BMW’s venerable R 1250 GS needs no introduction, does it? For long, it has reigned as the best adventure motorcycle out there and the sheer number of bikes that the BMW sells globally is testament to its popularity. But, the company isn’t resting on its laurels and is said to be readying the R 1300 GS, as is visible from the new spy pictures that have emerged on the interweb.
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Will have a design
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Expected to have a bigger, more powerful engine
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New electronics suite expected
BMW R 1300 GS: what to expect?
The spy pics and video shows the BMW R 1300 GS test mule wrapped in the black paint and camouflage around the headlights but that doesn’t do much in hiding a bunch of details. Beginning from the front end, the R 1300 GS is expected to have a more pointy beak than the one on the R 1250 GS. This, supposedly, was done not only to tweak the bike’s appearance but also accommodate the electronic module that runs the radar based adaptive cruise control that the new bike is expected to feature. At present, the Ducati Multistrada V4 S is the only bike to feature front and rear mounted radar devices.
Above the beak, there appears to be a new LED headlight and on top of that is a large, adjustable windscreen. Move to the side and you’ll see a large tank with neatly incorporated extensions that give this area a layered effect. Most of the tail-section of the test bike is hidden behind large panniers and top box but another image suggests that the R 1300 GS will be based on a new chassis. It seems that like the R 1250 GS, the R 1300 GS’ chassis will also be suspended by an adjustable Telelever front and Paralever rear suspension. Braking duties will be taken care of by twin discs at the front, with radially mounted caliper and a single disc at the rear. As for the wheels and tyres, the road-biased bikes will run on alloy wheels while the variants with better off-road ability will run on tubeless-wire spoke wheels.
Coming to the highlight of the bike, the test mule’s Boxer engine looks bigger in size than the R 1250 GS’ mill, evident in the size of the cylinder heads. There seems to be comprehensive crash protection over the cylinder head, but it is too early to say if BMW will offer it as standard or accessory. With the bump in displacement, we can expect to see the new engine make more peak power and torque than the 136hp/143Nm that the 1250’s engine makes. As before, the R 1300 GS will also have a shaft drive.
As for the electronics on the bike, expect to see a different, TFT instrument cluster and as we’d said, there is the likelihood of radar based cruise control and other features being present as well.
BMW R 1300 GS: expected launch
The BMW R 1250 has been raking in the numbers for the company and continues to be a popular choice among those looking for a full-fledged adventure bike. That said, now the R 1300 GS is being tested, it is only a matter of time before the new bike is revealed. When it is launched, however, there will be no denying that it’ll have pretty big shoes to fill. Expect the bike to be launched in India soon after it goes on sale in International markets.