Lego Technic has been at it a while now. It has been building kits since 1977, striving to inspire and develop future generations of engineer/builder larvae. I certainly enjoyed my bucket o' bricks, though I don't remember having these nifty, fandangled project kits available. Oh well, I've slept since then.

After 40 years, the company has finally produced its first motorcycle->ke2239 kit, and what a motorcycle it chose! The powerful and technologically advanced R 1200 GS Adventure from the Bayerische Motoren Werke->ke1398 was Lego's bike of choice for this first effort in a new direction, and looking at the result one can hope it won't be the last.

Continue reading for my look at the Lego Technic R 1200 GS Adventure kit.

What's In It?

The 603-piece kit comes complete with a moving replica of Beemers flat-twin Boxer mill along with a working suspension and adjustable windscreen just like the real version. Though the overall panache bears the unmistakably blocky Lego look, folks familiar with the R 1200 GS will instantly recognize the upper lines as well as the color layout, even the bird-beak front fender/fairing is represented. It even comes with the gray, “camera case” cargo box saddlebags and trunk with knobby hoops wrapped around cast rims.

Though the color is correct on the wheels, they're cast-looking things while the real-world product rolls on laced rims. Not a big deal; I imagine miniature laced wheels are the devil to produce, and one must remember that this 7.1-inch tall, 13-inch long construct may wind up under stresses far beyond scale. For those in need of a little support in the mechanical aptitude department, a 3D interactive app is available to help you get your head wrapped around the project.

All-in-all this is a really cute kit, and will probably delight many Lego enthusiasts around the world. Unfortunately, due to who-the-Hell-knows-what, the kit won't hit shelves until the first of Jan, 2017. Aside from the fact that it will be 40 years too late for my own childhood, it's too bad Lego will miss this year's Christmas sales, but what's one holiday to a company as long-lived as Lego Technic? I expect this first effort to do well, at least initially, on novelty alone, and look forward to see what they do next.