When I arrived at BMW to take delivery of the R 1300 GS, even though I’d read the description of the bike I’d received by e-mail very carefully, I was hoping for a bike equipped for adventure. Disappointingly, the bike delivered only had options for more on-road use. Alloy wheels, 90% road tires and no protection other than the engine cover. It also has blind spot indicators in the mirrors, and the front turn signals are integrated into the hand guards. Knowing that the original mirrors and hand guards are often the first pieces to break in off-road crashes, it’s clear that I needed to rethink my definition of adventure.
Getting started
In any case, once I’m in the saddle of the R 1300 GS, I’m no longer in adventure mode, but in GS mode. For some years now, adventure motorcycling has been more synonymous with off-roading, remote corners of the forest and complicated routes. But the GS, which is nothing less than the originator of the adventure category (with the R80GS at the time), remains true to its own definition of motorcycle adventure.
It’s in GS mode that I begin to understand the meaning of the R 1300 GS. For 2024, it boasts a dry weight of 237 kg. In fact, it’s 12 kilos lighter. It really feels like a solid, more compact bike. The aesthetics are impeccable. Finishing worthy of BMW. In fact, for 2024, the look of the R 1300 GS is quite different from the 1250 versions. The asymmetrical headlamp unit of earlier versions is now replaced by a beautiful X-shaped lighting package that adjusts to the angle and provides excellent illumination at night.
Equipped with the Comfort, Touring, Dynamic and Innovation packages, plus adaptive height control, this R 1300 GS promises a lot.
After taking a tour of all the options, all the menus and everything that can be adjusted on this bike, I leave the dealership and head for home.
Getting to know each other
In anticipation of my first ride on the R 1300 GS 2024, I had found an empty parking lot to get to know the bike better.
Starting, stopping, balancing, tight maneuvers, emergency braking and all manner of maneuvers to learn the 1300 GS. One word comes to mind… WOW! This bike is easy to handle.
After about twenty minutes of maneuvering, which helped me understand the 1300 GS, I set off down the road. I don’t know why, but I have a feeling that the journey home, which should take me two hours, will take longer than expected… and it won’t be due to traffic…
Getting back into the mood to ride for the simple sake of riding
Not only was my ride home longer, but so were all my outings with the R 1300 GS. Its stability, its engine and its comfort are all elements for which the GS is renowned.
I rode the R 1300 GS 2024 in a number of situations. Its maneuverability made it easy for me to use the GS as transportation to work. Its torquey engine was always present on freeways and country roads. It develops 145 Hp and in Dynamic mode, they’re all there. However, when stationary, the boxer engine vibrated a little, even enough to make me wonder if everything was all right… But on the move, the comfort and ease of the R 1300 GS made me want to ride for a long time.
The R 1300 GS I had for two weeks was more of a tourer than an adventurer, thanks to the options it was equipped with. So I “focused” on a road adventure. But because BMW has GS in big letters on the bike, I went riding on unpaved roads. I rode nicely on these unpaved roads. Here again, its maneuverability and low center of gravity help reassure the rider. The engine demands respect when traction is minimal. For example, on a lush rocky climb with road tires… Because it’s capable of waltzing the rear too easily.
Love-hate relationship
Ever since I first rode the R 1200 GS and then the R 1250 GS, I’ve felt a sort of love-hate relationship with this bike. And this has to do with its Telelever front suspension.
For 2024 BMW is introducing the Telever Evo suspension. This is supposed to give more feedback to the rider. This suspension allows almost excessive use of the front brake and stabilizes the bike incredibly well. However, every time I hit a good imperfection on the road, like joints on a bridge, it felt like it was hitting hard. The bike remained stable, but it felt worse than it actually was. At low speeds, when the bike’s height adjustment is at its lowest, I also had the impression that the steering was heavier, with the effect of the front wheel plunging towards the inside of the corner as the bike took on more angle.
Speaking of the height adjuster, this adjusts the suspension height to the lowest setting, when the speed drops below 25 km/h. Very pleasant and reassuring when stopping. You need to reach 55 km/h for the height to return to normal. So watch out when making sharp turns at intersections; I was caught out a few times by the toes of my boots rubbing on the ground… The latter also asked me to stop a few times, due to malfunctions of the height adjustment system. I deactivated the automatic height adjustment and left the bike in its normal position. The R 1300 GS is too well balanced and maneuverable at low speeds to spend money on this option.
Cruise control, adaptive
The cruise control is adaptive, as it is on cars where it adapts to the vehicles in front. The latter scared me a few times. It seemed as if the system lost its reference with the vehicles in front, and the bike started to accelerate without warning. Let me be clear: I didn’t like it. Especially when, in Dynamic mode, the bike suddenly accelerates on its own…
Ergonomics
The riding position is quite comfortable. The electrically-adjustable windscreen also helped comfort. One small detail that bugged me a little was that my left heel was pressing directly on the swingarm. So I could feel every movement… A surprising detail for a bike of this price.
The controls for accessing the menus and the screen were quite familiar to me, given that they are the same as those used by BMW for some years now. With the exception of a button that gives access to a menu for direct control of certain controls, such as bubble adjustment, heating and suspension, by means of an up-down switch.
The GS is made to travel, for a long time and in all conditions. In my opinion, the comfort aspect of the R 1300 GS is not really debatable, it’s all there.
My experience riding the R 1300 GS
I really enjoyed spending time on the BMW R 1300 GS 2024. It’s a bike that just wants to get out on the road and ride for a long time. The evolution of the boxer engine from 1250 to 1300 cm3 gives the GS its unique character. Whether you like it or not, the Telelever Evo suspension makes the R 1300 GS a disconcertingly stable motorcycle.
Where the R 1300 GS really comes into its own is when I look at all the aids, which go far beyond the riding modes found on other motorcycles. Blind spot detectors, adaptive cruise control, collision warning and variable height control.
Why add all these systems to a motorcycle? I’ll let the BMW engineers answer that question. Because I don’t have the answer. The proof is that I had the most fun riding the R 1300 GS when most of these systems were deactivated.
Thanks to BMW Motorrad Canada for testing the BMW R 1300 GS 2024
