The flagship of adventure touring has been in for an overhaul – but has it gone too far?
While somewhat quirky, the GS is arguably the original and the highest regarded large-capacity adventure tourer in the world. Yes, I said quirky. And I mean it in the most positive way. There is not another bike on the planet that feels like a GS. So, after one of the biggest overhauls to date, it’s time to sample the R 1300 GS Triple Black the way BMW intended, on the road and off it.
The Triple Black is one of six R 1300 GS versions available. It is up the pointy end of the bunch and is aimed more at touring with a pillion and carrying luggage, but there is no shame in enjoying it solo, so I strapped some gear on the back and headed out to do just that.
While the 1300 is a major update, when you jump on, it feels very familiar. The first GS I rode was almost 15 years ago and it was the air-cooled 1200. I’ve ridden each iteration since and the 1300 certainly feels of the same stock. The basic ethos is the same with an upright seating position and high ’bars, telelever front end, big boxer cylinders poking out each side, shaft drive and all the tech you can poke a stick at. It’s a winning formula and BMW have stuck with it for this reason.
But things evolve. The tubular-steel chassis has been ditched for a sleek new pressed-metal item with the subframe a cast-alloy job. The gearbox has been moved under the engine instead of behind it, and both the telelever front end and paralever rear have had makeovers.
The first time you fire the new 1300 into life things are immediately different. The engine sounds noisier, not exhaust noise, but mechanically. When I first took off out onto the road, I could hear it more than I remember the 1250. It’s something I would learn to live with… once I trusted that there was nothing mechanically wrong with it.
The new 1300cc ShiftCam donk is some 3.6kg lighter than the 1250 it replaces and takes up less space, so you would expect a bit less insulation. The engine has had a massive overhaul making it more compact and it now sits symmetrically in the chassis rather than having offset cylinders – yay for symmetry! Power is up 7kW to 107kW (143hp) and torque is up 6Nm to 149Nm. That’s more torque than a 1390 Superduke and, thanks to the power boost and the massive 12kg weight saving making it 237kg (wet), the GS lurches forwards like it’s been shot out of a cannon when you open the taps in the bottom and mid-range revs.
It is a rocket that will need some discretion with the throttle hand on the dirt. Luckily there is a metric-wheelbarrow-load of electronic aids to help out here.
The Triple Black is optioned with all the goodies for two-up touring, except the actual bags. BMW leaves it open to each buyer to choose their preferred luggage to attach to the built-in mounts. I prefer to travel on the lighter side and for a short jaunt staying in pubs, I didn’t need to carry much, so strapped on some soft luggage and headed off on a mission.
Starting off on the bitumen the 1300 handling was very agile for such a big bike. The updated telelever not only looks different from the rider’s seat, it also feels way different. The 1250 fork had kind of a ball joint at the top triple clamp allowing the fork angle to change slightly as the fork compresses, but the new version has the fork continuing right up and into the top triple clamp, as well as having larger-diameter fork legs, and the feeling is much sportier.
The 1300 literally falls into corners now. It really wants to turn to the point where you have to apply pressure to the outside ’bar to hold a line. The bike feels more alive and responsive to ’bar input.
The Triple Black has BMW’s Riding Modes Pro kit included, so I ran the customisable Dynamic Pro mostly because Pro means wheelies and you never know when you might ‘need’ to chuck a sick wheelie.
While underway, there is no reason to go trawling through menus as the 1300 now has a kind of a shortcut menu available from the left ’bar controls.
If you are familiar with the 1250 dash and controls you might find this new set-up a little inefficient. It allows you to select a favourite setting to toggle quickly. This is fine, but I’m a bit of a fiddler, so I liked having the TC toggle button and the electric suspension toggle button on hand and ready to go at all times. But now I need to go into a menu and choose my favourite setting. When you hit the multi-function button, a menu pops up with the available options: Seat heating, grip heating, windscreen, damping, traction control, active cruise control and ride height control. So there are plenty of things to play with, although some are set-and-forget deals. Going through all the menus is a bit of a cold-beer or a cup-of-tea in the garage kind of situation.
There is so many things to adjust, it’s simply mind boggling.
As I headed off onto the first dirt section of my ride, I engaged Enduro Pro mode to ensure I got the most of the lovely Metzeler Karoo 4 tyres fitted to the Triple Black and have a bit of fun while I was at it. It was still dark at this stage and while it was a section of dirt I knew very well, I don’t usually ride it at this time of day. With high beam and the optional fog lights engaged I set about seeing how the big 1300 gets about its business. Fortunately, or unfortunately, the road had recently been graded, so it was very smooth and offered a lot of grip for some fast sweeping drifts.
The new engine is ripe for this kind of action and, using the mid-range torque, I got more and more cocky hanging the rear out and leaving it there as I clicked the next gear up – bliss! As the road began to tighten up and head downhill, I realised I was carrying a fair head of steam and there were some very tight corners coming up. I began to wash off some speed and what do you know? The surface changed from nice grippy clay to gravely dusty crap. Oh shit. With former editor Sam Maclachlan’s wise advice racing through my head about big bikes being hard to stop in the dirt, I headed for a 90-degree left turn with a cliff on the outside.
Trying to stay calm, regulating the rear brake to avoid locking while pulling on the front hard to wash off speed and not wreck the bike, I decided to utilise the grader’s fresh berm hoping it will stand up to almost 350kg of bike and rider skidding into it. I held my breath and at the last second did my best Shane Booth (from GS Off-road training) impression and slid the front and rear square into the berm with near-perfect precision. Thankfully the berm held and shot me out of the corner almost like I meant it. Holy smokes, what a way to start the day! I can’t say I make a habit of pulling these kinds of manoeuvres, but I’m 99 percent sure I wouldn’t have got away with the same thing on many other adventure bikes. The low centre of gravity on the GS is one of its best attributes and is unmatched in the heavyweight category.
After getting into some rougher terrain and doing a few jumps, I found the Triple Black wasn’t absorbing the hits like I wanted it to. A quick flick through the menu on the side of the road found that the Dynamic and Enduro setting now have four options to adjust the damping within the settings menu. The Triple Black was soon handling jumps without bottoming out and I was a happy man. I love that you can quickly change between modes on the fly to completely change the characteristics of the bike. Eco mode even utilises the ShiftCam technology to maximise fuel consumption. So when on the road, you can cruise economically between the fun bits with plush suspension, and then drop it into Dynamic or Enduro when you get to the fun sections and have an epic adventure.
Using the radar assistance takes some getting used to, but my car has a similar set-up so it didn’t feel too foreign. The cruise control has two settings, Comfortable and Dynamic, which changes how aggressively it matches the speed of the vehicle in front. You can also dictate the following distance.
The Front Collision Warning system is a similar deal; yes, you can turn it off, you can also have it fully active where it will brake for you when a collision is imminent. I chose to have the warning system active only, so the bike gives a small stab of the brakes to warn you of a situation if you aren’t paying attention which then allows you to do the rest. The front-collision feature is only available in the road modes.
Comfort wise, the GS is superb. I could ride this thing for days on end and not be uncomfortable. After my little trip away, I took my wife out for a run to test out the pillion comfort. She fell in love with it and it has become the new benchmark to compare other pillion experiences with. I think the heated seat was a selling point, and she liked that she could see as she was up a bit higher than on other bikes and there is plenty of grab handles (on the bike!). One complaint from me though, is that the gear shift isn’t the smoothest and no matter how much I tried, she kept headbutting me when I used the quickshifter.
I ran the seat in the higher setting but made use of the adaptive ride height control to lower the bike when coming to a stop. I’ve never felt more at ease while stopping in hairy situations on a big rig. During one sandy creek crossing I set it to the low setting so I could dab a foot without unsettling the bike, it works flawlessly.
The fuel range is ample at over 300km to a tank. I did not ride economically at all and was still on track for a 300km range out of the 19L fuel tank returning 6.3L/100km. The test bike had about 1500km on it when I got it, and the average consumption had not been reset and it was 5.6L/100km. So 330km range would be achievable if you rode thoughtfully. Based on this, unless you had mega trips in mind, I wouldn’t be holding out for the 30L fuel capacity of the looming Adventure model.
The R 1300 GS Triple Black costs almost $9000 more than the base model. This might seem like a big step, but the amount of extra equipment is astounding. There are six versions of the R 1300 GS. One thing is for sure, it’s a hell of an upgrade from the 1250.
A degree in IT…
Some may feel like they need a degree in IT to be able to understand all the features of the R 1300 GS and it’s not far from the truth. I think most owners wouldn’t even understand it all after a year of ownership. Let’s run through the goodies included.
Dynamic traction control (DTC) Each mode has a different setting while in the Pro modes you can make further tuning adjustments. You can also turn it off via the multi-function menu.
Dynamic Suspension adjustment (DSA) Selectable between Dynamic, Road and Enduro depending on what mode you are in. In the back menu you can also select four different stiffness settings for Dynamic and Enduro.
Adaptive ride height Selectable on the move or leave it in auto to lower itself as you come to a stop. This also self-adjusts the preload based on the weight on the bike if you are hauling luggage, pillion or both.
Ride modes Eco, Rain, Road, Enduro, Dynamic, Dynamic Pro and Enduro Pro. Only four of these can be available at a time, so choose wisely before the ride. The Pro modes are adjustable for TC, ABS and engine map.
ABS Pro More than simply ABS, there is rear lift control, brake force distribution and cornering ABS.
Gear shift assistant This one needs a little work still.
Dynamic engine brake control It works like a slipper clutch but is electronic.
Cruise control You know what this is
Radar assistance systems Active Cruise Control, Front Collision Warning, Lane Change Warning.
Hill start control You can turn this on or off, but it’s very handy when at traffic lights on a hill or sitting on a trail. Squeeze the brake hard when stopped and it activates, then just ride away.
Anti theft alarm Yep, you can have an alarm.
Tyre pressure monitoring You can set target pressures for road and off-road riding and it will warn you as they drop out of the target range. They also account for the tyre temperature to stay super accurate.
Electronic windscreen This is bliss in the cold or when it rains. Just wind that sucker up and let the wind disappear.
Heating Heated grips, rider’s seat and passenger seat. Grips and rider seat are activated through the multi-function menu and the passenger seat has its own switch on the side of the seat.
Central locking system If you fit genuine luggage side cases and topbox to the Triple Black, you can lock and unlock them all from the key fob. This is livin’, Barry.
Phone storage Up top in front of the fuel cap is a water- and dust-proof compartment for your phone. There is a USB socket in there, but my phone (Samsung S22 Ultra) wouldn’t fit in there with the charging cord attached. The pocket does not lock, but if you lock the steering, the ’bar covers the pocket.
Cornering headlight to light up the sides of the road better through turns.
Connectivity Full phone integration for calls, messaging and music.
What makes a Triple Black?
What sets the black, black and black apart from the others?
BMW sorts most of its optional accessories into packages and then applies those packages to different models. Obviously there is some crossover, but it also makes for an easy way to get what you want and not what you don’t.
The Triple Black is aimed at lighter adventure two-up touring. Obviously, there’s the black paint, black cross-spoked wheels and black bling kit, but then seat heating, LED fog lamps and damped top-case carrier get added on. The case carrier looks suss as it moves about, but it’s to absorb vibrations.
Next up is the Touring Package consisting of GPS mount, chrome-plated header pipes, central locking system for top case and side cases when fitted, hand protector extensions, and right and left case holders ready to accept the accessory panniers.
The Innovation Package includes Headlight Pro and Riding Assistant, which is the radar-assisted system.
The Dynamic package includes Dynamic suspension adjustment, gear shift assistant Pro, riding modes Pro and sports brake Pro. This is the must-have package; you have to have the Pro modes!
Then there is a Style Triple Black package including the passenger kit, electronic windscreen and wind deflectors, centrestand and the comfort rider’s seat.
Our test rig was also fitted with the Enduro Package Pro, which adds engine protection bars, under-carriage protection, adjustable footrests and brake lever. It was also fitted with the double silencer by Akrapovic made from titanium and carbon.
This bumps the price of this test bike up to $42,016 ride away.
Specifications
ENGINE
Capacity 1300cc
Type Horizontally opposed twin, DOHC,
four valves per cylinder
Bore & stroke 106.5mm x 73mm
Compression ratio 13.3:1
Cooling Liquid
Fueling EFI
Transmission Six-speed
Clutch Wet, multi-plate, slipper
Final drive Shaft
PERFORMANCE
Power 107kW (143hp) @ 7750rpm (claimed)
Torque 149Nm @ 6500rpm (claimed)
Top speed 240km/h (est)
Fuel consumption 5.6L/100km (measured)
ELECTRONICS
Type BMW
Rider aids Cornering ABS, Traction Control, Hill start control, dynamic brake control, engine brake control, active cruise control, Front-Collision warning, Lane-Change Warning
Rider modes Eco, Rain, Road, Dynamic, Dynamic Pro, Enduro and Enduro Pro
CHASSIS
Frame material Pressed steel
Frame type Twin section
Rake 26.2°
Trail 112mm
Wheelbase 1518mm
SUSPENSION
Type BMW
Front: 37mm telelever fork, central spring, DSA, 190mm travel
Rear: Paralever, WAD strut Monoshock, DSA, 200mm travel
WHEELS & BRAKES
Wheels Cross-spoked aluminium
Front: 19 x 3.5 Rear: 17 x 4.5
Tyres Metzeler Karoo 4
Front: 120/70R19
Rear: 170/60R17
Brakes BMW Linked ABS Pro
Front: Twin 310mm discs,
four-piston radial monobloc calipers
Rear: Single 285mm disc,
twin-piston caliper
DIMENSIONS
Weight 237kg (kerb, claimed)
Seat height 850mm
Width 1000mm
Height 1406mm
Length 2212mm
Ground clearance Not given
Fuel capacity 19L
SERVICING & WARRANTY
Servicing 1000km
Minor: 5000km
Major: 15,000km
Warranty Five years, unlimited km
BUSINESS END
Price $42,016 (as tested, ride away)
Colour options Black on black
CONTACT
