The BMW R1200GS and R1200GS Adventure reach a production record of 100,000 units since its launch in 2004, making it the most popular BMW of all time.
In 2004 the R1150GS Adventure was made popular after actors Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman along with the cameraman Claudio von Planta rode from London to New York by going east across Europe, central Asia, Alaska, Canada and the U.S. covering a distance of 22,345 miles. The trip included visits to several UNICEF programs along the route, and formed the basis of a television series and a best-selling book, both called "Long Way Round". They continued their association with the GS when Boorman used an F650RR during his 2006 Dakar Rally attempt, which was documented in the book and TV series "Race to Dakar", and again in 2007 when both used the R1200GS Adventure in their journey "Long Way Down", in which they rode from John o'Groats at the northern tip of Scotland, to Cape Agulhas in South Africa at the southern tip of the African continent.
Rush drummer and lyricist Neil Peart chose a R1100GS for his 14 month, 55,000 mile self-healing trip, documented in the book "Ghost Rider: Travels on the Healing Road", that he made following the deaths of his wife and daughter. Peart also rode the R1200GS (with an 1150GS as a backup) on his 2004 motorcycle trip between gigs on Rush's 30th Anniversary tour, a trip he documented in the book "Roadshow: Landscape with Drums, A Concert Tour By Motorcycle".
The TV food freak Alton Brown and his crew rode R1200GS motorcycles during season 2 of the television program "Feasting on Asphalt". They rode BMW R1200RT motorcycles during season 1, but found the GS better suited for the rocky backroads they would find themselves on.
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