The BMW HP2 Megamoto - Mental German Engineering

The BMW HP2 Megamoto is what happens when German BMW engineers are allowed to build what they want. Having ridden the BMW HP2 Megamoto round an large car park and a few kilometers on Ratchada Road, Bangkok, I can report that BMW's engineers are in rude metal health.

They've squeezed 113 horsepower from the standard BMW flat 'boxer' twin engine, replaced the Telelever front end with a beautifully damped set of Marzocchi forks and thrown away anything that doesn't result in more speed – bringing the dry weight down to 178 kilogram (2 kilogram less than the R1200GS).

Unsurprisingly, the BMW HP2 Megamoto feels frisky – the engine pulls the front wheel up without fuss and the 1170cc boxer twin engine revs with an uncanny smoothness – there are far fewer vibes than a Standard BMW GS.

The power of the BMW HP2 Megamoto isn't heart-stopping, but there's easily enough to fire you to the MBS (maximum bearable speed, about 145km/h). Our short test route didn't have any fast corners, but on the slow stuff the BMW HP2 Megamoto felt hilariously nimble and eager to turn. But don't get too excited. There's a good reason you might want to calm down: it costs about 1,390,000 THB.