BMW R1300 GS Adventure
BMW recently announced the long expected update to their uber distance adventure bike in the form of the R1300 GS adventure.
And despite some potentially quite divisive styling choices, on paper, it has to be said it looks pretty impressive.
But is it good enough to maintain its position as the best seller in the market against some stiff competition from the likes of Triumph and Ducati?
Well take a look through all the specs and details to get an idea of how it stacks up.
Engine Upgrade: From 1250 to 1300 for More Power
Now in the engine department, theres a significant update moving from the 1250 boxer twin of the previous generation to the new 1300.
As such, you get more peak power going from 134 horses to 145 at 7750 revolutions per minute.
I will say its an impressive improvement having ridden the regular r 1300 GS. And I can confirm that its definitely pretty swift.
But thing is, against the Tiger 1200 and the Multistrada V four rally, it still comes up a little bit short.
BMW R1300 GS Adventure Power vs. Torque
The Tiger makes 148, Ducati are whopping 170 and while it is worth pointing out that you do have to wind up both of those engines a little bit more, you know, still, if were purely scoring this one on power, the multi takes the three points, the Tiger takes the two, and the BMW just won.
But look, the thing you have to consider is the extra displacement in the boxer twin, which means its more substantial in the the mid range and generally makes its grunt lower in the revs.
In fact, peak torque figures are much higher than the other two with 149 Newton meters made at 6500 revolutions per minute, whereas the tiger comes in at 130 NM at 7000 revolutions per minute.
the Ducati is the least beefy of the bunch with 121 made at 8750. Ultimately, which one you prefer will depend on how much you like to rev a bike.
And there is also a bit more character and aggression to the V four and the t plane triple of the other two bikes.
But clearly the GSA is way out in front with three points then two for the Tiger and one for the multi. BMW R1300 GS Adventure
This class, though, of 30 l adventure bikes is all about range and long distance ability.
And so theres absolutely no point in making loads of power and torque if the bike is seriously drinking fuel.
That’s where the BMW comes up particularly strong again, and thats most likely owing to the shift cam tech used in their engine.
Basically, this gives you two different cam profiles, which the bike can switch between electronics based upon the current throttle position or revs.
BMW R1300 GS Adventure Fuel Efficiency
And the less aggressive cam profile generally gives you better fuel economy, whereas the more aggressive profile prioritizes out and out performance.
So look youd expect this is why theyve been able to achieve a decent fuel economy figure of 4.9 liters consumed per 100 km traveled, which seems especially good for a pretty big bike that produces all that torque.
Now, for the 30 litre tank which is consistent across all these bikes, that means 612 km are theoretically possible or 380 miles.
Although real world riding will probably vary. Now, the tiger is actually also pretty respectable with 5.1 liters per 100 km. BMW R1300 GS Adventure
That equates to 588 range or 365 miles. So its close enough, id say, for it not to be a major factor if youre choosing between these two.
The Ducati, though, perhaps suffers from putting that revvy, powerful v four in an adventure tourer with a much more thirsty 6.6 liters consumed per 100 km.
BMW R1300 GS Range Comparison
Now thats just 454 km or 282 miles of range. And while that is still a lot by comparison to other bikes with more typical tank sizes, its also still a lot less than the other two bikes.
And so three points here again go to the Gs. Two for the Tiger and one for the multi. As for the chassis specs, well this is a really tricky one to quantify from looking at the spec sheet.
Chassis and Suspension: Key Differences
But here are a few key differences to consider.
The Gs is the heaviest of the bunch at 269 kg, whereas the triumph and Ducati come in more so around the 260 mark.
look, they are all big bikes. But given that BMW managed to shed quite a lot of weight for the base 1300 GS, it does seem like a bit of a shame that they couldnt get a few kilograms off this adventure version.
Now, both the BMW and Ducati run on 19 inch front wheels, 17 at the rear.
And so theyre intended to be a good balance between on and off road performance.
The triumph, though I should point out, gets a 21 incher at the front and an 18 at the rear. BMW R1300 GS Adventure
Off-Road Capability: BMW vs. Triumph vs. Ducati
the goal here is of course improve off road capability whilst also giving you a good choice of proper off road tires.
All of the bikes get semi active electronically adjustable suspension which varies the damping in real time to give you the best quality of ride given the current riding conditions.
the Triumph and Ducati use a fairly typical fork and monoshock, which in my experience gives you a bike that handles in a fairly conventional way.
The BMW though gets their telever front suspension, which is naturally resistant to dive under braking. BMW R1300 GS Adventure
it also gets their latest and greatest DSA system or dynamic suspension adjustment, which can not only vary the damping, but also spring rate with another reservoir that can open or close based upon the current behavior of the shocks at each end.
That should give you a greater range of adjustability, which is especially important for bikes that could be carrying a passenger and or luggage.
But look basically from riding the base R 1300 GS back to back with the Tiger 1200 rally pro this year, id say the Gs is the more comfortable and stable feeling, whereas the Tiger and Multistrada are going to feel a little more sporty and exciting.
Almost certainly well find similar handling traits when I get to ride a 1300 Gs adventure.
But given that this category is so much about feel rather than numbers, ill call it evens for now. BMW R1300 GS Adventure
Seat Height Customization
Now all of these bikes are pretty huge at 870 mm in the low seat setting for the BMW and Ducati, 890 mm in the higher setting and the triumph is another five mm on top of that for both.
Combined with the generally big wide handlebars, you get a commanding riding position with plenty of ground clearance.
But what I think is important in this category is being able to customize the seat height to something that’s manageable for you, especially considering you could be loaded up with a passenger and full luggage and so youll probably want to get your feet pretty planted at a stop.
Now the Tiger 1200 is potentially the least accommodating of the bunch because although there is a 20 mm low seat accessory and the option to lower the shock by 20 mm electronically, theres no general suspension lowering kit and so the lowest you can theoretically go with both features is 835 mm.
The multistrada V four has a whole bunch of different seats and suspension combination, but the lowest of all they say will give you a seat height of 805 mm, which is pretty impressive for such a big bike.
Id also say the number of different levels and also the option to go even higher with a high seat accessory should mean theres something for everyone.
But the Gs is again the leader in this category. With a combination of adaptive ride height, low suspension and low seats. And so at a standstill.
If you can afford to spec all of those up, you can actually get right down to 790 mm. So with similar levels of granularity to the Ducati with the seat heights.
Plus how impressed I was with the adaptive ride height system on the regular R 1300 G’s, I’ve got to go three points here again.
Then two for the Ducati and one for the triumph. Now onto the tekken we’ve got a similar story. BMW R1300 GS Adventure
Because while the tiger gets a nice dash and good switchgear, the manual suspension lowering and a quick shifter as standard.
But plus the radar at the rear for blind spot warnings, it simply cant compete with the front and rear radars of the multistrada V four which also give you active cruise control.
Personally I think this is a great tool for reducing fatigue on the motorway.
Especially when its really busy and the traffic is constantly yo yoing in terms of speed.
Then youve got a similar suspension height feature and their easy lift system which softens the suspension front and rear when you switch on the bikes.
Ignition to make it easier to lift the bike up off the stand. But look, the BMW I think is way out in front here with pretty much the works being the most recently updated bike.
Like the brilliant automatic ride height feature that works flawlessly on both the front and rear shocks, front and rear radars to match the Ducati feature for feature, whilst also adding rear collision warnings to try to prevent rear end shunts.
BMW R1300 GS Adventure Technology Features
But the most techie feature of all of them is the option to spec it with their new ASA or automated shift assistant which gets rid of the clutch by replacing it with an electronic actuator. BMW R1300 GS Adventure
And then also has an actuator on the gearbox to make the shifts on your behalf.
You can also run it in a manual mode by selecting the gears with the buttons on the switch gear.