The GS in BMW R 1200 GS Adventure is German for Gelande Straße, or “off-road,” where BMW’s big baddies have trod since 1980. Though this 580-pound two-wheeler is too heavy to be much of a dirt bike, with its relatively off-piste-friendly suspension, it’s as close as you’ll get in a bike that’s also at home on a highway. From $18,695. This 593-pound body exists primarily to house the Kawasaki Ninja ZX-14’s massive 1.5-liter four-cylinder engine. At 191 ponies, it cranks out more power than a Honda CR-V. Overkill? Only if you call a sub-10-second quarter-mile and 2.6 seconds to 60 overkill. (So… no.) From $14,999. A 9-foot-long single-seater weighing 800 pounds would look imposing in your rearview mirror, even if it weren’t a light-swallowing black that seemed to bend spacetime. But the Indian Chief Dark Horse is, and its 1.8-liter engine has enough grunt to tow a small boat. So move. From $17,499. This article was originally published in the May/June 2017 issue of Popular Science, under the title “Heavy Metal.”
