Five things you hate and five things you love about your R1300GS.

It seems you have to be lucky with the gear box and qs. Lots of people complain about it, but its pretty good with mine actually, use it all the time, up and down.

But while i was testing the bike, the sales man was bragging about how smooth it was, but on that particular one it was actually pretty poor as well. Still bought one and when I got it the difference with the test bike was night and day.
 
Forgot to add it leans way too far over on the side stand,on anything other than level ground my wife has to give me a push .No such issues on the 1250.
 
twizzle said:
Seat….. settings … high at front … low at back……removes that forward push feeling all GSA,s do…
Click to expand...

This isn't an option on the 1300GS (maybe it is on the GSA). My GS comfort seat only has a little lever under the rear that pushes the rear of the seat farther up from the inside, I tried it but it made the downward slope to the tank even worse.
I actually found the stock seat to be pretty good other than the downward slope to the tank. The Wunderlich seat leveling kit solved that problem fairly inexpensively. I posted about it here back in May or June.
Clifton

Post in thread 'Wunderlich seat lifting kit'

I just installed the Wunderlich seat levelers and they noticeably improved seat comfort for me. IMO the stock comfort seat isn't bad, it's wide and firm enough and while it doesn't slope down to the tank a lot it does slope some, enough that I'm usually pushing against the bars to maintain position toward the rear of the seat. The bumpers raise the front about 10mm which is noticeable and still lets the nose of the seat to fit into the tank recess.

I really didn't need the board because where the seat is in the recess reveals the height gain more accurately.
Stock
IMG_3396.jpeg

With...
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As far as what I like;
1) Suspension
2) Power and low down torque
3) Overall ergonomics
4) Fit and finish
5) Auto lowering when the stand is deployed.

What I dislike;
1) Having to go through cumbersome menus to do simple functions rather than buttons.
2) Following cruise that slows to the vehicle rather than holding set speed. Must be deactivated every time I restart the bike.
3) The big, stupid, expensive fob that requires batteries. Give me a simple, small, mechanical key.
4) Side stand is too short making the bike lean too far, even after it lowers.
5) Replace the driveshaft every 48K? Are you serious?
 
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Clifton said:
This isn't an option on the 1300GS (maybe it is on the GSA). My GS comfort seat only has a little lever under the rear that pushes the rear of the seat farther up from the inside, I tried it but it made the downward slope to the tank even worse.
I actually found the stock seat to be pretty good other than the downward slope to the tank. The Wunderlich seat leveling kit solved that problem fairly inexpensively. I posted about it here back in May or June.
Clifton

Post in thread 'Wunderlich seat lifting kit'

I just installed the Wunderlich seat levelers and they noticeably improved seat comfort for me. IMO the stock comfort seat isn't bad, it's wide and firm enough and while it doesn't slope down to the tank a lot it does slope some, enough that I'm usually pushing against the bars to maintain position toward the rear of the seat. The bumpers raise the front about 10mm which is noticeable and still lets the nose of the seat to fit into the tank recess.

I really didn't need the board because where the seat is in the recess reveals the height gain more accurately.
Stock
IMG_3396.jpeg

With...
  • Like

As far as what I like;
1) Suspension
2) Power and low down torque
3) Overall ergonomics
4) Fit and finish
5) Auto lowering when the stand is deployed.

What I dislike;
1) Having to go through cumbersome menus to do simple functions rather than buttons.
2) Following cruise that slows to the vehicle rather than holding set speed. Must be deactivated every time I restart the bike.
3) The big, stupid, expensive fob that requires batteries. Give me a simple, small, mechanical key.
4) Side stand is too short making the bike lean too far, even after it lowers.
5) Replace the driveshaft every 48K? Are you serious?
Click to expand...
Ref the seat….look at front rubber grommets that the seat docks into…in the UK it’s a reversible bracket… high one side low the other….flip this to high, set the rear lever mounts to low… job done
 
Unlike previous GS's there is no front adjustment (at least that I can see).
In this image you can see the two rubber bushings. The stock ones had the holes centred. These Wunderlich ones have the holes off centre which permits raising the front. There are also thicker bumpers.


IMG_3565.jpeg

IMG_3566.jpeg
 
Strange… wonder if a US market thing…

To be fair I’ve only tried a 1300 GSA here in the uk… and it has the flipable bracket
 
Dislikes:
If you’re 4’ 11” you’ll need stepladders to get into the top box.
But at least you can see what’s in the top box, as there’s an internal light ( and more fcuking use having a light there, than backlit switches, for those that worry about such shit 🫶👍 )
 
Tyzer said:
Forgot to add it leans way too far over on the side stand,on anything other than level ground my wife has to give me a push .No such issues on the 1250.
Click to expand...
Would something like this help?

Wunderlich sidestand enlarger R1300GS, R1300 Adventure DOUBLE CONTACT AREA and HIGHER https://share.google/4hTh1c2IYT3ociZoo
 
My recent bike list is a couple of R1250GS and then lastly a Ducati Multistrada V4S. The multi was a great sporty bike, really lights up after about 7K rpm, but I found it less great for touring with a bunch of other bikes. I’ve found the 1300GS to be a good sporty bike and a good touring bike no matter what. I’m living with the looks and like the blue/ed/white colour scheme on mine. I nearly swapped the Multi for a new Africa Twin AS but went with a used R1300GS with standard suspension, manual clutch and dumb cruise control.

On the Love list
  1. Engine shove right from low down
  2. Handling, feels more nimble than previous GSs but not Multi challenging
  3. Adjustable screen that actually works without aftermarket bits
  4. Entirely dependable tank range predication, better than the Multi
  5. Engine does not roast me through the saddle, better than the Multi

On the Hate list
  1. Side stand lean is ridiculous and it seems quite keen to roll off it = park in gear and do not understand how BM got this so wrong
  2. Engine is very clattery, especially at idle.
  3. The combined brake and tail ight but solved with Weisertech and a B6 light
  4. QS rubbish, worse than the Multi
  5. Hill hold , worse than the Multi and minor
 
Likes:

1. Effortless torque and power all the time
2. Ergonomics - with a few adjustments made
3. Controls - better than most bikes
4. Handling
5. Adaptive height control

Dislikes:

1. Side stand lean angle (solved with a side stand swap)
2. Seat comfort (solved with the Wunderlich seat lifting kit and cool cover)
3. Standard rear light setup (solved with Weisers and B6)
4. Engine rattle at idle
5. Rear brake lever travel (standard complaint on every GS I've had)
 
Surprised nobody has mentioned how hard it is to push the throttle forward to turn off the cruise control.
 
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Five things I like about my 2025 R1300 GS Trophy Edition
1. The horsepower and acceleration combined with the smooth throttle/fueling operation.
2. The excellent good looks, fit and finish of the bike.
3. The informative and easy to read TFT dash.
4. The solid feel of the motorcycle.
5. The abundance of accessories for the GS.

Five things I dislike about my 1300 GS
1. The “comfort seat” is not comfortable, has an annoying slope to the tank, and can’t compete with the stock seat on my Super Tenere.
2. The OEM Michelin Karoo 4 50/50 tires are obnoxiously loud and imprecise.
3. That this very expensive motorcycle only comes with one fob.
4. The absurd prices for regular maintenance items like oil filters, air filter, and lubricants…….the aftermarket is more reasonable.
5. The inability to obtain a factory service manual.

Other than that, the bike runs and looks great.
 
Tyzer said:
Forgot to add it leans way too far over on the side stand,on anything other than level ground my wife has to give me a push .No such issues on the 1250.
Click to expand...
agreed and I bought an extender which now is perfect.
Martin GSA UK said:
Sidestand. BMW make 3 different lengths, but only put the shortest on! I went to my dealer and ordered the longest for my std GSA with ride height control and it's perfect.
Click to expand...
good to know. Thought about changing the side stand to a longer one but the add on I got from a guy in Portugal for EURO 70 works perfectly well and raises the stand by about an inch in old money....
There is a link in this section for the side stand extenders.
 
1300GS
Likes:
Engine performance
Handling (for such a big lump)
Suspension
Electric screen
Build quality, finish

Dislikes:
The weight
The seat - now a Sargent, much better.
Shaft drive maintenance and replacement cost
Servicing costs generally
Reliability (engine replaced due to oil consumption, starter relay failure and bike recovery, exhaust flapper valve relay failure. A few minor electrical gremlins.
 
7500 miles in

Likes

Engine torque
Suspension / handling is very good
Electric screen
Auto height stuff
Quickshifter way better than the 2 previous 1250 GS's I had. Doesnt 'clunk' into 1st gear


Dislikes

Seat not as 'comfort' as it could be, but still 200 motorway miles OK, don't notice it as much on the smaller roads
Could have thought the menu buttons out better, but used to it now
Noisy tickover
Hill hold can be temperamental at times, needing a big fist of throttle, then take off like a scalded cat. I use it but take it off manually now. Wish it worked as well as it does on my BMW car
Bit heavy to push around unless on flat ground.....might be me getting older


Regards
the servicing costs....I had Motorevive (Ted), off this site, do the 6k service on this bike rather than the main dealer
Much better, and cheaper
 
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Nippy Normans supply Touratech, Wunderlich, Desert Fox and many other makes of accessories.
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