Review of BMW R1300GS Adventure ASA 2024-on

The BMW R1300GS Adventure is impressive. adventure motorcyclecontinuing the trend set by its predecessors to be not only capable and comfortable over long distances, but also incredibly friendly and easy to drive. However, equipping with more accessories, including the new ASA system, takes the big BMW to a new level. The additional technology is excellent.

Although Adventure has a rather familiar feel to it, almost imitating R1250GS Adventure in terms of stance, character and presence, the addition of a host of new technologies really takes the 1300 to the next level – something the standard car only does to a certain extent, which you can read about here when we tried it BMW R1300GS Adventure much closer to standard.

The Automated Shift Assistant is an impressive addition to the Adventure’s arsenal: it’s not only sophisticated, but it also inspires confidence with its ability to take care of just about anything. City driving, highway driving, off-roading, fast stuff… it does everything to a very good standard, and there’s also a regular gear lever (though it’s just an electronic sensor and not a real unit) if you want to disable that too.

This confidence-inspiring nature is further enhanced by Adaptive Vehicle Height Control, which lowers the selected seat height by 30mm at low speeds and when stopped. Thanks to the unique suspension setup of Telever and Paralever, the entire machine also lowers, making it different from other lowering devices on the market.

Couple that with optional radar cruise control and you’ve got a machine that’s capable of covering more bases than ever before: it suits riders of all sizes while being as user-friendly as possible while still retaining the ease of use and functionality that previous ones made GS Adventure incredible salesmen that they are.

The BMW R1300GS Adventure is a big bike, but it’s incredibly easy to ride, especially thanks to the optional ASA and adaptive steering system.

The lowering system instantly turns the 269kg (lowest) GS into a machine that can be stood up with a 29-inch inner leg, which is hard work even on some mid-weight adventure bikes. Thanks to the Adventure’s incredible balance and weight distribution, the R1300GS Adventure is impressively agile at low speeds and not only inspires confidence, but is also easy to handle at low speeds.

This is only aided by the ASA system, which eliminates the need to use the clutch and allows the driver to focus on what lies ahead, on or off the road.

As for the ride experience, the updated long-throw telelever and paralever system works its magic, transforming over 270kg of metal into a machine that can be ridden as soft or as hard as you want, depending on your mood during the ride. . This is a machine that not only compensates for bumps and uneven surfaces, but also happily pushes forward and supports no matter how much weight is placed on it.

The seating position is spacious and comfortable, with the handlebars, footpegs and riding triangle huge, but not too far to reach. Somehow the layout accommodates my 5’7″ height without any complaints along with the many six footers who are also riding with us. The screen is very effective (if a little short) in terms of protection and lack of impact, while the standard seat also offers a good level of comfort, especially if you’re a little larger due to its enormous size.

This big boxer engine has a huge window of use, but the addition of ASA and radar cruise control takes it one step further.

The clutch is electronically controlled, and at low speeds the response is not only incredibly predictable, but also smooth. Maneuvering and turning are a breeze, and starting off on inclines is also easier, without having to balance the brakes, clutch and throttle – Hill Start Control makes it even easier.

With a variety of drive mode settings, ASA also performs impressively on the open road in automatic mode. For faster driving, it shifts predictably, and after just a few miles to get a feel for its algorithms, the way the GS floats up and down the box becomes a natural affair, without the need for overtaking with a conventional shift lever.

The gearchange is impressively smooth and will be a treat for pillion driving, plus it will happily downshift and quickly find the right gear when pulling out to overtake on the motorway. On the road it is also possible to use a manual transmission, but it is rarely required.

It’s surprisingly impressive off-road too. It runs smoothly most of the time, requiring only a switch to manual mode if you want to keep that big boxer engine on the redline to keep the Adventure turning from behind. For the most part it sits in the right gear and the lack of a clutch lever makes it impossible to stall or end up in the wrong gear.

The big BMW is built to churn out the miles, and with a combination of motorway, B-road and off-road driving, the R 1300 GS Adventure tends to sit mostly between the 42 and 46 mpg marks, providing a realistic range that will almost top the 300 mark miles – and this increases to more than 330 miles in economical driving, where the figure approaches 50 mpg.

But this 1300cc engine still craves a relatively strong rev boost; For a monstrous boxer engine, it’s at its best when it rides a little firmer, which isn’t always necessary for a car like this built to cross continents. He’s more impatient and a little less relaxed than ever before in his hunger for the red line as he jumps from corner to corner.

Another thing to pay attention to is noise; The engine sounds a little more metallic, which is a bit annoying after a long day in the saddle, and also more noticeable than on the previous generation R1250GS motor.

The GS Adventure really looks like a quality product, and having seen some of them take to the trails, it’s fair to say they’re built pretty solidly too.

However, the first year of the R1300 platform was not easy for BMW; there have been several cases of electronic gremlins that were not immediately corrected, and our Long term test bike R1300GS there was even a small problem.

Even with the addition of additional systems, the service and maintenance schedule will not change.

Depending on how you define the Adventure, the price can skyrocket – it’s closer to the £23,000 mark if you add a host of extras, as the equipment isn’t cheap; for example, Adaptive Vehicle Height Control costs £515 and Automatic Shift Assistant costs £765.

As for its large tank rivals, Rally Ducati Multistrada V4 will set you back £24,195 as standard, while Triumph Tiger 1200 Rally Explorer starts from £18,695.