BMW R 1300 GS vs R 1250 GS test and comparison - what is DSA and why you need it.
Hello and welcome. R1300 GS versus the outgoing 1250 - this is predominantly what we're going to focus on in this first episode. It's a new series all about the GS1300. I've actually got it for three days - not the two hours that everyone seems to get for road test these days with these new motorbikes. I'm on day two of three. As you can see from the front of the bike, it's soaking wet.
It's done nothing but rain since I picked the bike up, so it's actually been a very interesting test so far. But this afternoon and tomorrow look like the roads are going to dry up, so dynamically we can push this bike a bit more and see what it's really like. However, before we do the comparison between the two... because I know that is certainly important to me as a current 1250 owner,
and I know a lot of you either have the 1250 or the earlier 1200 - you're going to be thinking about: do you think about the upgrade? So, before we do that, let me just talk about this bike in isolation. The international press are currently in Malaga, Spain, doing the test, the two-day test of this bike. And the overwhelming reviews so far are very positive. But I did find myself thinking: can it really be that good? Let me just tell you: this is nothing short of a sensational motorbike. Now, I'm not connected to BMW, I'm not sponsored by BMW, and there is no connection between me and BMW. So I am completely free, no one at any point has said to me: you need to say this or that. So, just be aware: these are my own thoughts. I don't have to keep anybody happy, no marketing department - I'm free to say, what I want. And if I tell you, this bike is sensational, for me that
really is a genuine impression. It is phenomenal, what they've been able to do with such a big motorcycle package in terms of engine and gearbox. The bike actually feels within 200m, when you pull away, the bike physically feels like a bike from a smaller category. Now, this is 249 kilos, before we start adding accessories on, and this is 237 kilos, before we start adding accessories on. So,
although that difference is only 12 kilos, out on the road for me as an experienced rider with a 1250 this bike over here genuinely honestly feels like 25 kilos lighter than my bike. I couldn't believe it, how nimble and light this bike is. And then in terms of the dimensions on the bike, it's physically a smaller bike, except they've kept all of the technology we're used to on the 1250, and they've added to it. So it actually feels like a very different bike, which we're going to get on in a moment. So, if you are interested in BMW's offering for the new adventure touring segment... and in fact, we really should call it the adventure sports touring segment, because this
engine is also phenomenal, it is a bike that you should have high on your shopping list, and at the very least you should go to your dealer and try it out. There are a couple of things, as I go through this new series... This is part one. There's going to be several episodes. I'm hoping that BMW are going to give me a couple of different bikes in different configurations with different options fitted, so that we can have a look at the suspension. And I'll create another Dynamic ESA of the current 1250, the old 1250 version. And I actually really like it. The headlight by the way, this wasn't an active choice by BMW to change our traditional styling which I actually like, the old version. On the old bikes there is an asymmetric head headlight, so in other words: the headlight,
the dip beam headlight is not in the centre of the motorbike. It's slightly off to one side, which we've all got used to. But the laws are changing, and they can't continue to do that. The headlight, the dip beam has to be in the centre of the motorbike. So, they're forced to change the design, and actually, I quite like this funky look. It looks really good. I'm not going to go
through specifications. There are already lots of channels talking about specifications. But it has, if you want to go through the option list, just about everything that you could want on a modern motorbike. There's an option called DSA: Dynamic Suspension Adjustment. And if I was going to buy this bike, I wouldn't buy one without that system on the bike. I'll explain, what it is, further as we go more through the episode and we do the comparison. But just to say, you do
need to be careful, and you do need to spend time going through your options. So, let's have a look engine. It still performs like a boxer engine but with huge amounts of torque available just about everywhere. I think, the thing to really say about the engine - and we'll come on to this The thing you have to take on board is: BMW are not going to forget about us 1250 riders. They have sold 289,000 - just think about that number: it's almost a third of a million 1250 GS and GSAs combined, so they're not going to forget about us. So, with this new bike, it's got this new sporty funky young look, which I actually really like. But what they've also done is: they've
changed the seating and the rider triangle, the ratio between foot peg, seat and bars, and it does feel different. It is a bit more of a sporty feel. The pegs are a little bit higher, and you can feel a reduction in leg room compared to the old bike. And the bars are further forward and, I think, a little bit lower than they are on the original 1250. But you have to remember, that new feeling, that sporty feeling actually goes well and complements with the whole bike as a package, because BMW are also... what they're trying to do is: encourage new younger riders to
their GS lineup. And I think, they've done a very good job. But they haven't forgotten about us, that are used to the 1250. Now, if you look in the options list, there is an option to specify adjustable foot pegs, which gives you quite a bit of movement - and for me, I'd definitely have that - to lower the foot pegs down just a little bit, which opens up that leg room. And then with the options they've got for the handlebars and the bar risers bringing them up and bringing them further back, you can very easily take the new bike in terms of its ratio between foot peg, seat and bars back to how the 1250 feels. So, I think it's wrong to say, that it doesn't feel like a GS. I think as standard, the way they've got it set up, is this young sporty kind of exciting riding dynamic, and it is very, very good, and I quite like it. I probably would have the lower
foot pegs, and I probably would bring the bars up for standing up to give myself a bit more room. So, before I started this test earlier this week, I sat down and had a good think about: is there anything wrong with the 1250? And there isn't. But are there any areas, that I would like to see improvements, the things that I would like to improve on the 1250? And yes, there are. So, for me there are just four areas, that I would like to see improvements on over the
1250. The first one is: gearbox. Second one is: wind protection. The third one is: suspension. And the fourth one is a bit of a strange one, but it's really: seat height and being able to get your feet flat on the floor. Now, at 6ft tall, 1m84, in the standard seat height position of 850mm my feet aren't fully flat on the floor, and I would really like to have that, because having your feet flat, both feet with a little bit of a bend in your legs really does add to your confidence maneuvering slow speed in towns and cities and especially, when you ride off-road. So, they would be the four things I would want to see addressed in this new bike, and they've done it. This new electric screen is nothing short of brilliant - so, another
optional accessory, which is this electric screen, I would highly recommend. It really does a very, very good job. I'll put up a clip from earlier this morning. I was out searching for dry roads, which I didn't find, but I took it on the autobahn, and we sat at about 165 km/h or 100 mph, and the protection, that this new screen offers, is considerable. It really is a big improvement over both the standard GS and the GSA. So, the screen for me would be definitely something I would opt for. You've got quite a lot of options in terms of its range, and in the summer you do want that nice cool air coming over you to keep you cool in the heat. But in the winter you put
the screen up, or when the weather's not so great like it is today, raining again, it does a very good job. So, the screen is definitely something I would add to my shopping list. It is lovely. It's much easier to cruise at speed in a nice space behind the screen without turbulence, without noise compared to the outgoing model. So, for me this electric screen is a real must, especially if you do touring. Now, normally I also run, as you can see on this one over here, I run a short screen during the summer, because I like the air flow over my upper body and my helmet to keep me cool. And actually, I don't think with this bike I would need to fit a short screen,
because there's such a range of adjustment, it's going to give me all those options. So, the screen definitely has improved over the old bike. Now, with regards to um the gearbox: it is a huge change. Those of us that have been used to the old 1250 know, that the gearbox is best described as "adequate". It's almost tractor-like in its operation. It really isn't the best thing on the bike. With the 21 onwards models BMW made another incremental step forward with gearbox
design and development and things improved. But all over the last 10 years it's all been very, very small improvements. So, if you add them all up, and we say, that's the improvement they've made over 10 years, this new gearbox is like this. It is night and day difference compared to the old
gearbox. So, for me this is lovely. Over here I do use the down shift blipper. It works very well. I don't use it from second to first, but in all other gears it is simply very, very good, and I have no complaints. But the upshift assist I don't use. Occasionally I use it from 5th to 6th, but in all other gears I don't, I use the clutch, because for me it's too violent.
And I as an engineer / mechanic have quite a bit of mechanical sympathy for a bike that I hope to own for quite some time, and I don't use it. Whereas over here on the new bike it is beautiful. It really has taken it from a kind of "just okay" set up on the old 1250 to being very, very good and competitive with all the other brands. It's not totally perfect, but it is really very, very, very good. And I think, as the bike evolves BMW will make more changes to it to improve the shift, but it is very good. - Feet on the floor: this is really interesting, and this you really need to pay attention to this. As I said, on 850 mm I can't get my feet flat on the floor. And I have
no trouble whatsoever having both my feet flat on the floor with a partial bend in my legs, even without using the automated lowering system with it set in its standard ride height, which is all the time, I have no trouble. It is so much better, and that's because the design, the redesign of the seat is slightly narrower at the front, and the whole bike in the middle is much slimmer than the outgoing bike. So I think, shorter riders are going to have much more success with the new bike. It's going to open up this to a whole range of different rider heights and sizes
and shapes, and it is very, very good - and that is before (this is important!), and that's before we activate the automatic lowering system, which for me I wouldn't need, but for shorter riders you definitely have to have it. There are two options within the menu: you can set it to automatic, so that, when you slow down at traffic lights, the front and the rear, both together, drop about 20 mm, and it's really very noticeable, and it helps you get your feet flat on the floor. And although I'm 6ft, I would think, that riders of 5ft8ish should have no trouble whatsoever, even without having the lower seat, which you can specify, you should have no trouble getting your feet on the floor. So for me, that is a nice change over the original. And then the last one, the other area that I'd like to see improved is: suspension. Now, this is a very comfortable place
to be on tour. And even with sport riding and picking up the pace of it, it is pretty good. But you can run into its limits at the extreme. So, you've got Road mode and we've got Dynamic. So, Road being the comfortable mode, there are roads and certain conditions, which really don't suit it - especially if the road is very undulating. The road mode gets really quite bouncy, and it's not controlled as well as it could be. And then at the other end of the range in Dynamic mode, again it's got a sporty firm feel to it, but for a sports bike rider like myself, I would like it much firmer than that, much more control, so that, when you come to your favourite set of bends, and you've got lots of fast transitions from left to right, there's quite a bit of movement going on. Not on the new bike - it is really very, very, very good. I would say, that in the standard
setting for Road mode compared to the old bike, the old bike is still a little bit more compliant and more comfortable. There's not a lot in it. Initially I wasn't that impressed with it, but as my three days have gone on, I've actually got used to it, and it does a very good job, because there are a couple of new technologies, that BMW use to control the damping, the compression and the rebound, depending on the speed that you're traveling at. And it does actually a really good job. And then at the other end of the range, when you move into... over here on the right hand side, when you move to the Dynamic riding mode, boy, does the bike change. Not only is the throttle response much more immediate compared to the old Dynamic mode on the 1250, but the suspension is a lot more controlled. And although it has pretty much constantly rained for the 3 days I've had it,
I have kind of got a move on with this, because you have these Metzeler Next Tourance 2, which luckily for me, I already have on my 1250, so I'm quite used to riding with those in the wet, and I know, what I can do and where the limits are. So, for me there was no acclimatization with regards to new tyres, so I could get up to speed very quickly, especially in the wet. And it is dynamically much better in Dynamic mode. But there is one more thing, that the Press hasn't really caught on with this yet - so there is another mode deep within the menu system (providing you speced your bike with Dynamic ESA). And the way you can tell is: you need to make sure your bike has got the 7 ride modes, which you have on the old GS. Deep within the menu system - and I will show this to you in a minute, and I'll film it, so you can see it over the dashboard - there is a way to go into the settings to change the compression and rebound within the 3 main modes. So,
on the 1250 you've got these two modes: you've got Road or Dynamic. Now, over here on the new bike there is something called DSA, and you absolutely have to make sure you have that, if you are coming from sports bikes or sports touring bikes, because this gives us a lot, and I mean a LOT more adjustment. So, what you can do: you can go into the menu system, you can select for example Road mode, and you now have 5 damping profiles within the Road mode. So, the centre one: they have it on the screen as 0, and then you can go +1, +2, back to 0 or -1, - 2 - in other words: you've got two stages of making each mode softer and two stages of making each mode firmer, and it is simply brilliant. Now, you can do that for the all the 3 main riding modes: Road,
Dynamic and Enduro. So I think, the guys that do take their bikes offroad are going to have a lot of fun, and you can tailor your suspension more refinedly to how you want your bike to perform. So, especially for me, for someone that normally rides in Dynamic mode, there is a lot more adjustment with the suspension, and I really like it. So, for me that's another big step forward. So, we've touched a little bit on the big improvements to the gearbox. So, what about the engine? Well, there is a difference between the new 1300 and the outgoing 1250. The 1250 has
always been renowned for that huge amount of shove the moment you open the throttle in just about any gear: you feel like someone's grabbed the back of you and your motorbike and shoved you towards the horizon at a huge rate of knots, especially for example you're at corner exit in third gear, and you whack open that throttle, the shove that that produces, that immediate, that first couple of seconds of shove is fantastic. Now, that has gone, it's... I wouldn't say it's gone, but it's diminished with the new 1300. But interestingly, what it's being replaced with, is a completely different sensation. So, you don't have that immediate sledgehammer type feel of response, when you whack open the throttle as you do over here. But now what you have: you have a slightly reduced sledgehammer feel, but now that feel just continues all the way through the rev range. So, I think, for most riders you're not probably going to notice that as an immediate difference. I think, this is only going to really apply to riders, that ride
in a more sporty way and really do get on the throttle and have lots of fun with their sports bike owning friends. And in that scenario, the new setup, the way they got the torque delivery, which is much lower down in the RPM range, but it is a constant huge amount of shove all the way through the rev range, and I actually really like it. I do miss that initial shove, but very quickly within a couple of hours I got used to it, because especially when you move from Road mode to Dynamic mode it's really very different. Now, talking of those two modes Road and Dynamic,
over here there is a difference between the two modes. The throttle response, when you move from Road to Dynamic, is much more direct. The power delivery is ever so slightly different. And then it has got a different feel, which I really like. But on the new bike the difference between Road mode and Dynamic is huge, it really is. So, I'll try and make this a bit clearer. So,
Road mode over here, Road mode over there on the 1250: very similar. The engine characteristics, the delivery of that torque is in a different way, but for the normal rider, that's going to buy this bike and probably has the 1250, Road mode is the mode to be in. When you do move to Dynamic mode over here on the new bike, you do need to pay attention, because the power delivery is much more instant. The whole dynamic of the bike completely changes along with the suspension, and it really does feel like a completely different bike - compared to the old 1250, when we moved to Dynamic mode. And I really like it. They've done a really good job to keep those of us, that like a more sporty feel. And obviously with their intention to attract younger riders, they're really going to like that. In Dynamic mode it's really good.I didn't try Dynamic Pro. It's
too wet for me to mess around with that. I do with my bike, when it's really dry, and there's just me, and I've got my favourite bends, I do change the settings and turn things off. But on this bike during the test I didn't and I wouldn't in these wet slippery conditions. - So, what's next? Now, another thing I think is important for those of us with the 1250 have an understanding of is: obviously you've seen from the reviews, the gearbox location has now changed from the rear of the engine to an integrated gearbox and engine assembly. So, the gearbox is now under the engine, and it does a very, very good job. Now, when you first get on your GS - we all experienced this,
whether you let the bike warm up or not - when you pull the clutch in, put it in first gear: "clunk". The whole bike clunks very loudly and jolts forward. Now, you kind of get used to it, but when you've got a passenger on the back, maybe it's an inexperienced passenger, you're taking your nephew or your grandson out, it can be quite a bit of a shock to them sitting on the back. Not anymore. The new bike - the first thing you're going to notice, the very first thing as you go to pull out of your car park on your road test, when you put it in first gear, there's this little tiny "click", as it goes into gear, and the bike no longer goes "clunk", as it engages gear. BMW, you did a great job with that, and that is much appreciated. Now, with the
drive shaft assembly: on the old 1250, because the gearbox is at the back of the engine, there's really not a lot of space to go from the gearbox to the drive assembly. So, the shaft assembly comes out of the gearbox and has quite a steep decline for that shaft, before it goes into the drive unit on the back. Not so on the new bike, because the gearbox has been removed from the rear and placed underneath the engine, they've got much more space, so that drive shaft is considerably longer. It's not a little bit - you have a look at these pictures: it is quite a bit longer,
and the positive to that is, that those universal joints no longer have such an extreme angle, while they're operating, so that that shaft, instead of dropping straight down very steeply, it now has a much more gentle angle of decrease to get to that drive assembly, and it really is very noticeable. I think, the best way to describe, how that feels is: if you ride normally, you're not going to notice an awful lot of difference between the two bikes. But when you pick up the pace or when you ride off-road, there is quite a bit of difference. On the 1250 version, when you get going on the pace, and you pick it up, and you're going through your corners and transitions really fast, you can feel some clonking from the drive assembly, when you're going on and off throttle very fast, when you start for a corner entry, braking and then you get on the throttle really hard, at different lean angles, you can feel a bit of a clunk from the 1250. It's fine. You get
used to it, and you just have to adapt your riding style. Not so on the new 1300. I couldn't get it to make that noise or that clonk, no matter what I tried. It really is very, very smooth. And I would say in terms of a description, there's much more of a mechanical, almost like a chain and gear feel to the way, this new drive shaft assembly works, and I really like it. There's much more of a direct feel between throttle and the contact patch on the rear of the tyre, much more so than the 1250. And also, when I take into account, that it has rained now for three solid days,
the pace at which you can travel on this new bike is really quite impressive, even in the rain everything, every system on the bike has a much more finer control than on the previous bike. So, it really is another area, where I think BMW have done a really good job. And compared to the competition it really has moved the game on, and I really like the new setup with the drive shaft. So, this radar assisted cruise control is simply brilliant. You can set it and forget it. And you may actually, as I have already found out, if you're trying to use the menu system, and you're navigating around the menu system, while you're riding, this radar assisted cruise control does a brilliant job of paying attention to what's going on ahead, while you're looking at something else. I know, we should really be focusing on our riding, but sometimes things do catch us out, and I've been testing it now for about an hour, and it does a brilliant job of maintaining a set distance between you and the car in front, and I can't fault it. I've tried all kinds of things. Now, I don't have a car coming up to
overtake me on the side. He's pulling off, so the speed will increase a small amount, because we're set to the limit of 100. And that's this blind spot detection over here on the left hand side, this little triangle, and it worked really very, very well indeed. So, if you can afford it, that is definitely, if you're doing lots of continental touring, motorway work, the radar assisted cruise control and the blind spot detection are definitely the thing to have. - So, onto the last section: is there anything for me as a current 1250 owner, that I'm disappointed with or that I don't like? And there are a couple of things. They're not big things, but I think, it's fair in all honesty to share those disappointments with you. The first thing is:
we still don't have illuminated switch gear. Now, pretty much all the other manufacturers, with their premium bikes they have illuminated switch gear. And if you've used it at night, it is simply brilliant. Once you've got used to it, you absolutely have to have it. And we still don't have it on the new GS. For me it is a disappointment not to see illuminated switch gear. The other thing is: slowly but surely the lights on the rear of the bike have been getting
more confusing. We had the multi-function indicators, and now we've completely lost our tail light on the GS, which I really don't like. I really don't like that idea at all. But I do think that the aftermarket segment will very quickly come up with a tail light, some sort of tail light illumination on the rear, so at the very least we can add in a nice big brake light and possibly have a tail light in there as well. So, as the standard bike comes, I don't like the back with all those functions taking place within those small indicators. And
then the last thing: this is going to be a problem for BMW, I think, and that is the menu system. The menu system has always been very easy to operate. But you've probably noticed, what they've done, they've moved the ignition-on switch from the centre above the steering yoke to over here on the handle bar. That in itself is fine. It's a good idea. But what they've done, they've
removed the button, that operates the heated seats and the heated grips. So, if you want to operate the seats and the grips, you now have to go into the menu system. Now, for those people, that live in warmer climate, southern Europe, this probably isn't going to be such a big problem. But for me, for people, that live in Central Europe, the United Kingdom, this is going to be a real pain, because there is no real easy way to add in an easy access to those functions. Now, before you start leaving comments saying that's not true - yes, you can, you can go into the rocker menu, should I say, and you can allocate the rocker, the up and down arrow button to perform the function to take you to the heated grips. And if you read the manual - and I have done, and I'm going to
do a video about all the menu settings, there are two functions: there's a primary function, and there's a secondary function. So, you could, in fact if you wanted, allocate the primary function to take you to the heated grip button. But what was always brilliant on the 1250, and if you've watched my videos, you probably already know of this little tip is: the old button had two functions: you press it once, that takes you to the menu system, where you can go in and make your individual changes to heated grips and heated seat. But there's also another function,
which is a long press of the old button, and what that would do, it's a function, that I use pretty much every day, it then turns completely off heated grips and heated seat - or another long press and it turns back on the heated grips and heated seat to the setting, that you previously used it on. So, for me when I head off in the mornings during winter with the heated seat, it really has extended the season in which I ride. So, in spring I now start much earlier. 0 degrees, providing the roads haven't got ice on them, I'm out on my bike, and it really is with the heated seat for both the rider and the passenger a great place to be. And in those lovely early spring mornings, it's beautiful. And as the day warms up, then I can do a long press on the button and turn both those things off, and then in the evening turn them back on. But there's no easy way, that
I've found so far, to do that within that menu system. Now, the other thing is: with that rocker switch you've got these two primary and secondary functions, but what they've also done is: they've removed the direct access to the damper settings. That button has also gone. And for me that was really easy to use. I could press it once, see whether I'm in Road or Dynamic mode in terms of damper function, and with a quick press of a button I could change it on the fly. So again,
I could use the rocker switch to program that into its secondary function. So, of those two functions I could have the heated grips on one and the damper settings on the second. Now, that sounds great, but then how do I operate the electrically operated windscreen? Because actually, what we need, we need three functions: we need to operate the heated grips nice and easily, we need to operate and change the damper functions, and we need to operate the screen. So, for me there's not been enough thought gone into that. There really needs to be an additional button, ideally the heated grip button needs to come back over here, so that we can turn it on and off completely at a press of a button without taking our eyes off the road and start looking at the menu system. I find it a bit of a pain really, and it's a bit disappointing.
*** I mean MODE button, not MENUE button *** Anyway, today was a relatively short video. There will be much more to come about the GS, and I'm hoping to have another couple of bikes in different specifications, and I will be explaining much more about the new version of the Telelever Evo. There is a lot to explain, and I'm looking forward to doing that episode, because that's really what I like to do. - So, thank you for your time. I hope you've enjoyed today. If you find this useful,
think about subscribing to the channel. We are growing. We're up to just over 13,000 subscribers, and in 2023 over half a million people have watched the videos. So, I'm really pleased,
2023-11-12 15:01
