Boxerlust. The R1250R of course has a conventional fork but at least ESA and 20mm more travel than the standard 120mm forks commonly used but still no T-L . But 50 lbs lighter than a GS and 17 inch front wheel which gives you more tire options.
The issue with the GS is that you see way more of them so it gets a little ho-hum after a while. To me the most interesting thing in that review was the comment that the 160hp was too much for an Adv bike and that coupled with the sportier chassis made the bike feel too lively or having to be held under rein.
The more gas, the more miles you can explore! BMW GS Adventure models come fitted with larger-capacity fuel tanks in comparison to the base models, meaning the range of adventure is extended! For example, the R 1250 GS Adventure sees a 7.9-gallon capacity, while the standard GS only house 5.3 gallons of fuel.

Thanks for the reply. I'm currently looking between F850 and 1250GS now.. the standard 850 is too high for me so I am looking at a low suspension model, comparing that to the 1250 gs standard suspension where it is only slightly higher. I just don't know if I'm losing anything major getting a low suspension f850 vs. the 1250.

Controls/Display: BMW controls are more sophisticated and generally better placed but the PA's controls worked well overall. Turn signal switch was easy to miss but nothing major. The display was relatively easy to read but the font should be larger. It was a day ride so I couldn't tell how well the headlight worked. The statement implying that the GS is lighter in weight is a misnomer. I have weighed a comparably outfitted BMW GSA (with similar fuel level) along with a Stelvio and the weights were close to the same (the Guzzi was 2-3 pounds lighter). I posted about this on one of the forum sites. . 810 832 435 456 125 798 359 837

gs 1250 vs gs 1250 adventure