The BMW R1300GS - A Masterclass in Design 

“A bike trying to go and dying because its rider was busy paying for it”……man….this guy is a bike riding prophet….that’s some deep sh!t right there….

Yes, I too loved the conclusion of the video. If you have plenty of money to buy an expensive bike like the 1300GS, God bless you and go have fun! But I remember when doing a short touring ride through the hills of Nevada and stopped at a small shopping center for travelers. I had my relatively inexpensive DR650 that was well modded out for adventure riding. There was another rider with his slightly banged up, cheap-looking, small Suzuki cruiser with a rack and duffle bags bungee corded all together. Young guy probably in his 20's. We chatted. He was having such a blast on his trip. Smiling and just full of excitement. I'll never forget that.

These are the classic f9 videos weve been waiting for.

So glad Anish is back - you can see it immediately in the videography, absolute art.

Best thing in the Video is the typo from the BMW Assist voice. "How many I help you?" Even funnier is that the typo carried over to the german AI Voice "Wie vielen helfe ich Ihnen?"

I used to think Camissa was the best automotive journalist alive. I dont even care about motorbikes. I keep coming back for the superb writing and storytelling about design. Congratulations Fortnine crew, youre among the best in the world, if not the best.

Can’t wait to buy one used in 15 years!

In Germany, where you see a lot of GSs, you notice one thing: This bike is under utilized. Most people that can afford the GS are way retired or almost retiring - their reflexes are not as good anymore, they aren‘t as in shape and have their stiff necks or shot knees. They can‘t use the GS off-road because it‘s to heavy, they can‘t fling it round the Alps because they can‘t turn their head far enough for the switchbacks and so on. Nothing the bike offers really gets used so it‘s mostly a rolling sign of a midlife crisis. The best bike out there, I agree, but also the most under utilized. I just checked and in 2017 the average Age of a BMW owner was 46 years (down from previous 50 years)

I really resonate with the conclusion of this video. I ride a 2007 Fz6 that i bought in early 2023 for €2700 with 12.000km on it. The previous owners rode less than 800km per year. In the following 17 months i have ridden it 30.000km, through all weather, and been to 11 different countries and 4 different mountain ranges with it. It has never let me down. In that time it has had a valve service, a chain and sprocket, 3 new tires, 6 oil changes, installed a used set of hard cases, a topcase and heated grips. As well as about 1500 liter of expensive European petrol. All combined it cost me probably 2.5x the purchase price of the bike in less than 2 years of riding it. I have the money to buy the ideal bike and not go on many trips, or to buy a not so ideal bike and go on many trips. I rather spend my money on the older bike which is not ideal and make the trips, than have the ideal bike which just sits at home while i work.

Many years ago, my friend and I got some cheap Chinese 150cc dirt bikes and rode across Central and South America, we didn't have much money, bought gym bags and strapped them onto our bikes. We went across the Amazon rainforest and over the Bolivian Andes and the Atamaca desert, and yes our bikes broke regularly but we had memories of a lifetime. We met guys on their BMW 1200GS and F800, but they were afraid for their bikes and stuck to only good roads.

This video told a lot of truth at the end. My Dad loves motorcycling and bougth a GS because its ``the best bike of course``. He only went to 3 trips in 4 years of owning it. Scared that if he dropped it he wouldnt have the money to rapair it.

In Germany BMW sells as many GS' as the next four competitors in the top 5 combined. Ever since the GS 1200. You see them everywhere. Saturdays, being polished in the driveway of their owners. Sundays, in front of the nearest biker café. On trailers behind expensive cars, on the way to vacation in the Austrian or Italian Alps. But on the road or on trails.... No, not that I could recall.

8:15 - SOS rider outside starbucks service area😂

I have an '09 R1200GS and I really struggle with the newer technology. Not in the sense that I don't' understand it, more in the sense that it's taking me further away from the ride. I don't WANT my motorcycle to do everything for me, I like to be challenged. I'd like to think my skill makes the difference but I know in many ways, the motorcycle has more to do with my enjoyment by making up for my lack of certain skills. But at least with my 09, I know I am still in charge. I dictate when and where I take he risks and don't rely on the moto to get me out of trouble. My 09 GS has been, and continues to be the best motorcycle I've ever owned. It's hard to give it up and after watching a video like this, it just reinforces that my 09 GS still has a long time left in my possession. At some point the repairs and maintenance will out pace it's value. But that day is not today. Not today.

3:41 glowing pipe has such a nice color...

What a nice bit of producing and editing at around 3:45, speaking of symmetry of the bike and showing a shot of the city lights reflected in the water.

Closest we've gotten to an old school TopGear episode right here...

I don’t ride, but I still think these videos are great. Every hobby deserves a channel as good as FortNine.

I don't want a tool that does what I didn't ask it to do, I want one that does what I tell it to do, even if it's stupid.

Really enjoy the videos, and most of the content. Defensive rebuttals from a R1300GS owner......The hill hold function is nothing new. HD has had it for years (so BMW also ripped that off of them). The simple trick to release it, is just tap the brake lever again before you roll on the throttle. No problem. Regarding the adaptive height control, I almost didn't get it. Been riding tall ADV bikes on and off-road for years. I didn't need or want AHC. But, the bike I wanted had it so what the heck, I got it. So glad I did. It is freaking awesome, especially in metro settings, and in the garage. Side note......Owned a lot of bikes. The R1300GS is by far the best all-around bike I have ever owned. It is the Swiss Army Knife of bikes. Amazing!

One of the best video ending ever.

Man ,the editing, the story telling the pictures, the best designed review video for the best designed motorcycle.

The last line of the video was beautifully articulated. Thx for this video Ryan.

If there's one thing that BMW is good at, that's helping people spend money on a bike they don't need.

The Classic K (Flying brick) had starter relay issues in the 90s. My 1994 K1100LT would crank until you saw smoke. Don't worry, the fuse box was under the gas tank and took 15 minutes to access

I don’t own a motorcycle. Never have. I am not particularly mechanically inclined. I have however watched every single video you have made. This is the only channel I am subscribed for which I have notifications on for when a new video is uploaded. I find myself dazzled and pensive by the thoughtfulness one person can spark inside of me when discussing motorcycles - which I don’t own and often did not know existed. I find your videos inspiring, smart, and thought provoking while emotionally stimulating. All while talking about … motorcycles.

I bought the 2015 GS-A, brand new, full spec. Pricey bastard, the best riding machine ever! Did 32K in one year and then the second, yes the SECOND, gearbox started breaking. Sold it back to the dealer and bought a 2006 R1200S. Still riding that today, as well as my 2005 K1200S. Both have 130K kilometers on them and are absolutely fine. And when they're not; I can fix them myself. I'd like to ride this 1300, but I am not falling for that shit again.

Really thought it was the bike for me, but once I saw it in person realized it’s not for me. I decided to pick up a year old Africa Twin and use the money I saved on updating my gear.

Aw man so many Easter egg subtle burns sprinkled everywhere. I used to think it was scripted, but I'm beginning to think Ryan rolls these off his tongue aux naturelle. Kudos for filming this at night! The complexity increases exponentially. 8:15 "press 1 to eliminate" 😅🤣😂 three thumbs up for the editor! Mucho respect to the team. 👍💪🙏

This bike has so many design quirks that make it unique and in the same time more likely to fail it getting worse of than competition. But still it's very popular. It's so cool to see the evolution of these machines from the very beginning that's like evolution in nature. Once you embark on a feature. Being the engine layout or particular rear wheel mount and shafts then the developers keep it and only make it better. Like evolution decided we will have two hemispheres a long time ago and we still have. I have only fully realised this when I was in the museum with machines from the beginning of last century. I wish everyone many happy and enjoyable miles.

Why yes, Of course I'm watching a video on a bike I'll never have and might never even encounter because the production quality is just that good.

I'm an R1250GS owner and this video sums up my opinion of the R1300GS. I think it looks like it is an improvement in almost every way except that it would require my spending a lot more money. I don't get mine dirty as much as I would like, but I do ride it and I love my bike. Go out and ride, guys, and if you can afford a motorcycle that won't own you, go buy one and ride it!

Aneesh making a hell of a comeback, nice work as ever

I recently bought an old BMW 1200 GS and before I owned one I thought it was expensive crap but after riding it I got just how good it is and why people love their BMW. I would recommend BMW to anyone, of course they have their issues like all other bikes but no one that has ridden them can say they are not good. My opinion is if you can afford it go for it but if you need a loan skip it.

This is the kind of videos that got me into this channel, no suger coating anything.

"Whether or not you like the design will depend on whether or not you have taste" hahaha Guess I don't have taste, because there's just something about that big burly asymmetrical 1250 GS

Please never stop making videos, Greetings from Bavaria

"Rider outside of Starbucks zone. Press 1 to eliminate, Press 2 to talk." *chefs kiss*

Absolutely the most informative, most entertaining, and best produced motorcycle videos on the planet. I wish the magazines or their respective channels were half as good.

Omg, the production of this video. The details ❤❤

3:40 The glowing exhaust headers look really cool in this shot.

Best line - "Rider is outside of Starbucks service area"!

The only bmw I would currently consider is the HP2 Enduro. I rejected it because of its inability to easily change final drive gearing. It’s a shame they stopped producing it. BMW needs to get serious about shaving weight again. ABS, the fancy rider aids and crash bars actually add a lot of weight. Simple is usually always lighter. Air oil cooled engines can have a higher power to weight ratio than water cooled if you include the radiator water pump hoses and fluid weight. (and displacement and emission is not an issue). Aircraft still use it for that reason. The exhaust emissions junk could be deleted with a off-road kit.

Love the nighttime filming. Great job by the camera crew in some of the toughest lighting conditions. This was a Masterclass in Videography!

the review was just flowing so smooth that I didn't even realize that the video is over

Man the music in this video combined with bmw scenery got me going

This summer, (not that anyone had asked) I got my first gravel bike (yes bycicle) for that manual pain through which I own what i ride. Definitely a struggle and i love it, going down in small forest hills with roots all over and bumps and I'm realizing this is harder than mountainbikes but more like a racecar feel and engagement. Strange. One day i will enjoy Yukon in one of these or likely not 1300 but small engine. Thank you for an amazing video and welcome to Yukon sometime.

I have no words. This is absolutley extraordinary

Ryan! This is what other channels cannnot replicate! You hit on stuff that others do not even think about! You are Invaluble Sir. Thank you

Very different techno-dance type video! Awesome!!!

This is so well produced, I feel like these get better every time. The writing, the editing, the music, the graphics, the fact that the whole thing was shot at night and still looks great.. everything is perfect.

Have a nice day. Sends missle is flippen hilarious!

3:47 - Holy Fuck Camera Guy, that's Fine Art

I think Ryan is the review G.O.A.T. And… after having clicked over to check out some Flying Eyes, I thought "hmm…seems like a Gore-Tex style inspired review is in order for these $250 plastic bendy sunglasses." 💰😎

I love Ryan for always being honest to roast all products if they deserve it. So us the potential buyers would know what we are getting at. Him and Gerald Undone does that

In Australia we don't have the SOS button, and the HSC you mention can be set to Auto, Manual or Off quite easily. If you set it to Manual it works exactly as is does on the 1200 & 1250. Relay issue now fixed, so that's no longer an issue As for Vario cases. Don't buy them, just go soft panniers or 3rd party hard luggage like GIVI.

A year ago exactly I bought a brand new ‘23 R 1250 GS trophy, well knowing that the 1300 was coming, to buy a full optional version with a relatively good discount. I wanted an end of the run, perfected version of something not that new, vs being a paying beta tester for something newer. Recently BMW updated the 1250 maintenance schedule adding a driveshaft replacement every 60k km free of charge for the bike’s lifetime, plus a maintenance every 20k always free of charge, so I’m even happier than before, BUT I’m gonna watch this video, and if it makes me regret my decision, I might be sad - Edit: it’s cool (except the fugly cheap looking X headlight more suitable for a sino-bike) but I’ll keep my seasoned design cow. That ending is inspirational, I will probably spend that extra money on something more useful than upgrading so soon.

Bro. That ending monologue was deep! So I’ll keep my vstrom and work less and be happy. Got It, thank you!

I love my GS , # 3 , and have never been to a starbucks. Just got back from the yukon and had a blast riding 6000 miles. Yes there expensive, but worth every penny.

The next GS wont even start unless the rider is wearing a banana yellow jacket.

The 1300GS video i expected to see... awesome job Fnine! by the other hand... nobody talks about the old F650GS 2nd gen ... one of the most reliable bikes of the German Brand... and one of the greatest designs ever. It's intemporal, the designer of the bike was a genius from my point of view.

8:20 that shot with blinking retroreflectors is beautiful. also, at 2:40 engine sounds are amazingly fit with the music, dunno if it originally was there or your editors are this talented.

I have the 1250 and I fully agree with the Hill Climb Control: I use it mainly at incline (up but mostly down) stopping lights to avoid having to brake continuously. Then I take it off and do things manually when I need to start

Just bought a 52 year old airhead, what I love about it, it does not call home and even better it does not need to call home, it simply runs and runs and runs.......

I don’t even ride, I watch for the stellar production quality!

"and there is something cautionary about that image: a bike trying to go and dying because its rider was busy paying for it" goes way too hard

I have a 2015 and I love it (just upgraded to it a few weeks ago in fact). But the pinnacle of the R1200GS IMO, was 2007 which I upgraded from. It was the lightest GS without the gosh-awful servo brakes of 05-06. It had no electronic extras that were not also practical. It was just a great bike. The new suspension does intrigue me on the new model. Floaty/vagueness is the only detriment of the Telelever (but that only in off road situations or very extralegal road speed cornering). But overall the Telelever is the best real world riding suspension I have ever experienced in 40 years of riding - and what made me - a cheapskate - a BMW rider since about 2004 - so about half my in the saddle years.

Poetry. Art. Craft. Your videos continue to transcend mere "motorcycle RU-vid content" and are in a class of their own. Bravo to the FortNine team.

Still loving my t7 buddy

In 2024, any and every type of bike has been around the globe. And that's exactly the kind of bike you need for the job. Any bike.

great video as always. We also need to comment BMW for improving the off road capabilites of a motorcycle that almost none of its owners is going to take off road, hell they do not even target those riders. Do not worry about having enough money after buying it to go arround the world with it, that's not their target group either :)

Thank you. Honestly. I started looking at a brand new Goldwing, then thought about the new R1300gs, then remembered you made a video about it, only to find you reminding me that the point is riding, not owning the bestest, newest, most comfyest, most sophisticated machine on the banks asset sheet. Thank you.

I like the SOS button.Anytime I'm in the BMW palace and getting ready to sign on the dotted line, I'll press the SOS button..... and be SAVED!

Would love a 1300GS, reality has me sitting on a 2020 Himalayan. I’d love a DB9, I drive a 2009 Landrover. Because the wash up in this video is bang on. I could (just about) afford the dream machines, but I work to live, I don’t live to work and I can fix both of my vehicles with a few wrenches and a big hammer, and not have to remortgage my soul just to pay to run them. Still, it’s nice to dream :-)

Such a spot-on review and accurate parting shot. This is a rich man's toy. A fourth, or maybe even fifth bike. I think it's an awesome piece of kit and BMW have lifted the bar yet again. But, would I trade in my R1250GSA for this? Nah! Is it desirable and great fun on the trails? For sure; of this I have little doubt!. And, as usual, a top notch production. Well done, Ryan and your team!

I watched twice in a row. At first, I got the whole idea. And the second one was just for my pleasure to watch something high quailty, well scripted, well edited. I am so glad F9 is a motorcycle enthusiast.

Will I ever be able to afford a beamer? No. Did it stop me from thorougly enjoying this video? Also no.

Incredible storytelling, beautiful shots, and a compelling narrator. You are everything us motorcycle content creators should aim for, big shoutouts for you guys, amazing video!

Damnit, another effing 5-star video. These guys are amazing.

I’m absolutely love how even more tongue in cheek the recent Ryan videos have been.

I want to see your opinion on the new Triumph Tiger 1200 Rally line. I went with the Tiger 1200 rally over the GS1300 and couldnt be happier with my choice. I think the Tiger is the king right now

I actually understand what “design language” means now. Excellent tv you guys are amazing

You could teach a class in film editing with this video. Very well done.

All I got from this video is how supremely dead North Van nightlife is, that you had the waterfront epicentre all to yourself to film this 😂

What a great presenter! I know fairly little about motorcycles and I'm not interested in getting one but I watched the entire video.

Last line = best laugh. Well done, ya Canuck geniuses....

During all my years offroading through Laos, the GS brand were the only bikes always seen broken down or fallen over in rivers and streams.

I feel smarter in my brain

Jesus, this production is getting better.

Rainy Day - F9 video. Lets go

I am Japanese I am enjoying Japanese motorcycle and I am happy!

Wow. Great video and wonderful bike. I'll keep my 90's DR650. And my cell phone.

This is not a bike review, this is poetry.

So good - Self Immolating adventure bike cause the rider is stuck in work office trying to afford the repayments. Love the BMW assist scenes with the missile launch. 🤣 Brilliant Alles klar, Herr Kommissar??

Dude...that ending is beyond awesome. It applies to so much more than GS1300-biking...

Very Smart Advice " I really think you should buy it. BUT not if you can afford it , you should buy it if you can afford so much more than 30k that you wont have to work longer for having spent it" I bought a 2019 1250 for a steal a dream bike for nearly half off and only 2000mi on it the original owner spent 32k i got the receipts with the bike .....later i rented that bike and paid it off in less than 18mo so i bought a 2022 1250GSA my ultimate dream machine a bike for myself....the 2019 battery failed, ride height sensor failed , and the death was the starter one way clutch bearing failed , and to further complicate it i live on Maui Hi so no dealer....oh and the throttle on my 2022 failed under warranty but BMW wont help because i have to ship the bike to Oahu for a 15min eval at a 2000$ cost to me....lessons have been learned NEVER BUY FIRST GEN and make sure you build a work shop BEFORE you buy the bike so you can fix it yourself! Ill post the video later of the fixing of the One way clutch bearing..its a process!!!

Initially I wasn't sure if our fearless narrator was going to an all weather rave, or was coming home from a shift at the local airport after a long night of schlepping baggage. But I digress. I looked at the 1300, and bought a 2024 1250 instead. BMW has a history of over engineering things, and this bike is no exception. While I'm sure it will all work out, I didn't want to be a beta tester.

I'm still not a fan of that beak. Not sure why it's there when there's a low fender? They got rid of it on the F900 and it's so much better looking without it

After a long, someone did as good a job as Jeremy Clarkson with amazing after-effects, sound and editing thanks a lot for this one I am a follower :)

I think that enormous and ridiculous suit is intentional. It has no sense riding with that suit, as well riding that motorbike. I happy with my 2010 F800 GS, it is a perfect suit. I love your style saying things with all channels open, thank you man.