R1300GS / the good the bad & the ugly

[Boxerlust]

After 11 long years here she is the all mew GS as the first model of an all new generation of boxers.For lots of us a very exiting event ! Looks is personal but I have to say it almost looks too nice as the old martialistic or germanic look has been replaced by a more mainstream look that could have come from japan or italy...Almost too nice.I did not say austria as KTMs still have been beaten by the ugly stick...LOL
Anyways the nice things first...I like the fact that right from the start you can get a Tripleblack with Sports suspension ! Also lighter forged wheels and a Akrapovic exhaust that sounds better than Ducati or KTM right from the factory !I also like the sport display from the S1000RR and the practical storage pouch in the tank.So far so good.
Despite having class leading TORQUE I wished BMW would have given the all new Boxer 3 crank bearings so it could rev higher and make somewhere between 155 -165 hp which would have been enough not leaving some of us wanting for more.
Also less weight is good but why a steel frame instead of a aluminum cast frame ? Maybe durability issues but cheaper for BMW to produce for sure as also heavier.
And 19 liters is a joke as 24 liters should have been standard.I guess we have to go big and heavier in form of the GS-ADV not to be bothered looking for gas every 150 plus miles...
The Harley taillight blinkers look stupid even on a BMW...LOL
A big nono in my book is the linked foot brake...I guess tight circle turns on the clutch & footbrake are a sure tip over now...Stupid !
Short legged people will rejoice about the low rider button though !
I guess I keep the old 1250 for a while longer and hope the M1400GS with 17 inch forged wheels ,R1400GS-ADV or even R1400S covering the whole spectrum from racetrack to country roads and 3 week vacation tour like the old R1100S did with Boxercup 2.0 !!! as part of WSB or MotoGP events will give me the irresistible urge to open my wallet again to buy a new BMW like I have 18 times before...
Lets put it this way...With bigger tank,alu-frame and 155 hp I would have been an early adopter but I am glad it is still a GS because it could have been worse...At least BMW still makes Boxers with Telelever and drive shafts !

 

[Arsey]

For lots of us a very exiting event !

You’re right there . I think many will be leaving BMW having seen this goping monstrosity


Sent from my Nokia 3310 using Thetwatcantalk

 

[Boxerlust]

One more thing BMW advertising 12 kilos less I wonder if they compare apples with oranges if they included the centerstand,passenger seat/pegs and luggage rack that are extra now as also the Lithium battery is lighter and 1 liter less in the tank...If the drivetrain is 6 kilos lighter and the forged wheels 2 kilos I guess the new R1300GS is 10 kilos lighter which is not bad...But I still rather have a 24 Liter tank instead of 19 or having to go to 30 with the ADV...Of course if you got to the BMW offroad schools 19 liters will be enough...LOL

 

[Boxerlust]

Arsey lets put it this way as sub-optimal the new GS is if I had to replace my 1250 tomorrow instead of buying a new 2023 Afreekatwin or MS-V4 or KTM 1390 I would get me a triple black 1300 with Sports suspension , Akra pipe and forged wheels and wait for the new aluminum boxes from BMW ! Of course I would dream about a 24 Liter tank and 160 hp at 9000 rpm...LOL

 

[digby]

I though the frame was aluminium ?

Maybe I need to watch the release video again

 

[roundincircles]

After 11 long years here she is the all mew GS as the first model of an all new generation of boxers.For lots of us a very exiting event ! Looks is personal but I have to say it almost looks too nice as the old martialistic or germanic look has been replaced by a more mainstream look that could have come from japan or italy...Almost too nice.I did not say austria as KTMs still have been beaten by the ugly stick...LOL
Anyways the nice things first...I like the fact that right from the start you can get a Tripleblack with Sports suspension ! Also lighter forged wheels and a Akrapovic exhaust that sounds better than Ducati or KTM right from the factory !I also like the sport display from the S1000RR and the practical storage pouch in the tank.So far so good.
Despite having class leading TORQUE I wished BMW would have given the all new Boxer 3 crank bearings so it could rev higher and make somewhere between 155 -165 hp which would have been enough not leaving some of us wanting for more.
Also less weight is good but why a steel frame instead of a aluminum cast frame ? Maybe durability issues but cheaper for BMW to produce for sure as also heavier.
And 19 liters is a joke as 24 liters should have been standard.I guess we have to go big and heavier in form of the GS-ADV not to be bothered looking for gas every 150 plus miles...
The Harley taillight blinkers look stupid even on a BMW...LOL
A big nono in my book is the linked foot brake...I guess tight circle turns on the clutch & footbrake are a sure tip over now...Stupid !
Short legged people will rejoice about the low rider button though !
I guess I keep the old 1250 for a while longer and hope the M1400GS with 17 inch forged wheels ,R1400GS-ADV or even R1400S covering the whole spectrum from racetrack to country roads and 3 week vacation tour like the old R1100S did with Boxercup 2.0 !!! as part of WSB or MotoGP events will give me the irresistible urge to open my wallet again to buy a new BMW like I have 18 times before...
Lets put it this way...With bigger tank,alu-frame and 155 hp I would have been an early adopter but I am glad it is still a GS because it could have been worse...At least BMW still makes Boxers with Telelever and drive shafts !

The pressed steel frame may be lighter than aluminium castings. These days high strength steels, used by lots of car manufactures to replace castings but add strength, are thinner than castings and stronger. Would be interesting to get the low down from BMW.

 

[roundincircles]

I though the frame was aluminium ?

Maybe I need to watch the release video again

The subframe is aluminium, the main frame is steel.

 

[EVskij]

After 11 long years here she is the all mew GS as the first model of an all new generation of boxers.For lots of us a very exiting event ! Looks is personal but I have to say it almost looks too nice as the old martialistic or germanic look has been replaced by a more mainstream look that could have come from japan or italy...Almost too nice.I did not say austria as KTMs still have been beaten by the ugly stick...LOL
Anyways the nice things first...I like the fact that right from the start you can get a Tripleblack with Sports suspension ! Also lighter forged wheels and a Akrapovic exhaust that sounds better than Ducati or KTM right from the factory !I also like the sport display from the S1000RR and the practical storage pouch in the tank.So far so good.
Despite having class leading TORQUE I wished BMW would have given the all new Boxer 3 crank bearings so it could rev higher and make somewhere between 155 -165 hp which would have been enough not leaving some of us wanting for more.
Also less weight is good but why a steel frame instead of a aluminum cast frame ? Maybe durability issues but cheaper for BMW to produce for sure as also heavier.
And 19 liters is a joke as 24 liters should have been standard.I guess we have to go big and heavier in form of the GS-ADV not to be bothered looking for gas every 150 plus miles...
The Harley taillight blinkers look stupid even on a BMW...LOL
A big nono in my book is the linked foot brake...I guess tight circle turns on the clutch & footbrake are a sure tip over now...Stupid !
Short legged people will rejoice about the low rider button though !
I guess I keep the old 1250 for a while longer and hope the M1400GS with 17 inch forged wheels ,R1400GS-ADV or even R1400S covering the whole spectrum from racetrack to country roads and 3 week vacation tour like the old R1100S did with Boxercup 2.0 !!! as part of WSB or MotoGP events will give me the irresistible urge to open my wallet again to buy a new BMW like I have 18 times before...
Lets put it this way...With bigger tank,alu-frame and 155 hp I would have been an early adopter but I am glad it is still a GS because it could have been worse...At least BMW still makes Boxers with Telelever and drive shafts !

… and breeeeeaaaathe…..

 

[Davey B]

Of course I would dream about a 24 Liter tank and 160 hp at 9000 rpm...LOL

Yeah...he's back

 

[HGS]

Sports suspension seems to be more for off roading

 

[Boxerlust]

HGS...Sports suspension is for fast road riding...Stiifer springs,less trail and 20 mm more ground clearance before the bags/pegs touch ! That was true for the 1250GS and is still true for the 1300GS...This time you can even get forged wheels which are according to BMW are 1,8 Kg lighter than the cast ones....Less gyro/quicker steering !
Roundincircles...It would be interesting to know if they used steel because it is sturdier and more flexible or only to keep the cost down and if aluminum would have been lighter and if how much vs how much more expensive the bike would have been...!?
As for the engine 149Nm Torque is 11 more than a KTM and 24 more than the MS-V4 but 1000rpm more and 15-20 hp more would have been fun !
Hoped for a Boxer with 3 crank bearings instead of symmetric cylinders...Oh well another 10 years to wait...LOL

 

[seahorse]

Calling Botus,...........

 

[roundincircles]

HGS...Sports suspension is for fast road riding...Stiifer springs,less trail and 20 mm more ground clearance before the bags/pegs touch ! That was true for the 1250GS and is still true for the 1300GS...This time you can even get forged wheels which are according to BMW are 1,8 Kg lighter than the cast ones....Less gyro/quicker steering !
Roundincircles...It would be interesting to know if they used steel because it is sturdier and more flexible or only to keep the cost down and if aluminum would have been lighter and if how much vs how much more expensive the bike would have been...!?
As for the engine 149Nm Torque is 11 more than a KTM and 24 more than the MS-V4 but 1000rpm more and 15-20 hp more would have been fun !
Hoped for a Boxer with 3 crank bearings instead of symmetric cylinders...Oh well another 10 years to wait...LOL

IIRC, in the launch publicity, they said the sports suspension was for off-road with longer travel but stiffer springs.....but I may have got that wrong.....and I thought it was standard on the Trophy model, the one in blue

 

[roundincircles]

Sports Suspension
£ 340.00

Due to the longer spring travel and the special tuning of the damper and spring elements, the Sport suspension is better prepared for off-road riding. The spring rates, specially tuned for sporty use, optimise traction, both on the road and off the beaten track. This means that the motorcycle is finally ready for challenging adventures.

 

[Boxerlust]

I have ridden both bikes the regular GS and the one with sports suspension which is the same as the one put on the GS-ADV on the 1250GS...The sports suspension is better for fast road riding as in stiffer,quicker steering and 20 mm more ground clearance...How it is off road I dont know as I dont ride in the dirt ! But I can imagine off road it is also better as it gives you 20 mm more suspension travel / more reserves if you ride hard off road what only very few people do with a bike as heavy and expensive as a GS or their ilk...If you want to ride off road buy a lighter and cheaper dirt bike...LOL

 

[dean0n0]

Sports Suspension
£ 340.00

Real sports suspension starts at about £1500.

 

[HGS]

HGS...Sports suspension is for fast road riding...Stiifer springs,less trail and 20 mm more ground clearance before the bags/pegs touch ! That was true for the 1250GS and is still true for the 1300GS...This time you can even get forged wheels which are according to BMW are 1,8 Kg lighter than the cast ones....Less gyro/quicker steering !
Roundincircles...It would be interesting to know if they used steel because it is sturdier and more flexible or only to keep the cost down and if aluminum would have been lighter and if how much vs how much more expensive the bike would have been...!?
As for the engine 149Nm Torque is 11 more than a KTM and 24 more than the MS-V4 but 1000rpm more and 15-20 hp more would have been fun !
Hoped for a Boxer with 3 crank bearings instead of symmetric cylinders...Oh well another 10 years to wait...LOL

Not according to BMW......but they may be wrong about the sports suspension

I did some more reading...as per roundincircles post

BMW are selling it for off road more than road

 

[Boxerlust]

Of course BMW markets the Sport suspension as better off road but actually it is better on road because you have less trail for quicker steering,more lean angle before stuff scrapes and stiffer springs which keep things smoother the faster you ride...I would say in combination with the lighter forged wheels , the better sounding Akrapovic exhaust a Must for the GS if you want a sporty road bike ! I am glad you dont have to go like before with the uglier HP,Rally or Trophy colors but can go Tripleblack if the configurator is right !

 

[Arsey]

Of course BMW markets the Sport suspension as better off road but actually it is better on road because you have less trail for quicker steering,more lean angle before stuff scrapes and stiffer springs which keep things smoother the faster you ride...I would say in combination with the lighter forged wheels , the better sounding Akrapovic exhaust a Must for the GS if you want a sporty road bike ! I am glad you dont have to go like before with the uglier HP,Rally or Trophy colors but can go Tripleblack if the configurator is right !

Surely an Akra only enhances the sound of a wet fart ?


Sent from my Nokia 3310 using Thetwatcantalk

 

[Spareparts]

Of course BMW markets the Sport suspension as better off road but actually it is better on road because you have less trail for quicker steering,more lean angle before stuff scrapes and stiffer springs which keep things smoother the faster you ride...I would say in combination with the lighter forged wheels , the better sounding Akrapovic exhaust a Must for the GS if you want a sporty road bike ! I am glad you dont have to go like before with the uglier HP,Rally or Trophy colors but can go Tripleblack if the configurator is right !

It is not entirely clear if the Sport Suspension raises just the back or both the front and back. If it is back only, then trail will decrease > quicker steering. If both front and back is raised through longer springs/damper units, then trail does not change but will provide better clearance. "Different spring rates" for offroad suggest softer springs and more compliance - which would be more supple and provide potentially better traction on broken roads.

If you are using the GS for fast and smooth tarmac riding, however, then regular (firmer) non-sports suspension might be the better choice - especially if the trail is not being changed by the sports suspension.

With the 1250, the GS (not GSA) is better on road for fast road riding - but this may be as much to do with the reduced weight of the GS vs GSA offering more 'flickability' as much as it offers better stability when cranked over at speed.