BMW R 1300 GS

I always believed that big adventure motorcycles are simply impractical for a market like India. We don’t have the roads or trails to explore the full potential of the bike. Plus, these big ADVs are so heavy that they make the rider’s life extremely difficult in the city as well as on long tours. But then I rode the BMW R1250GS and my perception about big adventure bikes changed completely. The R1250GS was so good that I fell deeply in love with it. And for years since then, the BMW R1250GS has been at the top of my personal ‘best adventure bikes’ list.

But now, there’s a new GS and it has managed to take the place of my favourite one. It is called the R1300GS and it's built around a brand new platform. It also gets a new engine, a lot more tech and more variants. The R1300GS is radically different from the outgoing model, but it promises to exhibit the same GS genes and a some more. In short, the R1300GS has gone lighter, gets more power and is also loaded with a lot more tech. I was handed over the key of this bike somewhere at 12,000ft above sea level in the Himalayas. And I made sure to get the most out of the seven hours I was granted.

The biggest update BMW has made is in the design department. This flagship GS has received a huge change in the overall aesthetics – and that's a hard pill for the old GS owners to swallow. But this new design language is there for a purpose – to make the motorcycle appear less intimidating and instead look sharper to attract a much younger audience.

The new R1300GS is slimmer, more compact and looks far more accessible than the R1250GS. The front profile is brand new which features some fancy LED tech that obviously has increased the price, but also gives the bike a distinctive look. From the side, it is clear that there aren’t any exposed parts and this shell design, what BMW likes to call it, has been used for better aerodynamics. But still, from the side, the 19-litre fuel tank, large tank shrouds and the presence of a boxer engine do make the bike look quite big on the road. But at the same time, the bolt-on subframe (which is made of aluminium) with its clean look makes the rear profile smart and also a bit sharp.

This is one department where the R1300GS is going to keep its owner proud. However, some of these features are restricted to top-end variants only. For example, only the 719 variant gets all the radar technologies like active cruise control, front collision warning and lane change warning. There’s also the adaptive ride height control that is available only with the Triple Black as an option.

But there are a lot of features that come standard with the R1300GS. The riding modes – Eco, Road, Rain, Enduro and Enduro Pro. There’s also a Dynamic mode that makes riding quite serious. The only thing that BMW decided not to build from scratch was the instrument cluster. It is the same unit that is present on the R1250GS – a 6.5-inch full-colour TFT screen that shows a lot of ride information. Moreover, through the multiswitch buttons, various themes can be selected and this cluster also can change the placement of the ride information.

The engineers in Germany have massively revised things to not only get more power from this 1300cc boxer engine but also make it a whopping 6kgs lighter – courtesy of a lot of redesigning and use of newer components. Plus, this motor is super compact, thanks to the placement of the gearbox below the engine and not behind. And as a result of all of this, the bike has gotten so bloody impressive. The R1250 GS used to pull like a tractor and now with this new motor, things have only gotten better. The presence of strong low-end means, pulling the motorcycle from as low as 2000rpm is easy. But as the rpm crosses 3500rpm, the motorcycle is ready to blast. The strong torque is quite addictive, and even in the Himalayan altitude, the motorcycle had more than enough grunt to do some high speeds. 

At 145bhp, this is the most powerful boxer engine ever made. The vibes are barely present and just like the old boxer, the overall NVH of this motorcycle is excellent. The six-speed gearbox has also been played with to offer a much taller fifth and sixth gear. However, the lack of long straights in Leh didn’t allow me to explore that. But yes, the shifts are slick and the clutch is decently light enough to have a fatigue-free ride.

BMW is the only company that uses the telelever in its suspension system. For the R1300GS, this system has become far superior and is now called the EVO telelever system. With the combination of a stiffer chassis and this system, the R1300 GS offers fantastic handling abilities. Be it in the corners or straight lines, this GS provides such a confidence-inspiring ride. The feedback is incredible, and when in the corners, it felt as if there was a supersport under my body. Even at low speeds, the R1300 GS felt fantastic as its overall weight balance was superior enough to leave me impressed all day.

When it comes to ride quality, the rear of the bike was quite bouncy in the standard setting. After changing the damping setting to dynamic, the rear felt quite good for someone who weighs 95kg. However, the seat of this GS felt quite stiff. I clearly remember the R1250 GS offered fantastic seat comfort. But that was missing on the R1300 GS.

There was barely any off-road trail planned for us purely because the bike didn’t have any protection, plus the high altitude made a lot of riders take it easy. But it is a GS, and I was confident enough to take it up high in the mountains, which I did. The result? Well, even with that 19-inch front, the R1300 GS simply blew my mind. The bike was in Enduro Pro mode and I climbed 2000ft through trails. With no ABS and TCS, I managed to do some steep climbs without breaking a sweat. The overall dynamic of the motorcycle allowed me to see some of the best views the Himalayas could offer.

The braking department is as impressive as its handling. The callipers provide an ample amount of stopping power. In fact, there was one instance where I braked quite hard, because the speed was high, and this system stopped the bike without any drama. Even the front doesn’t seem to dive much under heavy braking.

Before the verdict, you need to know a few things. Firstly, I rode the motorcycle at a high altitude and as a result of that, I could use only 50 per cent of the power and secondly, the riding conditions in Leh are quite different from our metro cities. So we’ll give our proper road test review on this bike when we get it for a longer duration in Mumbai.

Now coming to the basics of this R1300GS. I spent close to seven hours with the motorcycle and I kept wondering if was there a need to replace the R1250GS, with this model, because the R1250GS is a fantastic motorcycle and offers plenty of comfort, performance and features. So was there a need for an R1300GS? Well, BMW thinks it is and I think it is a fantastic idea.

The new R1300GS is radically different from its outgoing model. It has gotten lighter, more aggressive in design, loaded with a lot more features and not to mention it has also got more power. With these additional aspects in place, the R1300GS has become one wild machine but at the same time is so easy to ride. The new chassis allowed me to have so much fun in the corners of the Himalayas, and with the new 145bhp engine, there are oodles of torque at every rev band. And then there’s the comfort aspect – the moment you sit on the motorcycle and get it in motion, you will forget that it is a 1300cc motorcycle. The drop in weight and revised weight distribution also meant the bike is quite friendly in off-road conditions. When I think of the time I had on this bike, it makes me feel that BMW is trying to cater to a newer audience – people who are young and want to enter the world of adventure touring. So if you are one of those, the new R1300GS should be your top choice as it is bound to blow your mind. And if you are one of those who are hitting the midlife crisis, you should consider this bike as well, because it is the biggest GS you can find. Plus, it is just Rs 40,000 more than the R1250 GS, at Rs 20.95 lakh(ex-showroom), and that's a great price tag for a bike this size and performance.