Bike Files: BMW R 1300 GS

So why is the BMW GS successful?

Almost all motorcycle manufacturers make adventure bikes (even Harley-Davidson) but the BMW continually outsells them all. If we knew exactly why, we’d tell you, but there’s just a certain X factor around the big Beemer.

BMW’s success was making a bike that was frankly just great at everything. It might have looked like it was designed to cross deserts and while it can, it is also just as happy commuting to work, crossing continents and hustling down backroads. It’s a recipe which remains today, with this latest R 1300 GS.

They’ve been around for a while now, right?

They’ve always been in the spotlight. The first GS, the 1980 R 80 G/S formed the basis of racers which won the iconic Paris-Dakar desert race and then in 2004 two blokes called Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman rode their R 1150 GS Adventures around the world for a TV show. That marked the beginning of the model’s global popularity, as jaded sportsbike riders jumped off their race replicas and on to adventure bikes for the first time.

While initially applied to the big boxers, the GS brand has been expanded to include smaller capacity machines too. Over a million have been sold in over 40 years, and they’re as popular today as they’ve ever been.

Aren’t they just for around the world travellers?

No, the BMW R 1300 GS is the epitome of the do-it-all motorcycle. Sure, you can go on a massive tour but most riders enjoy them as day-to-day bikes. The commanding riding position is great for city riding, the equipment is ideal for touring and we’ve even spotted them on track days, where they certainly won’t get left behind.

They’re a bit big though?

Historically adventure bikes (or dual sports) were big, tall and heavy when they arrived on the scene in the 1980s, and while they’re usually still at the higher end of the scale (the tall and commanding riding position is one of the strengths of the GS) BMW has worked hard to make the GS super accessible to as wide a range of riders as possible. 

There are two versions, the standard R 1300 GS and the R 1300 GS Adventure (often referred to as the GSA). The Adventure is taller and bigger, with longer travel suspension and a large, 30 litre, fuel tank adding up to a 269kg bike with an 870mm seat height.

The standard model is less intimidating though, with a more ‘street’ orientated set up delivering a motorcycle weighing in at 237kg, with a seat height of 850mm. What’s more, BMW uses its accessory range and modern tech to make the big GS even more accessible.

Lower seats and fancy tech which drops the suspension at standstill help shorter and less confident riders out, while the latest model also has an automatic transmission option (BMW call it Automated Shift Assistant) which should reduce the amount of time spent dancing around on tip toes before pulling away.

Don’t forget too, that the flat twin engine configuration keeps the weight down nice and low. Where other adventure bikes might feel a bit top heavy, the GS feels lighter than the numbers suggest.

What’s so special about the BMW R 1300 GS?

For all we’ve spoken about the spec, the fact is that it hauls and it handles. The latest 1300cc GS delivers 145bhp. You don’t have to make compromises with an R 1300 GS. For most of the riders, most of the time, it’s all the motorcycle you will ever need.

How many different versions of the GS are there?

Lots! Frankly we don’t have time to work it all out and you probably don’t either! As mentioned, there are two main versions, the GS and GSA, and they both have four basic equipment levels with different colours and some small trim and spec differences.

Most bikes come out of the factory specced up, and the number of packs and accessories listed allow owners to modify and personalise their R 1300 GS to their heart’s content. And if the range-topping 1300 is too much, there’s also a range of parallel-twins (F 800 and F 900) as well as the single cylinder G 310 GS.

What’s the BMW R 1300 GS like to ride?

Epic! The latest R 1300 GS is a bit more refined and road orientated than any GS before it, and that might be the only thing to put off long term GS aficionados.

But what it might give up in character over the previous model it more than makes up for in all-round ability. There are faster adventure bikes out there but that’s never been the point of the GS series. They may look a bit bulky but the chassis is a treat, far more agile than you’d expect and really positive on the front end.

Many riders buy them to tour on and it’ll tick all the boxes there. Pillion comfort is very good and, as mentioned previously, there’s a host of official accessories like luggage and touring screens, which means you can really dial it in for your individual needs.

What are the competitors of the BMW R 1300 GS?

Such is the sales success of the legendary GS that almost every manufacturer has created its own rival in some form or another.

None have copied the boxer twin with shaft drive configuration of the German bike, that’d just be too obvious, and it also means they’ve all got their own vibe about them. Triumph’s Tiger 1200 series is one of the most direct competitors, swapping out the boxer engine for one of the British company’s signature triples.

Other bikes in the same ballpark include Ducati’s Multistrada V4, which is more powerful and more road orientated and KTM’s hardcore 1290 Super Adventure range. Honda’s popular Africa Twin is a bit smaller and cheaper than the GS and also has a real rugged appeal. Basically there are loads and loads of adventure style bikes on the market, but none have really managed to capture the public’s imagination like the Bavarian Bahnstormer.