There are levels to everything, including owning a motorcycle. When you buy your first motorcycle, you want something easy to ride, fuel-efficient, and really cheap to maintain. Once you become an advanced rider, though, you want something that can thrill you. Something that will make you turn back and look at it after you’ve parked it and are walking away. Of course, you want something that will make others look at it with at least a little bit of envy, and definitely a lot of respect.
What BMW Means To The Motorcycle World
BMW, as a brand, gets respect because it deals with the premium end of the market in whatever segment it chooses to participate in. It is sometimes late to the party, as with the case of the liter supersport segment, but when it does arrive, it makes sure to get to the top of the hill in short order. It is a similar story with its adventure bike range: the models on offer are all hugely capable, can be modified to suit individual preferences quite well from the factory, and have earned a reputation for being among the best in their respective segments.
The R 1300 GS Gets Respect Everywhere It Goes
If you’re going to go with a BMW, you might as well go with the best one, right? The R 1300 GS is the flagship ADV in the lineup, and it is a unique product. We’re not just saying that – its engine layout, front suspension, swingarm, and styling are all different from anything else in its segment. It has become a bit of a star itself, its predecessors having gone on multiple epic rides, the kind that have become legend, and that is why the R 1300 GS is the BMW that gets respect everywhere it goes.
The Base Price Is A Very Appealing One
BMW has learned the art of the great base price. The R 1300 GS Is priced at $20,395, which puts it near the lower end in its segment. It is only when you add accessories and options to it that the price goes up to a truly premium one. Still, for the base price, you get all the mechanical bits that ensure you have a bike that is reliable and powerful enough to take you around the world in comfort.
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The Boxer Twin Is One Of The Best Engines In The Segment
BMW continues to do whatever it wants in its own way, and the R 1300 GS has the only boxer twin engine in the segment. It displaces 1,300 cc, as the name suggests, is liquid-cooled, has a compression ratio of 13.3:1, and has variable valve timing on the intake valves that BMW calls ‘ShiftCam’.
What you get is 145 horsepower at 7,750 RPM and 110 pound-feet at 6,500 RPM, which is among the most in the segment, irrespective of the number of cylinders. This is mated to a six-speed manual gearbox with an assist and slipper clutch, and a driveshaft. The driveshaft is one of the reasons its fans love it – there is no maintenance to be done every couple of hundred miles like there is with a chain. An automatic gearbox is an optional extra.
Unique Underpinnings Promise Good On Tarmac And Off Tarmac Abilities
The R 1300 GS uses a frame similar to a diamond frame, with the engine as a stressed member, and the subframe is bolted on. The suspension is unique – BMW’s Paralever and Telelever setup includes a double-wishbone suspension at the front with a single central coilover shock absorber, while at the rear, there is a link-type monoshock with a single-sided swingarm. There is 7.5 inches of travel at the front and 7.8 inches at the rear.
The brakes are more conventional, with twin 310 mm front discs with radial four-piston fixed calipers, while the rear has a 285 mm disc with a two-piston floating caliper. Like the gearbox, you can upgrade the braking system as well, which adds better front brakes. The best R 1300 GS offers alloy wheels with a 19/17-inch diameter combination, and you can upgrade to tubeless laced wheels.
Regular Dimensions For A Full-Size Adventure Bikes
The R 1300 GS is a little over 87 inches long, 39.4 inches wide, and has a wheelbase that is just shy of 60 inches. The seat is 33.5 inches off the ground, and the fuel tank holds 5 gallons. It weighs 523 pounds, which is normal for the segment, even if the competition has more than two cylinders in its engine. The fuel tank holds 5 gallons, but if you truly want range, the R 1300 GS Adventure is worth the extra moolah.
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A Respectable Feature Set
A 6.5-inch TFT sets the tone for the R 1300 GS’s features. They aren’t flashy, but there sure are a lot of them. You’ll need to add ‘packages’ to add various accessories to the base model, though: there aren’t too many things that you can add individually. Among the individual items are an electrically adjustable windscreen, center stand, adjustable foot levers, height-adjustable footpegs, forged wheels, and engine protection.
The electronics set is as you’d expect from a premium ADV. It has a by-wire throttle and six-axis IMU, so you can select from various ride modes, and there is cornering-enabled adjustable traction control, switchable ABS, wheel lift mitigation… the works. There is also an optional electronic suspension that adjusts the damping automatically. When equipped, the rear preload can be set at the touch of a button, and the suspension will then self-level and lower at walking speeds.
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The Competition Also Demands Respect
There are some very well-known brands and models at the premium end of the adventure bike segment. The R 1300 GS’s direct competitor is the Ducati Multistrada V4 Rally; it offers a massive fuel tank, tubeless spoke rims, and the most powerful engine in its segment. Now with valve springs and lower ownership costs, it is tough to argue against, shading with proven levels of reliability and that premium badge as well.
Then there is the Triumph Tiger 1200 series, which has a lot of similar features to the GS, including shaft drive, but with one major difference: its in-line 3 cylinder engine. This does not use the conventional firing order and instead uses an offset crank with an odd firing order, which gives it a great balance of torque spread and power. Triumph has also done an excellent job of keeping the weight down despite it being a 3-cylinder engine.
If you are on a budget, though, there is nothing better than the Honda Africa Twin. You can have it with a large fuel tank and electronic suspension, or keep it optimized for off-road with a 21-inch front wheel. Either way, an automatic gearbox is an option, and this is a true automatic gearbox, unlike the other automated manuals available in this segment. It might be low on power, but it definitely isn’t low on ability.
Source: BMW Motorcycles USA