A lighter build, sleeker design, and heightened performance. BMW's lineage in adventure bikes traces back to its groundbreaking 1981 R80 G/S, which pioneered the adventure motorcycle segment. Fast forward to the present, and BMW's latest iteration, the 2024 BMW R 1300 GS, boasts amplified power, reduced weight, upgraded suspension, a fresh frame, and the integration of radar technology. This nearly all-new GS signals BMW's determined push to reclaim its dominance as the premier choice for conquering the adventurous terrain of the ADV world.
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00:00 There would be no adventure bike segment if it wasn't for BMW's GS.
00:05 Is it enough change to still make it the king of the class? Let's find out.
00:09 Since 1980 and the R80 GS, BMW has ruled the adventure bike segment.
00:21 And they've been the yardstick by which all the others have been measured.
00:25 Now for 2024, the R1300 GS is here and it's a new yardstick.
00:31 So much has been changed on this motorcycle.
00:33 It's a big departure from the previous model of the 1250.
00:37 And all I'm wondering is how good is the new R1300 GS?
00:41 And I'm going to have to say it's pretty darn good overall and it's a big step up from the 1250.
00:46 So let's start off with the bike as itself.
00:48 You look at both of these bikes, the GS Trophy and the GS.
00:53 They are so much slimmer and so much more compact than they were before.
00:58 And that was the goal of this bike from the very beginning for BMW.
01:01 Was to just slim down everything, make everything compact, package everything smaller.
01:06 And from that came so many benefits on this motorcycle compared to the old bike.
01:11 In terms of the size, the ergonomics, the weight made it so much better.
01:17 Let's start with, of course, the engine.
01:19 I mean, that's always big news for BMW.
01:22 It's still a boxer, obviously, but this is a new engine.
01:25 It's got a larger bore, 106.5 millimeters.
01:29 That is a huge bore.
01:31 They shortened the stroke, makes it more compact.
01:34 They moved one of the can shaft drives to the front of the engine.
01:37 So now it's a symmetrical unit, which is very nice for off-road riding.
01:40 Definitely bounces out the bike a little bit.
01:42 You know, of course, you've got BMW shift cam actuating new larger valves.
01:47 So the engine breathes better, it makes more power.
01:49 145 horsepower and it's 110 foot-pounds of torque.
01:53 That's massive.
01:54 And it's like right off the get-go, you get almost all of that torque.
01:57 And that's the really big change in terms of rideability and power on this engine.
02:02 Is just how torquey and powerful it is.
02:05 It is a noticeable difference from the 1250.
02:09 With that shorter motor comes a more compact chassis as well.
02:13 In terms of the frame and other components.
02:16 So the frame is a new steel frame.
02:18 It's very small.
02:20 Basically uses the engine as a stress member.
02:22 Let's start with the rear because we're talking about the length of the motor.
02:24 And that actually changes how the rear suspension is.
02:27 So the new swing arm is actually longer because the engine is shorter.
02:32 So overall length of the bike is the same as the old bike or fairly similar.
02:36 But you have a longer swing arm, which helps with reducing the angle of the drive shaft, of the cardan shaft.
02:42 So instead of it being a steep angle, you know, where you have the motor here and the wheel here.
02:46 It's longer so the angle is less, which reduces some of those forces that are put on all the parts that are rotating.
02:53 Up front you've got an all new tallow lever system.
02:56 It's the tallow lever Evo.
02:57 And it is so much more precise than the old tallow lever.
03:03 The reason that is, is because now they've been able to make the whole unit stiffer.
03:07 Because they have the forks going all the way up and being bolted by the top triple clamp.
03:12 And then they're using a flex plate up top to isolate the handlebar movement.
03:15 So as the suspension moves through its travel, it moves back and forth, which moves the top triple clamp.
03:21 And if your bars were just bolted to that top triple clamp, the bars would move.
03:24 But now they've isolated the bars from that top triple clamp.
03:28 So you don't feel everything moving.
03:30 And by the same time, they got rid of a lot of ball joints and extraneous equipment that they had on the old tallow lever to isolate that movement.
03:38 And it makes it a much more precise and friction free front end.
03:42 I could put this bike anywhere I wanted to in the dirt and it was like pinpoint accurate.
03:48 Ergonomics wise, much better than before.
03:51 The bike is so much slimmer at the tank area.
03:53 It feels lighter.
03:54 It's 29 pounds lighter than the 2023 model.
03:59 Even if you totally option one of these out, it's still four pounds lighter than a base model GS of 2023.
04:07 So that's pretty impressive.
04:08 On the GS Trophy, awesome for off road.
04:11 Nice flat seat.
04:13 You've got a very narrow tank section.
04:15 You can grip it with your knees.
04:16 When you're sitting down, it's very narrow as well.
04:18 When you're standing up, the bars are right where you need to be.
04:21 Very, very good.
04:22 On the GS model, the street model, same thing.
04:26 Excellent ergonomics.
04:27 Very comfortable.
04:28 I wish the seat height was a little bit taller from the foot peg to the seat.
04:33 Give you a little bit more leg room.
04:34 But other than that, it's really good.
04:36 In terms of windscreens, the GS Trophy, it's a very small off road specific windscreen.
04:41 It does move with just a small lever right here up and down.
04:44 Not a lot of wind protection to be honest.
04:46 Did get a lot of buffeting with a off road style helmet, even within the up position at speed.
04:52 But that's to be expected.
04:53 It's off road ready, right?
04:55 This model has got the premium package on it with a taller windscreen, with the wind deflectors.
05:00 And on the highway, once you get above 60 miles an hour, you move that thing all the way up.
05:05 It's electronically adjustable and you are completely protected all the way up until top speed.
05:11 You have no buffeting on your helmet.
05:13 Really, really impressive.
05:14 I'm 5'10".
05:16 So, your mileage may vary, right?
05:18 If you're 6'3", you're not going to have the same experience I do at 5'10".
05:22 So let's talk about handling real quick.
05:23 We kind of touched on it already with the off road handling.
05:26 It's very precise. It's much better on road.
05:29 It's just as good as it used to be.
05:31 Super balanced. You don't have fork dive. You don't have squat when you're accelerating and braking.
05:35 It's just super stable. It sticks. It goes where you want it to.
05:38 It's just simple. It's easy to ride well on road on a GS.
05:43 It always has been.
05:44 And that's one of the staples of a GS is that the on road performance is excellent.
05:49 And it remains excellent and even slightly better.
05:52 But off road, it has gotten much better.
05:54 It's still very much a GS.
05:56 And when you're looking at a new clean sheet design that's smaller, lighter, more compact,
06:02 you're going, "Okay, maybe it has some serious increase in off road performance."
06:08 And it does in terms of handling, but in terms of suspension travel, it does not.
06:12 And you can still bottom it out and it still feels a little bit heavy if you overdo things.
06:16 But that's always been the case with the GS.
06:18 It's never been a problem.
06:19 People are used to it and it doesn't detract from the overall balance of the bike.
06:24 So don't expect this thing to soak up the big gigantic bumps, but it's better than the old GS.
06:30 It's more stable. It handles better and it is more precise.
06:34 On the road, it is excellent. It soaks up everything nicely and it just goes.
06:39 So overall, has the yardstick changed by which we measure all of their motorcycles?
06:45 I'm going to have to say yes.
06:47 The new R1300GS is the new yardstick by which all other adventure motorcycles are going to be measured.
06:54 So that's it for our review of the 2024 R1300GS.
06:57 If you like what we're doing, hit the like button, subscribe, tell your friends.
07:01 And there's going to be tons and tons of comments on this bike.
07:04 I know it already. Put them down below and I'll get back to you. Thanks.
07:08 [engine noise]