Little Frodo the Elf (or Hobbit, whatever…) had just ridden the HP2 Enduro before I picked it up. The rear end looked like a sad beaten dog before I pumped it up to an Enduro man’s size with my cycle pump. I had been having nightmares about this mud pit filled with water followed by a very steep hill. There was no two ways about it, the HP2 had to go in, whether I wanted to or not.
Words: Tor Sagen Photography: Claire McHugh/Tor Sagen
This high powered boxer is a macho Enduro machine stripped of all softie GS road gear. At a boxer-breaking slim weight of 175 kilograms with a tuned R1200 GS engine with a high power 105hp @ 7.000rpm output the HP2 should be a formidable off-road racer. With a bit of speed and commitment HP2 Enduro can access all off-road areas, but if you get stuck you’re in a mess. HP2 Enduro features many BMW innovations. There are so many that I can only mention the most important ones such as the Continental air/spring damper and the long Paralever. Frame technology is based on the BMW R900R world beating Dakar racer rather than the GS. HP2 is as single minded as you can get and it looks proper Off-road retro with the double aluminium tubular frame holding the front fender and headlight. You don’t have to take the long way around with the HP2 Enduro. You just point it straight ahead and ride over the obstacles. If there are trees in the way those two massive Boxer cylinders will just brutally take care of them at one fell swoop. HP2 features massive wheel travel both front and back and a BMW first conventional front fork. We concentrated the riding on off-road and dirt, but also on hard tarmac.
“I’m a man; Muddy Waters sings”This is what my brain tried to tell me before I entered the muddy waters in my area. I knew that the rear Metzeler Karoo Enduro tyre developed specifically for the HP is worn slightly too much for my liking here. But still I put the big mean machine in first gear and entered the water. Prior to entering I had been wading back and forth to check the depth and how deep the mud was at the bottom. I deemed it safe for the HP2. This location is the playground for 4x4’s and the tracks were deep on each side where the boxer cylinders would scrape off the top layer of mud and dirt. For this reason I preferred to tackle it sitting rather than standing up. I went in to play, but got stuck when trying to turn around over the middle of the under water track. I had to step off and push the bike over the wheel tracks in first gear. This was, as later proved, purely down to the worn down rear tyre. It was very hard work getting out. Even though the HP2 is a balanced ride, you do feel the weight when moving it around like this. Without the engine to help I would have been lost forever. So imagine the scenario where I could have had some bad luck and dropped the HP into the water killing the engine and not being able to start again… “AA, I have drowned my bike in the middle of nowhere, please send a helicopter!” Two days later I was back with a fresh Metzeler Enduro rear tyre and this time I was the boss, not the mud. That pit got some punishment and I rearranged the mud all over the place. Now it was fun.
After this I decided to do some mileage on easy to medium gravelled roads at some speed standing up to relax a bit. You really can relax as the standing up position is perfect with straight legs and no stretched arms. Full control is easily achieved. The HP2 is a true gravel rocket and the ultra strong engine is good for some indecent top speeds off-road. It can easily do 125mph, truly a break neck speed off road. The engine just pumps out the good stuff from nothing. On hard tarmac you really get a good feel with the torque of the engine and it just pumps and pumps torque through the unashamedly good Paralever. It is just not fair to other manufacturers that BMW has got this virtually maintenance free drive train that doubles as the swinging arm. When drenched in water you know that you’ll have to clean and lubricate the chain on a normal Enduro. Not so with the HP2. All you do when done riding is to flush off the dirt and piss off into the shower. Easy! The intake air snorkel, which is mounted high on the right hand side, features a deflector on the HP2 to keep water out. During my ten day long test it was plenty of water around and not the slightest problem with anything caused by water (but perhaps with one of the other elements…).
On demanding trails with big rolling rocks speed has to be reduced and the responsive engine really helps you getting through. You can just stick it in second gear without worrying about killing the engine even when crawling. The handle bar is wide and the front wheel is quite far ahead. When in addition the boxer cylinders blocks access for your legs to the front wheel you will find yourself standing up more often even tackling sharp bends. It is best that way on the HP2. When riding in the deep tracks of big 4x4 cars you have to sit down, steer right and lift your left leg over the left cylinder and drive through - unless you’d like your feet to become minced meat. Make sure you stretch your legs to avoid cramps. I rode the HP2 as far as I could get on a trail with steep rocky steps with a deep ditch on one side and a steep hill on the other side. I had to step off and try to push the bike up with the help of the engine in first gear. On the top step the HP2 pointed almost vertically upwards and the angle proved to steep for the rear tyre to grip. So this is where this trip ended. I started the tedious operation of backing the bike out applying the front brake carefully down each step. I knew I would not be able to hold on if I lost balance, so backed carefully out. I found a spot on the trail I thought would be wide enough to turn around. Still the ditch was deep and I could feel the front wheel starting to slide down sideways just before I could get the front wheel back on the trail facing the correct direction. I let the clutch go and just saved it back on the trail with the help of the engine without loosing balance. This is where the 175 kilo’s start to limit your movement. With a 100kg Enduro none of this would have been a problem. It was worth the test anyway and I was already impressed by all the other routes I could tackle with the HP2. Happy I had found the limit I headed home.
On the hard tarmac you can use more of all that power more freely. However those Enduro tyres can’t cope very well with it and you will find yourself spending loads of time and money on new rear tyres. BMW HP2 Enduro is more comfortable than most other specialist Enduro’s despite the high seat height and hard seat. The seat is just bearable enough for the frequent refuelling stops. The small petrol tank (13L) last for about 70-80 miles before the fuel light appears. The petrol tank is see through in true Enduro fashion, but BMW has thrown in some diagnostics such as mileage left before refuelling is necessary, how many hours the motorcycle has been in operation (for air-filter servicing) and fuel warning. The long wheel travel makes you feel you are floating along on the motorways and it’s actually quite comfortable. The rear air damper can be pumped up with a bicycle pump, or you can adjust the ride height by de-inflating the damper slightly. Our friend, Frodo, that was riding the bike before us had removed too much air though. BMW also gives you the option of a lower seat that can be set to 900mm rather than the standard 920mm one. But let’s face it, if you feel the HP2 is too extreme you will be riding the GS. At the very end of the test on the transportation to return the bike back to BMW all hell let loose. Suddenly there was irregular response from the throttle and fuel consumption shot into the air. After running out and refuelling it was still the same. At a roundabout I had a look over my shoulder to see a red hot flame spewing out at least 50 centimetres grilling the left blinker and number plate like Swiss cheese. The riding was over and the last miles went on a recovery truck. The problem might have been a fuel leak or problems with the fuel injection. BMW techs have still not come back to us, but as soon as they do you will know exactly what happened.
Conclusion
HP2 Enduro is specifically designed for the rougher terrain, not the hard tarmac. For road riding there’s GS, for off-road there’s HP2 Enduro. That is why we have concentrated almost exclusively on riding on dirt. Even though HP2 fits best for fast and smooth gravelled roads or perhaps some desert riding, you can go complicated routes if you want to. But there are limitations. At the end of the day, HP2 Enduro surprised by being very competent on most surfaces we rode it on. We would have been happier without the flames and breakdown on the motorway. Apart from that, if you have got the money go and treat yourself, it’s a big toy for big boys.
