From Adventure to Ascent
BMW’s R1300GS has carved out quite the reputation as an adventure motorcycle. But wait, there’s a twist! This beauty has been tweaked and transformed into a hill climb contender that can make even the steepest tracks tremble in its presence. Who would’ve thought that a bike intended for thrills on roads and trails could turn into a record-breaking beast?
The Brain Behind the Masterpiece
Meet Greg Mansell, the son of F1 legend Nigel Mansell and the mastermind behind this audacious project. After taking a standard R1250GS Adventure for a spin up Jersey’s Bouley Bay for a bit of fun, he found himself inexplicably fast. So fast, in fact, that he thought, “Why not push the limits on the new R1300GS?” And so began the quest to conquer the hill with a bike that is essentially an overgrown supermoto.
Chasing Records and Breaking Limits
Thanks to a collaboration with BMW Motorrad, Mansell’s team refined the R1300GS with several upgrades: a 17-inch front tire, tweaked suspension, and an ECU map that could wake the neighbors. The results? They shattered the open capacity record at Bouley Bay with a jaw-dropping time of 45.13 seconds! The remarkable part? This bike outran BMW’s 201bhp M1000XR by four tenths on that hill. Just imagine the glares exchanged at the next track day!
Chasing records might have started as a mad whim, but it ended up proving that the R1300GS is truly a versatile machine. Next time you think of an adventure bike, remember this steed of steel and rubber is not just a pretty face; it’s a hill climb hero!
