BMW R 1300 GS Adventure (2025) - Technical Review
By Ben Purvis
Has written for dozens of magazines and websites, including most of the world’s biggest bike titles, as well as dabbling in car and technology journalism.
05.07.2024
from £18,870
143.5bhp
269kg
TBA
BMW might have introduced the R 1300 GS a year ago but this model – the R 1300 GS Adventure – is arguably an even more significant launch as it replaces the most popular version of its vastly successful R 1250 GS predecessor.
Even sitting alongside the all-new R 1300 GS, the R 1250 GS Adventure has been a tough act to beat when it comes to sales success. In April and May this year, BMW sold more R 1250 GS Adventures than R 1300 GSs in the UK, thanks in part to some tempting offers to clear the way for the bike’s all-new replacement.
More than ever before the GS Adventure can be seen as a standalone model rather than simply a variant of the base GS. Yes, they share mechanical parts under the skin, but the stance and styling have now diverged to the point that, while recognisably from the same family, you’d never mistake one for the other. Loaded with technology and clever, practical ideas, the R 1300 GS Adventure ups the game compared to its predecessor in just about every metric, so you’re probably looking at the bike that will dominate the sales charts in 2025.
More practical than ever and packed with tech
Shares the R 1300 GS’s new 143.5hp boxer twin
Semi-automatic option adds a new string to BMW’s bow
Lego-like styling might not be to everyone’s taste
Don’t expect to pick one up for a song
We get close up with the new BMW R 1300 GS Adventure
2025 BMW R 1300 GS Adventure -Price
As is typical with BMW’s pricing strategy, the marketing material will demonstrate that the new 2025 BMW R 1300 GS Adventure is available from £18,870, that will be for the base model of course, which puts £2500 on top of the 1250 GSA starting price. The R 1300 GS Adventure TE model can be yours for £20,635 which is only £525 more than the 1250. And if you’d like the new ASA system on your TE (more about that below) then it’s £21,300.
And that’s just the start, of course. It’s not hard to spec a standard GS well past £20,000, and dabbling with BMW’s configurator can take the R 1250 GS Adventure TE past £23,000 – pointing to similarly large numbers for the R 1300 GS Adventure.
But RRP alone isn’t really a fair metric here. One of the secrets to the GS’s success over the years has been its ability to cling onto value. With less depreciation than some rivals, that has historically made it a good candidate for PCP financing, with monthly payments that can end up lower than those for some rival bikes with a cheaper RRP. The sheer desirability of a GS means that’s unlikely to change with the new R 1300 GS Adventure.
Four versions of the bike are initially being offered. As well as the base variant, in red and silver, there’s a Triple Black model and a high-end Trophy in blue, white and red. At the top of the line, there’s the Option 719 Karakorum, in ‘Aurelius Green’ with gold lines and gold anodised rims, which also gets comfort seats and a low, sport windscreen.
While the exact date of the model’s availability in UK dealerships is still to be confirmed, BMW has told us that the “launch of these new models is expected late Q4”, so get your letters to Father Christmas prepped.
2025 BMW R 1300 GS Adventure - Engine & Performance
With the debut of the R 1300 GS BMW introduced a completely new generation of its signature boxer twin engine – and the same liquid-cooled motor is carried over to the GS Adventure in 2025.
Coming in at exactly 1300cc, it’s a bigger-bore, shorter-stroke design than the previous 1250 engine, helping it to a substantial power increase from 134hp to 143.5hp (100kW to 107kW) and a slightly smaller rise in torque from 105lbft (143Nm) to 110lbft (149Nm). Despite the shorter-stroke design, those peaks aren’t at substantially higher revs than before, with max power arriving at 7750rpm and peak torque at 6500rpm.
BMW’s ShiftCam variable valve timing and lift system, which swaps between two intake cam lobe profiles depending on revs and throttle opening, remains, giving a broader spread of performance and improved emissions while keeping economy on a par with its less-powerful predecessor.
As you’d expect there’s a choice of riding modes – four, to be precise – and the option to add even more with the Riding Modes Pro option package, which brings the total to seven.
Unlike earlier iterations of the BMW boxer twin, the R 1300 motor carries its transmission underneath instead of behind the engine, cutting down its overall length, but the big news on the gearbox front for 2025 is the introduction of the optional ASA (Automated Shift Assistant) that turns the transmission into a semi or fully-automatic and eliminates the clutch lever entirely.
With ASA, the clutch and gearshift are operated by electro-mechanical actuators, and riders have the choice of leaving the bike in ‘D’ mode – where it shifts all by itself – or switching to ‘M’ to give manual control over the gears via a conventional-looking foot lever. That lever also works even in ‘D’ if you want to override the bike’s own choice of ratio.
BMW argues that far from relinquishing control, letting the bike do its own shifting means riders can concentrate on other elements of riding, and that the automated clutch makes manoeuvres like hill starts effortless.
2025 BMW R 1300 GS Adventure - Handling & Suspension (inc. Weight)
Like the engine, the chassis of the R 1300 GS was a clean-sheet design for 2024 and the same concept is carried over to the R 1300 GS Adventure.
Where all previous iterations of the bike have used a tubular steel frame, the latest generation adopts a chassis made from pressed sections of sheet steel, adding more rigidity for reduced weight. It’s allied to a new seat subframe made of a combination of tubular and forged aluminium components, with the same goal.
The suspension is similarly an evolution of previous BMW thinking. At the front, the Telelever forks evolved for the R 1300 GS into ‘EVO’ Telelever system. This adopts the thinking previously reserved for sporty Telelever-equipped bikes like the HP2 Sport, where the top yoke is clamped tight onto the top of the fork legs. That wasn’t suitable for bikes like the GS, with long-travel suspension and relatively high bars, as it means the top yoke’s angle changes slightly as the suspension compresses. That would lead to movement in the bars, so GS models and many other Telelever bikes used a non-tilting top yoke and a flexible connection between the yoke and forks to allow for the slight angle-change that the Telelever system introduces as the forks compress.
EVO Telelever gets the best of both worlds by using a top yoke clamped to the bars, giving sports bike levels of feel, but bars that are mounted on a separate ‘bridge’ – turning on the same pivot as the top yoke, but not tilting when the suspension compresses. A flexible metal plate transmits steering movement to the yoke without adding any pivots or linkages that might introduce slop into the steering.
At the back, the Paralever single-sided swingarm, incorporating the shaft drive, also gets the ‘EVO’ tag thanks to increased rigidity where it connects to the frame.
For the Adventure, there’s 20mm more suspension travel at each end than the standard R 1300 GS, with 210mm at the front and 220mm at the rear. That stretches the wheelbase from 1518mm on the GS to 1534mm on the Adventure, while the rake is unchanged at 26.2 degrees.
Electronic suspension adjustment is standard on the Adventure, with the ability not only to alter damping but also the spring rate both front and rear. It works in harmony with the riding modes, so suspension settings, power delivery, traction control and ABS settings are all changed when you switch modes. These can also be individualised if you want to tweak one element alone. Optionally, you can add ride-height control that drops the bike by 30mm when stationary or riding slowly.
The brakes are similarly high-tech, with BMW’s Full Integral ABS Pro and Dynamic Brake Control as standard, giving combined braking and a variety of settings including an off-road mode that lets you lock the rear brake. Wire spoked wheels are standard, but BMW also offers the option of forged alloys that are 1.8kg lighter.
At 269kg, the GS Adventure is 32kg heavier than the standard R 1300 GS (237kg), although that’s partially down to the fact the bikes are measured with a full tank of fuel. The Adventure’s boxy-looking tank carries 30 litres of petrol compared to 19 litres for the standard bike. When compared to the previous R 1250 GS Adventure, the new R 1300 GS Adventure is only 1kg heavier.
2025 BMW R 1300 GS Adventure - Comfort & Economy
Long-distance comfort has always been a strong suit for the GS Adventure and the new R 1300 version is set to capitalise even further on that aspect. Not only does the electronic suspension, with adjusting spring rates and damping, promise the best of all worlds when it comes to the balance of ride comfort and handling, but the optional adaptive ride height means shorter owners will be able to reach the ground without sacrificing on-the-move ground clearance.
The bike can be made lower still with a further vehicle height control option, which drops it another 20mm. In that configuration, the seat height is reduced to as little as 820mm at standstill and 850mm on the move when in its lowest setting.
At the other end of the spectrum, with the seat set in its highest position and with standard suspension, the Adventure’s seat height is 890mm so even the lankiest of owners won’t be cramped.
It’s not just the seat that’s adjustable, either. There are two different bar designs – standard and comfort – and options for two different bar risers that add 15mm and 30mm respectively to the bar height. The bars themselves can also be twisted by 10 degrees to move then forward and back, and there’s an array of different optional seats – five for the rider, three for the passenger – and a trio of different rider footpeg options. In short (or tall) there should a combination that will suit the vast majority of shapes and sizes.
Based on standard WMTC measures, the fuel consumption comes in at 57.6mpg, or 56.5mpg for the automatic version of the bike. For comparison, the previous R 1250 GS Adventure was measured at 59.4mpg under the same protocol and the non-Adventure version of the R 1300 GS manages 58.9mpg.
If you can achieve the WMTC consumption figure, the theoretical tank range is an astounding 380 miles.
2025 BMW R 1300 GS Adventure - Equipment
When it comes to kit, the R 1300 GS Adventure doesn’t short-change. Starting at the front there are full LED lights, continuing the style of the R 1300 GS with an ‘X’ shaped main unit, but gaining two additional LED auxiliary lamps on the sides. The indicators are shifted into the hand guards –making a something of a mockery of the original idea of such brush guards as sacrificial parts, since they’ll inevitably be expensive to replace thanks to the integrated LEDs. Optionally, the lights can be fitted with the ‘Headlight Pro’ cornering light system that adjusts the LED matrix beam as the bike leans over to give a better view around corners.
A front radar allows the optional Active Cruise Control to keep a constant distance from vehicles ahead as part of the Riding Assistant package. It also includes a Lane Change Warning, Front Collision Warning and – thank to another, rear-facing radar – a Rear End Collision Warning system.
On board, the rider is faced with a 6.5-inch colour TFT dash with all the usual phone connectivity and a variety of display options giving more information than you’re ever likely to need, right down to lean angle. Unlike many rivals, the connectivity functions can also be used without the need to install a dedicated app on your phone, although BMW’s Motorrad Connected App adds extra functionality including route logging.
There’s BMW’s ‘Intelligent Emergency Call’ feature, and via the BMW app the bike can automatically tell your chosen BMW dealer when a service is due so they can arrange an appointment.
Moving away from the electrickery for a moment, the R 1300 GS Adventure has several more physical additions to boost practicality. That chunky-looking aluminium fuel tank, for instance incorporates mounting brackets for accessories and features a rubberised storage area. At the back, the optional aluminium panners give 73 litres of storage, and the top box adds another 37 litres for a total of 110 litres. That can be extended by another 20 litres with a pair of 10-litre extensions for the side cases. Further options include a tank bag specifically for the fixings on the Adventure’s tank, and a pair of radiator cowl bags that snap onto the radiator grille for even more storage.
To simplify picking options, BMW has made three packages – Innovation, Dynamic and Touring. The Innovation package includes Headlight Pro, Riding Assistant and Rear End Collision Warning. The Dynamic pack is made up of Shift Assistant Pro (if Automated Shift Assistant isn’t fitted), Driving Modes Pro and sport brakes. The Touring option pack includes a centre stand, nav preparation, an electrically adjustable screen, luggage holder, top case holder and a chrome plated manifold. For the Option 719 Karakorum model, there’s an additional ‘Option 718 Milled Parts’ package including milled alloy on the foot controls, bar levers, expansion tank cover, and ignition coil cover.
Other options include different bars, levers, footpegs, wheels, luggage, seats and exhausts, as well as a host of different luggage solutions and windscreens.
2025 BMW R 1300 GS Adventure - Rivals
Every major manufacturer has been trying to steam the GS Adventure’s lunch for years now so there’s no shortage of alternatives, with an array of different engine configurations, performance levels and prices. You might consider:
Ducati Multistrada V4 Rally| Price: £23,590
170bhp / 89lb-ft
238kg
Honda Africa Twin Adventure Sports ES DCT | Price: £17,599
100bhp / 83lb-ft
253kg
Triumph Tiger 1200 Rally Explorer | Price: £19,695
2025 BMW R 1300 GS Adventure - Verdict
We’ll let you know when we’ve ridden it but do keep up to date with how we’re getting on with our long-term BMW R 1300 GS, and check the video out when we pitched it head-to-head against the R 1250 GS!
If you’d like to chat about this article or anything else biking related, join us and thousands of other riders at the Bennetts BikeSocial Facebook page.
2025 BMW R 1300 GS Adventure - Technical Specification
| New price | from £18,870 |
| Capacity | 1300cc |
| Bore x Stroke | 106.5mm x 73mm |
| Engine layout | Boxer twin |
| Engine details | Eight valve, DOHC, ShiftCam, air/liquid-cooled |
| Power | 143.5bhp (107KW) @ 7750rpm |
| Torque | 110lb-ft (149Nm) @ 6500rpm |
| Transmission | 6-speed, shaft drive, optional Automatic Shift Assistant semi-auto opertion |
| Average fuel consumption | 57.6mpg claimed (56.5 with ASA) |
| Tank size | 30 litres |
| Max range to empty | 380 miles |
| Rider aids | ABS, traction control, optional front and rear radars, |
| Frame | Pressed/welded sheet steel with forged/tubular aluminium subframe |
| Front suspension | EVO Telelever |
| Front suspension adjustment | Electronic DSA (Dynamic Suspension Adjustment) for damping and spring rate |
| Rear suspension | EVO Paralever |
| Rear suspension adjustment | Electronic DSA (Dynamic Suspension Adjustment) for damping and spring rate |
| Front brake | 2 x 310mm discs, four-piston radial calipers, BMW ABS Pro |
| Rear brake | 285mm disc, two-piston floating caliper, BMW ABS Pro |
| Front wheel / tyre | 3.00 x 19” spoked wheel, 120/70 R 19 tyre |
| Rear wheel / tyre | 4.50 x 17” spoked wheel, 170/60 R 17 tyre |
| Dimensions (LxWxH) | 2280mm x 1012mm x 1538mm |
| Wheelbase | 1534mm |
| Seat height | 870mm – 890mm |
| Weight | 269kg (kerb) |
| MCIA Secured Rating | Not yet rated |
| Website | www.bmw-motorrad.co.uk |
What is MCIA Secured?
MCIA Secured gives bike buyers the chance to see just how much work a manufacturer has put into making their new investment as resistant to theft as possible.
As we all know, the more security you use, the less chance there is of your bike being stolen. In fact, based on research by Bennetts, using a disc lock makes your machine three times less likely to be stolen, while heavy duty kit can make it less likely to be stolen than a car. For reviews of the best security products, click here.
MCIA Secured gives motorcycles a rating out of five stars (three stars for bikes of 125cc or less), based on the following being fitted to a new bike as standard:
A steering lock that meets the UNECE 62 standard
An ignition immobiliser system
A vehicle marking system
An alarm system
A vehicle tracking system with subscription
The higher the star rating, the better the security, so always ask your dealer what rating your bike has and compare it to other machines on your shortlist.
