BMW GS Safari

For its 25th anniversary BMW’s owner-ride phenomenon once again set a high, luxurious and beautifully managed standard.

Just a tad over 250 bikes and riders packed out the Crown Plaza Hotel at Windsor, on the Hawkesbury River to Sydney’s northwest, to celebrate what must surely be one of the great success stories in Australian motorcycling.

BMW’s GS Safari hasn’t just endured the years, it’s grown to an astonishing degree. The annual ride is often sold out within 48 hours of going on sale and usually sports a lengthy waiting list of hopefuls keen to nab a spot.

This state of affairs is no accident, of course. The event is superbly managed and administered, given huge support from BMW Motorrad, and, best of all, has been run by some wonderful people over the years.

In 2019 there’s been a changing of the guard, and after a brilliantly successful run by Grant and Sophia Evans – as Adventure Rider Magazine readers would know – for the first time this year, off-road training instructors Shane Booth and Chris Urquhart took over the running of the Safari and its associated events.

Adventure Rider Magazine pulled on a spiffy new Rallye suit, climbed on to a new 850GSA and joined the throng.

Not the Safari Enduro

From a dualsport point of view there are two BMW rides each year. The Safari Enduro is aimed at GS riders comfortable with off-road terrain suited to the bikes. The days tend to be longish and the destinations are usually ‘epic’.

BMW loves the word ‘epic’.