BMW R 1300 GS Trophy bike review: Better performance and greater accessibility

'Segment-defining' is not a term that should be casually bandied about.

Except when it comes to adventure touring motorcycles, there's none more well-known and identifiable than the BMW GS. Since the first R80 G/S launched in 1980, the BMW GS range has more-or-less become synonymous with the ADV segment - the ultimate go-anywhere, do-anything bike. And with many other brands trying to muscle-in on the segment since, the GS is often attributed as creating the ADV segment.

Unsurprisingly, it is also BMW Motorrad's best-selling model. In 2023, 29 per cent of all its sales were of GS models, including this new one - the R 1300 GS.

But if I am being honest, ADV bikes have never held any appeal to me. Maybe, this new GS will change my mind.

Staple success

The GS has been BMW's roaring success, and with this new model, there's understandably a sense of familiarity and sameness to it. If it ain't broke, etc etc.

But in truth, the bike is almost entirely overhauled and new.

The engine, for starters. It's still an iconic boxer twin, but displacement is now exactly 1,300cc (hence the name), and a bottom-mounted gearbox offers a more compact design. Output stands at 143bhp and 149Nm of torque, making this the most powerful BMW boxer engine ever produced. That translates to smooth and effortless power on the road, with the engine tractable and responsive across a wide rev range.

The new GS has also been redesigned to be more compact, and is now 12kg lighter than before. This adds to that sense of effortless manoeuvrability. It is fundamentally a not-small bike, but it feels very nimble and relatively compact even in dense downtown traffic. I was both surprised and impressed by how easy it was to ride in traffic. The more compact design also affords an ergonomically comfortable and relaxed riding position. 

Also new is the suspension setup, most notably with the EVO Telelever front-end. It affords the bike great steering precision and smooth damping. Now, the bike can also be optioned with Electronic Dynamic Suspension Adjustment, which allows you a range of adjustable damping settings. In the more comfort-oriented ones, the GS is an absolute treat on roads - it's smooth and supple even at speed, and you can easily eat up humps going at 40km/h.

Off-road? Well, I didn't find an opportunity to test it, though many GS bikes probably don't see much off-road riding anyway. (I'm pretty sure it's fantastic, it's a GS after all.)

As a road bike, the GS is fantastically sorted - ride quality is excellent, steering is precise, and the bike's fairly low centre of gravity means that direction changes are very smooth and responsive. Cornering is predictable and highly controllable, and you can get decent lean angle on the bike. This is a bike that does exactly as you intend. Stops well, too, with the Brembo brakes.

My only gripe? I found the quickshifter… just okay. While it works, it doesn't have the oily slickness that I expected.

Life in easy

Now, BMW hasn't just upgraded the mechanical capabilities of the bike. There's plenty of new equipment too.

One feature I particularly like is the (optional) adaptive vehicle height control. Basically, at under 50km/h it lowers the ride height, and above that speed raises it. It's done in an extremely smooth and imperceptible manner, unlike some others where the bike adjusts only when at a standstill.

The obvious benefit is when you're stopped - I'm 1.71m tall, and at a stop I can fully put both balls of my feet on the ground, with my heels barely off the ground. It's a well-integrated system that you don't feel, but you certainly appreciate.

The standard equipment list is extensive. Matrix LED head light, hand protectors with integrated turn signals, 6.5-inch TFT screen, ride-off assistant (HSC), Dynamic Traction Control, even Dynamic Cruise Control.

On that, you can option Active Cruise Control, which to me is mildly mind-blowing on a motorbike. It's common on cars today, yes, but on a bike! And yes, it works well - accelerating and braking appropriately to maintain a fixed distance to the vehicle in front. Long rides up North is going to be so easy.

Oh, you can also have an electronically adjustable windshield, which is very effective. You only start to notably feel wind (and the accompanying wind noise) at speeds above 120km/h.

All in all, you have a highly comprehensive set of equipment and features, and even more are available on the options list.

Everything you want

The outgoing GS was already a deeply accomplished and well-rounded bike, and well, segment-defining.

This new one is just straight up better, in just about every conceivable way. More power, easier to use, plenty of quality-of-life enhancements, and at least based on overseas reviews it's better off-road too. 

It's really everything you want your ADV bike to be, capable of everything you want it to do. Admittedly, it's perhaps not designed for individuals quite my size. My frame is perhaps a little on the smaller side, so I personally found the seat width marginally too wide for full comfort (also worth pointing out a 'comfortable' riding position for me is on a sports bike, so make of that what you will). And as a whole, ADVs are still not quite my cup of tea.

But I can fully understand the appeal, and where people may gravitate to such a bike. It's breadth of ability is hard to match, and with this new model's ability to do so much so well, hard to fault as well. For a more typical GS buyer, or anyone that wants an adventure touring bike, really, it's hard to see why this shouldn't be top of the list.

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This article was first published in sgCarMart.