real plus for those long distance campaigns; However,  it is hampered by the top heavy fuel load. It weighs in significantly heavier than the 1190 Adventure.

A quick stop to change the shorts

 It navigated the through the rocky well of death with no problems though. The master Chief commented that is as “Nimble as walking through a covenant mine field full of grunts throwing sticky bombs”.

Master Chief going Orange

Overall, the 1190 felt good and capable. It may even travel well with a 60 mm cannon strapped to it arse. Run over a few grunts and the ride gets even more interesting. They felt like speed bumps on the road to victory.

The nimble 1190 means less focus on riding leaving more time to setup that brilliant covenant headshot

But not so fast…
The on board computer on the big GSA features a mute button for those times when you have had enough lip from Cortana and her babbling nonsense. A Master Chief's dream. Add in the fact that it features a telelever front suspension, for added stability … " ‘cause you never know when you may be firing off a rocket launcher in one hand while having to hold steady a sniper rifle in the other." says the Chief.

The KTM eats Boulders for breakfast lunch and dinner!

Seat comfort not an issue when saving humanity... Feel the burn

The big GSA handles mossy hills about as well as grease on a tiled floor, but enable the off road traction mode and it is a whole new battlefield

The shaft drive also means less maintenance in the field. An important factor during those heated battles. Who wants to take a time out to tension a chain, or worse yet, oil it when you got a couple of ghosts zeroing in on your six.

The large R1200GS can climb the big stuff

The key is to choose a good line

Stay with it and maintain balance

The Verdict!
After a weeks worth of testing, it is a stalemate between the two bikes. While the big beemer costs a bit more it really doesn’t factor into the equation. "When you are charged with saving all of humanity, cost is no object" says the cigar chomping sarge. The BMW and KTM are not alone in this competition ... Triumph and Honda are quickly promising a next generation bike for the next round of recruits.

The reward - Epic vistas over the broad canyons of Blood Gulch

Are you up to the task?

Stay tuned...
The next round of testing will include machine gun mounted artillery and infantry passengers. Will the new electronics handle the severe battle conditions of the new electronic battlefront? How will it fair against Convenant Chopper's? What about riding over mines? Will the tubeless tires hold up ... or worse yet, can the suspension handle being air dropped from a Pelican in a hot zone? These questions and more are surely going to test the bikes at a level never before considered.

Coming up next...

Mario Kart using DRZs, KLR's, Ducati's and Vespas as the gang at Nintendo races in the 1st annual Can-Am bowl through castles filled with Koopa's, Chomp Chomps and Bullet Bills. Who will win this race is anyone's guess...