Make no mistake, BMW’s new R 1300 GS is a significant departure from its predecessor, the R 1250 GS and it is an exercise in nitpicking to highlight an area that the 1300 isn’t objectively better than the 1250. The 1300 and the 1250 might share the GS moniker and have the same suspension and engine configuration, but that’s about as far as the similarities go.

There has been plenty written about the R 1300 GS so I won’t bore you with a regurgitation of the specs sheet; information that is readily available to you here.

I feel that I’m in an excellent position to offer up an opinion on the differences between the old and new GS for several reasons. Firstly, I’ve ridden truckloads of R 1250 GSs of various flavours over the years and just a few days after stepping off a plane following a 15-day adventure ride through South Africa and Namibia on an R 1250 GS I was sitting astride the R 1300 GS Trophy X you see here. On top of that, I was fortunate to be invited to and attend the world launch of the new GS in November 2023 so suffice to say I’ve spent a solid block of time on both.

The boxer engine has been significantly updated for the 1300. There’s the obvious increase in capacity and the resulting increase in power and torque that goes along with that, but the engine doesn’t immediately feel more powerful, and it’s not unless you’re alongside a 1250 that you notice the extra poke – although, if you fancy a wheelie, the 1300 is noticeably easier to get the front wheel in the air. The 1300cc mill feels more refined and the gearbox is smoother, it isn’t the smoothest in class but it’s better than the 1250s and the same goes for the quick shifter.

The combination of the new pressed-steel frame (as opposed to the old tubular steel unit) revised suspension and geometry plus its lighter weight have conjured up an adventure bike that is actually an amazing sports tourer, and I really would like to emphasise the ‘sport’ here. Those in the know will tell you should you inquire, how hard a 1250 could be punted through a set of corners on some twisty backroad.

Engine and handling aside, what really puts a smile on my dial is the diet that Beemer have put its adventure machine on. If claimed weight figures are to be trusted, the GS has gone from being the porker of the big-bore, multi-cylinder adventure machines to being the lightest. BMW claim that the 1300 weighs in at 237kg fully fuelled and ready to roll: that’s a 12kg reduction in wet weight. That may not seem significant, but combined with the compact new engine, and reduced overall size there is an absolute and apparent reduction in effort required to wrestle the 13 around. This is apparent whether you’re pushing it around in a carpark or carving through a tasty backroad, but it is never more apparent then when you leave the blacktop and hit the dirt. I’m no Toby Price, Miles Davis or Chucky Sanders, to be sure, but the GS had me riding with confidence just moments after first hoping on it. GSs have always handled off-road terrain better than they look like they should but I have never felt as comfortable off-road on a GS as I do on the 1300, it’s as clearcut as that.

As with all GSs the 1300 is a rolling electronics showcase, and every electronic doodad works as it should and is reasonably easy to navigate thanks to a relatively intuitive user interface; if you’ve come from a 1250 or 850 for that matter, it won’t take long to get your head around the gadgets. Although, there needs to be dedicated button for regularly used features like the electronic screen, traction control, heated grips and heated seat etc.

So, less weight, more power and torque, a smaller, nimbler package with fresh new looks and more electronic fruit than ever before, what’s not to like? Well not much really, if anything. The indicators built into the handguard look like a vulnerable and expensive addition on a bike that’s designed to head off-road. The other elephant in the room for those closer to the poverty line is the price. The standard R 1300 GS will set you back just over $28,500 and the Trophy X that you see here will set you back the better part of $38,000. Rip the accessories catalogue out and you’re looking over $40k without breaking a sweat.

This is a subjective thing and while I do like the look of the 13 but it has lost a bit of it tough industrial look.

Having said all that, I’ll admit that when the Trophy was sitting in my shed, I found myself, for the very first time, I momentarily entertained the idea of owning a GS. That quickly dissolved when I remembered that I can’t afford such a rig.