After not riding a motorbike for some time, I was handed the key to one of South Africa’s best-selling motorbikes, the BMW R 1300 GS in Adventure spec.
Argue all you want what is better, faster, flashier, but the BMW R 1300 GS is the Toyota Hilux of the motorbike world. Known for its desirability, street cred, and reliability, you can’t go wrong with a BMW GS.
Getting to my time with the motorbike. Right off the bat, I must tell you that the BMW R 1300 GS Adventure is a big machine. You don’t just jump on this motorbike and slice through Sandton traffic on your way to the bushveld.
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Plenty of power
I must admit I was fairly intimidated by the 269kg weight of the bike and the seat height that saw only my toes touching the ground even at its lowest setting. But I do have to add, once on the move, your confidence immediately grows as the weight disappears, and you start to enjoy the relative nimbleness and ride of the BMW R 1300 GS Adventure.
If it’s grunt you are looking for then this is it. For 2025 the BMW R GS 1300 Adventure comes with an all-new 1 300cc flat-twin boxer engine. The quoted power and torque figures are 107kW and 149Nm compared to the previous gen BMW R 1250 GS that produced 100kW/143Nm.
Now on paper this does not look like a lot, but if you were to look at a dyno graph you will notice that much more torque is available over a longer rpm range than it was before. And this makes for a motorbike that feels like it is always on the boil. Pull the BMW R 1300 GS Adventure’s ear, and you bolt forward with purpose. This made getting away, and staying ahead, of dangerous traffic easy. And cruising on the open road on the weekend just as effortless.
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BMW R 1300 GS in it for long haul
Make no mistake though, it’s still a boxer. There is vibration from the engine, and the gearbox although new, and now located under the engine, is still a bit notchy. Some would say ride a Ducati Multistrada V4 S or a KTM 1290 Super Adventure R rather. Others would argue that’s the charm of riding a BMW R 1300 GS Adventure.
Staying out on the road, you now have four riding modes as standard, up from the three previously. You get “Rain”, “Eco”, “Road”, which is what I used the whole time. There is a new “Enduro” mode that is said to offer an enhanced off-road riding experience. Full disclosure, I did not go barrelling down bumpy gravel roads or ride out into the koppies with the enduro guys.
The purists will frown upon this, but I would need some more seat time and increased medical aid benefits to do justice to this aspect of the BMW R 1300 GS Adventure. The Citizen Motoring did ride out to Magaliesburg and back from the East Rand though. The massive tank that holds a full 30-litres of fuel gave me a range of over 540km. This means you can long and far before you need to find a petrol station.
The BMW R 1300 GS Adventure starts at R404 500 and delivers on all that you expect from a top of the range adventure motorbike.
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