RIDE REVIEW I 2024 BMW R 1300 GS
P68
freeway jaunts where overtaking
is unnecessary.
The chassis feels longer and
lower to the ground, even though
you have the same wheelbase as
the 1250 at 59.7 inches. The dif-
ference in feel comes not in the
measurement of
front to rear but
in the ergonomics, where the new
cockpit has you sitting in it rather
than on top like the 1250's.
Braking performance from the
Brembo (even though they are
badged BMW) calipers is excel-
lent. Combined with MSR, the
Dynamic
Brake Control and the
Integral ABS, you have to try very
hard to crash this thing under
brakes—not saying you can't, but
you get the idea. The brake and
clutch levers are slim little num
-
bers and almost feel like they
belong on an
M 1000 RR, but the
relationship between the master-
cylinder and what you get at the
caliper is nearly spot on.
On the road, I admit to not
finding a massive difference
between the old ball-joint Tele-
lever and this new Evo setup.
However,
that's just in overall
feel at the handlebars. The
system is superbly smooth, and
the suspension adjustment via
the dash does give multiple bike
personalities in one. You can go
from near supermoto stiffness
to a touring bike at the push of a
button, more so than you could
with the old 1250.
Under acceleration, the new
rear suspension and longer
swingarm ensure you get every
ounce of performance you
ask for. The chassis tracks so
smoothly when you lay the pow
-
er down on the street—it's hard
not to
have a massive smile on
your face when you open up the
1300.
The suspension isn't perfect,
however. I did manage to bottom
it out a couple of times while
cranked over going up sweeping
corners, so there's still a bit of
room for improvement. Overall,
however, the ride quality is out
-
standing and hard to fault.
OFF-ROAD
TESTING
The fact that the GS has shrunk
so much has given it a decided
edge over its predecessor when
it comes to off-road perfor
-
mance.
The new GS is easily a
candidate for our Bike
Of The Year. It's an
impressive machine.
