T
ROAD TEST
drive
his road test begins in Bothwell but, as every motorcyclist knows, the adventure is underway the moment you fire up the bike. In this case, it’s the keyless start of a BMW F 750 GS on a bright Hobart morning. I ride against peak-hour traffic smiling under my helmet at the Motorrad sales exec’s parting words: “I’m jealous.” Bothwell marks the southern end of Highland Lakes Road (A5). Lakes Highway, as it was once called and is still referred to, is 128km of my preferred route between Hobart and Launceston. In a park littered with blossoms and surrounded by Georgian architecture I brew coffee and admire my ride. It’s obvious why this black and yellow beauty’s nickname is ‘Bumblebee’ but its idling purr, gravelly growl and raw power are giving me big-cat vibes. The GS turned 40 in 2021. BMW essentially invented the adventure-bike market segment. Before this series, road-trail bikes were designed far more for off-road. GS stands for Gelände/ Strasse (terrain/street) and these have roadtouring features and capabilities but also manoeuvrability, seating position, ground clearance and so on suitable for off-road. From Bothwell, the A5 gradually rises more than 500m in 35km. I engage cruise control for the straights and sweeping bends leading from cultivated valleys up into the Steppes State Reserve where I stop to see sculptures and follow a short bush track to the old settlement.
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JOURNEYS // FEB / MAR 2022
The BMW F 750 GS is a celebration-year adventure bike up for the challenge through the Central Highlands, as Elspeth Callender discovers. Photos Chris Crerar
