Nice job as always Zack! As for the GS being expensive, it's true. But... consider a new H-D Road Glide is about $32,000, can't go off road, can't hang with sport bikes, weighs hundreds of pounds more, and doesn't have the tech of the GS. Actually, for $25k I think the R1300GS is a great purchase. Just my two cents.
Yeah sure it's expensive but compared to what is out there it kind of ... Isn't? Like if you want pretty much the best do everything go anywhere bike out there, that's it.
I never thought I'd be lucky enough to own a GS until I had a 2021 with only 800 miles fall into my lap for under $17k. Its the best bike ive ever ridden and im in love with it. I DO daily it when it isnt over 110F here in Arizona. I will never get rid of it
Very nice! I picked up my 2022 Triple Black (571 miles) from a HD dealer last year for $14,500. I couldn't believe it. They were just about to send it off to auction. What an awesome bike. So easy to ride in a relaxed way to truly enjoy the ride. Very quick and capable in every way.
I second this, I sold my Z900rs for a super tenere but if I had the room I would have kept the Z for sure. Such a good bike and a lovely engine. Engine is so nice I weighed that heavily as I almost bought a versys 1000 just to have that same family of engines.
@@jtwu8931 hyper? The main reason no one likes it compared to the other bikes in the class is that it’s too tame. I would never call the Z hyper. Wry mellow smooth predictable engine which is what makes it so great. It’s not a twin by any stretch of the imagination but for a I4 it’s perfect.
I think all the hate against the big GS are from people who have never ridden it. They're simply very capable on and offroad. and dare i say easy to ride.
Owned a '22 GSA for close to 2 seasons. Unquestionably a capable bike.... Also sort of forgettable though. If you want a bike that has "personality" (and that is a terribly subjective but important part of bike ownership), the GS isn't going to scratch that itch. They're utilitarian almost to a fault... very good at a lot of things, not great at any one thing. Still, for a lot of riders that is the ideal solution.
@@headwinded1948 Is character something you always want, depends how you use a bike, you might enjoy it on the weekend, but not grinding through traffic, or in pouring rain, on along a motorway.
I really like how BMW threw in a few lines of code so the blind spot indicator doesn't light up when you're the one doing the passing, only when someone is coming up on you. That's thinking rather than just checking a box off a checklist - blind spot? Ja, fertig. They thought it out how it's used and I like that.
.... That's how works on all wehicles. If it didn't, it would be defective. Stop praising the minimum. If it has a feature, it should work, not be half assed
@@LukaS-iy1gs You might want to have a conversation with my car then. It works as stated - if there is another vehicle coming up beside me or already beside me or me passing another vehicle, it lights up. And if you need more proof than that Zak himself even commented on how the GS1300's blind spot works so if anyone has more experience than you or me on how it works, it'd be him. As to thinking about how things work - on my last car if I changed the volume of the stereo on the stereo screen/unit itself, it would show the volume bar on the screen only. If I changed it using the steering wheel control, it would show up in my digital instrument cluster only. That's thinking. On my new car (same brand), it works the same except when I change the volume on the steering wheel, then it shows up on both the cluster and the stereo screen. No idea if they changed it because of customer feedback or oversight but personally prefer the way it worked on my last car.
What if you are ....say...changing lanes on a multi lane highway and a car 2 lanes across also decides to change into the same lane where you are heading? I see that happening all the time. Can't replace eyeballs but that warning would sure be handy.. That being said I'd not be without blind spot radar now that I've got it.
I really like BMW's GS series and BMW in general. BMW also has a impeccable warranty and roadside service. You are literally one phone call away for help!
I finally got a bmw after almost 50 years of riding, not sure I would have love it before, but now i really enjoy my R1200. Maybe it's an age thing! Lol
Since the 2013 R1200GS: Weight: +5%; HP: +20%; Price: +36%. It’s always been a great, unique bike. Unfortunately as a former BMW fanboy/owner, there’s just zero chance I’m personally paying $30K or more out the door - esp given the alternatives. If pressed, I’m more apt to pick up a used R1200GS if I go back to BMW.
I got a 2016 (water cooled compared to the 2013) for about 12K. It had all the riding packages, 3 original cases with carrying bags and a gps. It also only had 9000 miles on it. If you don't want to pay premium. Just wait for the new model to be old. I'm pretty sure it's at least another 5 years until my gs is worth below 10K.
Yo-yo to all the "REV" Bros .....you guys are completely professional at what you do you should be very proud of the product you make and the consistency of it because I am and I love watching my shows
Actually the R1300GS is the same weight the R1200GS was 11 years ago, and the inflation-adjusted price is about the same too. They are holding the line.
It’s been a while since I sat through a single episode on Netflix and I can watch your video strait to the end and always end up refreshing with an update in the fast moving bike world. Wonderful job on the ride and review as always.
I agree with most points you have. I don´t understand people complaining about the hill hold. The frist 3 starts with it switched on are strange, than it becomes second nature. You can disable it by pulling the brake lever or using the rear brake. If you don´t want to use it, switch it of. Even though I don´t know why you would do that. It is an incredible feature. The only thing I am not sold on is the comfort. I am 190 (close to 6 ft 3 in I guess?) I have the enduro package, so maybe the footpegs are positioned different than the standard footpegs. But I can´t sit on it for a full day. Not even a full tank to be honest and I am 34 years old and an active, trained guy. I will most likely look into a different seat and/or footpegs. That is the one thing I am actually not happy with. Especially if you think about what this bike is supposed to be. On my old F800ST I would be sad that the tank is empty and I had to stop.
I turned off the hill hold on my Jeep, just because I wanted a bit more of a genuine experience, which gets lost with every new piece of technology. I don't even think about it when I'm off roading. And yes, I'm also the type that doesn't like quick shifters and such unless I'm racing. Even then my track bike has zero tech (still a carburated 2 stroke) 😂
R1250 gsa owner here. Went from s1000rr/R1 track runner to the 1250. It has been and feel like it always will be the best bike I've ever owned. It's a jack of all trades, master of none type of bike. If I want to bring it to the twities and have some fun, it's no problem. If I want to cruise cross country, it does that amazingly well. For the small amount of off road I have done on it, it was surprisingly sturdy. Love the bike and where it has gone
Instagram Question: "If you could only change one thing?" Zack: "Literally remove everything!" That was hilarious. Was kinda hoping the KTM would hang on to #1, but can't really argue with the leaderboard. Great review as always!
Just got back from a trip in the alps. I rode the 1300. It was fantastic. The adaptive ride height function is great. The downside is that you can't get the adaptive ride height feature if you opt for the "sport" (off road) suspension.
@@JS-nf1sn OK, gotcha. It seems like it’s the gold standard by which all other ADV bikes are measured but there are definitely better bikes for other purposes. I actually really like the flat twin (I have a 1250R and love it), but I feel like the GS’ reputation puts a lot of people off from even trying out that engine configuration, which is a shame. They’re pricey as hell new, but you can find some great deals used.
@@ejd8711 I don’t know of anyone that actually hates BMW. I look at them the exact same way I do Harley Davidson. They both make good bikes but I can’t justify spending that much on a toy. Especially when there are bikes that do the same thing for less than half price. Will they look as nice or be as fast? Probably not, but that’s ok.
A lifetime on top of boxxers makes you one of the best presenters to explain this bike . I would love to see this one with the bare minimum of additions .That suspension looks like a nice home for this 73 year old body .. As I have said before I wish they made an R80 version with this suspension and brakes ... I knew where it was going to be on the podium from the moment you swung a leg over that bike ... All the best , Guy
I sold a 2017 1200GS Rallye a couple of years ago. You can pick that bike up now for somewhere between £7k and £10k depending on condition/mileage. As good as I’m sure it is I very much doubt this new 1300GS is significantly better to warrant three times the money.
I just spent 12 days with the R1300GS in Sardinia, Corsica and mainland Italy. I own a 1250GS. To me, the new GS is less comfortable, more cramped, the boxer clatters at idle and sounds worse than the 1250 (which is not saying much). While it has more power and torque, it was not vastly different to me in daily riding nor when riding it aggressively. There are other tests on YT where the old and new bikes are basically side by side in a drag race and at roll-on. So much for a better power to weight ratio. Low speed handling is still wonderfully light and balanced. It is still a fabulous all round motorcycle. It was great on the Stelvio. But returning to my 1250 there was nothing that made me want to head to the BMW dealer to trade, and a few things that would keep me from doing so. That said, we had the following bikes to ride on that trip: Ducati MS V4S, Ducati Desert X, Triumph Tiger 1200, Triumph Tiger 900 Rally Pro, BMW S1000XR, Honda AT 1100 DCT (there was supposed to be a Suzuki GSX-S1000 but it was crashed, and a KTM SAS1290 but it had engine and electrical issues and had to be returned for warranty work…which appears to be a KTM thing). Out of all of those, if you could have only one bike, the GS was the best all rounder for me. As Zack says, you may not agree, but you would be wrong 😁.
I really like the feel of my MTS1200 as an all rounder bike, but everything has a weakness, and the Multi is unreliable. The bottom end had to be rebuilt at 29k which I think is unforgivable, and the piston rings appear to be shot as well, which would have been nice for the mechanic rebuilding it to have noticed. As it is now it's barely worth repairing, since I suspect the oil system is inherently flawed.
@@aluisious There is a video of an owner of the MTS 1200 with 80,000 problem free miles. "Trevor mould MTS long term review". I would be interested in the GS1300 as a base model, there is just so much silly technology, that makes it so silly expensive it has become more of a "Flash my cash" bike.
Extremely sensible and and pragmatic review. Its a great bike so easy to ride super low centre of gravity with the gearbox new position just does everything that little bit better than previous model.
I think if I was on the design team I'd have similar thoughts to you when it comes to stripping it down. I'd want them to basically make a modern HP2 enduro. I'm so sad that bikes like the HP2 enduro and the 950 super enduro R didn't stick around for very long. I know they're sort of impractical and a lot of people probably wouldn't want or use them. But there's something magical about them.
Departing this and the new GS900 - don’t think I’ll be doing much off-road, but am tall and both really appeal to me, took a GS1250 across Africa and really liked it, even though it was GSA
With over 10,000 miles on my R1300GS Trophy edition in the first 3 months I have really enjoyed it. Mine does have the higher sport suspension because I do ride it off-road. I have also owned a 2018 R1200GSA, 2020 S1000XR and a 2022 R1250GSA. In my opinion it is better in every way. The thing that I notice the most is how good the new Evo Telever suspension is off-road. It feels way more planted with better feedback. It almost feels like my XR and my 1250GSA had a baby. It is not perfect but it is so dang good at pretty much everything.
Depending on my mood, I think the GS either peaked with the R1100GS (the purest expression of an "analog" GS) or the late model 1200s (just enough tech and weight to justify themselves) -- will be curious to see how the 1300 evolves though, and if BMW figures out how to get it right with time
Great Daily Rider! Not what I expected with this Gen 8.0(?) bike. The only thing I missed was that I wanted to hear more about those off-road Swayzies shown at the end? You nailed it, the GS is king because is does EVERYTHING adequately. It's the motorcycle SUV in my garage!
Totally agree with your Zack! a raw R1300GS "PRO" matt Black without any gizmos with the bare minimum of electronics would sell like hotcakes. Take note BMW 😎
You can easily tell its not a CFMoto when you go to sell it, it will be worth nearly all you paid for it, unlike the CFMoto which will worth the price of yesterday's newspaper!!
On hill hold, I do think BMW do themselves a disservice shipping bikes with it on and in automatic mode. If you’re not used to it, it’s a weird intervention on the stops you particularly don’t want weird. Learn to use it in manual mode for a bit first and the auto mode becomes a nice convenience and aid
Random suggestion: Make one of these daily rides, reviewing a nice traditional 60s-70s style custom chopper, a proper one with a jokey shifter, foot-clutch, no front brake, Kick-start only, pre-1983 big-twin motor. I believe it would make a great video!
I got a 1250 GSA new last year,best bike I've owned and I've had a few, comfortable,all day, torque laden engine,great size for bigger riders,but the new 1300gsa is out and I love the looks,so ill be upgrading soon 👍🖤
Having owned a GS and GSA, the GS is the better "daily rider." It's hard to think of an exception, unless perhaps your commute is in consistently cold weather. The benefits of the GSA are all for longer trips and rougher roads, and are if anything disadvantages for riding around town. And then we get to the looks of the new GSA...
BMW should have made the shift cams stay in the efficient setting when on the highway at 80 unless cranking the throttle. I think they stay in the higher performance setting over a certain RPM. Which at modern highway speeds you're usually cruising at. So it slurps the fuel more than it should.
Motorcycles don't have blind spots. There is nothing blocking your vision. That said, the GS is a catch all for consumer vehicle technology so even bad tech will find a place on it. The R9T will be my next bike if I outgrow the one I'm looking at now.
Why do I feel that if BMW took your advice and did a bare bones "Pro" version of the bike, it would cost more than some of the lower spec models. "Ah yes, you would think it would be cheaper without all the electronics but the black paint we used contains "doesntexistium" which adds $4000 onto the price"
It is expensive but in the end AS expensive as the bikes it relates with (not even the most expensive - and being the king, it could be). They called them mega on-off, travel enduro, crossover... to me GS is just the best wildcard on two wheels, on planet Earth and this is its best version, even returning to some of the original values it seemed to have lost along the way. (this is why its worse critics are 1250GSA owners - why is a big other discussion but I am GLAD it doesn't appeal to them - kudos BMW, it takes balls to do that)
For the Second question: it’s called the BMW R1150GS. I understand the market calls for new bike reviews, but for the channel as a go-to hub for bike info, i would appreciate more old models reviews
Great review! Would you put a note in description for what all the icons mean? I think it is a nice addition & quick reference to the bike model tags for the board. A list of definitions on the board or in the description would be handy though. Thanks Zack, love ya buddy! Tell Ari howdy!
I was waiting for this review, not much for how the bike goes (which will be amazing) or how it looks (subjective (horrid in my eye)) but if some one was going to talk about luggage, and Zack is the first to at least glance over the matter, because literally no one is talking about it, and if you are wondering what happened, the new space age luggage don't work either don't close properly or fall off all together, and BMW issued a recall after months of yo-yoing to retire all the luggage, give the money back, and will talk about it next year, maybe... how do i know? let's just say that i work in the motorcycle luggage business, and the back order for aftermarket R1300GS component is soo long that it affected other make part! Big faux pas if you ask me... and yet the press, or youtuber are silent!
The impression I got watching the video is that it just might be so good that it gets boring. That does make for a very effective daily rider: it can go everywhere, do everything, and you won’t have an issue along the way. For me, this bike has three limiting factors: 1) The price. The bike is just too expensive for me; on an aside o think price should be taken into account more when considering these bikes because that’s the biggest barrier to entry anyway. 2) Dealer availability. I have to make a minimum 10 hour drive round trip to get the bike, and any services performed at the dealer will require that as well. 3) The features. Simply put, there’s more features than I know what to do with, and in a way there’s too much going on. That also contributes to my issue with the price. But hey, it is what it is, and this bike is king of its class for a reason.
Having owned every model of gs with the 310 exception. I will say the 1300 is the best off road by a long shot but on road….keep your 1250. Also clutch pull is insanely hard. It does feel dramatically smaller.
I picked up a 2013 R1200GS (liquid cooled) for a good price just to test out if I like the GS. Well…I do. It’s a fantastic bike and I adore it but life’s too short to stick with one bike so I’ll keep it for another year and try something else.
Looks like a $25,000 NX750. I've had three GS's, my DR650 gives me infinitely more pleasure because it doesn't break down or get recalled every other day and I can work on it it without super duper secret electronic codes from Germany. Too much crap constantly breaking. "not disappointed with a long day on the road" is something I'll never know, I never got a long day on the road without them breaking. From shocks to brakes to forks to wheels to drive lines to cruise control to gps to limp modes......They are great to test ride, owning is a different story.
Exactly and for 25k you would expect at least reliability but the number of different versions of these bikes and engines every 5 years is more than suzuki in 25 years. This is amazing for marketing and inovation but horrible for reliability and long term owenership
I’ve been on my motorcycle in places where my phone was completely useless and I’m like two days from home. But my Garmin unit has ALWAYS worked when I needed it. I always bite the bullet and pay for a Garmin. Well worth it. Anyone else agree or does everyone trust there phone these days?
I use trails off-road. I keep the maps I will need downloaded to my phone For offline use. I can get nearly 20 years of subscription for cost of BMW navigation, aka garmin.
Depends where you live and how you ride. I had no phone coverage or download maps along the Myanmar boarder, on the Thailand side, but Garmin still worked.
Great as always Zak, i must tell you that this bike in Italy starts from 23k € without any extras so you have much better price also regarding € to $ difference, but also to said that here gs 1300 had some electronics -handle bar reley problem . But generally nice toy!
The GS range has gotten to the point that it’s so incredible, that it’s kind of boring. That being said though they still are all phenomenal bikes from the 310 to the big 1300.
Haha this was one of those rare videos where Zack's biases show through. I do remember in a HS LS episode he did say, he doesn't care if everyone says the next GS is crap, he would still love it. And here there were a few times when he is like "oh it does this and that, but hey who cares right?" :D Or the stop sign challenge where he says ''amazingly balanced" then it turns out to be a sketchy set of stop signs xD. Good review though - as usual :DD
Thanks for a proper review on the big 13 , I love the looks if I could change one thing it would be the lack of a brake light,, that’s it really, if and when I get one I’d get the base model 👍👍
he called it variable valve at 19:00 but to be clear it’s dual cam. 2 different cams are fluidly switched between. It actually defies physics but germans get around it.
No other bike does as much as well as the GS does. It's not the best in any one thing but it does so well in any category you put it in, the bike is worth more than the sum of its parts.
So better throttle response, clutch/transmission feel than m1000r and f900gs? Mmm I wonder why 🤔 what could it be, oh I don’t know… SATAN! Does anyone remember the church lady? Oh I don’t know Zack could it be… SHAFT DRIVE! like the moto guzzi review you can’t utter those two words once? I love you Zack, just kidding, but the anticipation made the video extra exciting. 🤓 GREAT REVIEW!
That looks super fun! At least 50 percent of the reason i have an old r1150r is because it looks and is interesting. It was cheap with 70k miles, it does most things well and is not the best at any except maybe all condition european style commuting with a comfy seat, extra windscreen and borrowed gs hand guards :) with my home made breville espresso thank you! Haha Thanks for the saturday treat as always and being a rock in the tide of opinion, its ok not to be cranky and instead buy an older bike if it will tickle your pickle
