BMW R 1300 GS Adventure confirmed alongside ASA auto transmission By Ben Purvis
Automatic transmissions have struggled to affect motorcycle sales for decades - at least outside the scooter market - but we appear to be at a tipping point where the technology gets mass acceptance as Europe's most popular large-capacity bike is getting an auto option in 2025.
The bike in question is, of course, the BMW R 1300 GS. For 2025, it will be joined by a 21 kg heavier R 1300 GS Adventure with more rugged styling and a larger fuel tank, and both versions will come with the option of BMW's newly-announced 'ASA' Automated Shift Assistant. The word 'automatic' is carefully avoided, with its connotations of slushy torque converters and sluggish performance, but while the ASA transmission is an automated version of a conventional manual clutch and transmission, it also has a fully-auto setting, where the bike takes care of all gear changing duties.
It comes as a direct response to the success of Honda's Dual Clutch Transmission (DCT), which is now chosen by the majority of customers buying the Africa Twin Adventure Sports.
Unlike the Honda DCT system, which uses two clutches and allows two gears to be selected simultaneously, so releasing one clutch and engaging the other gives a seamless shift with no interruption of drive, the BMW ASA transmission is essentially a conventional gearbox with electro-mechanical actuators operating the clutch and the gear shifter.
With clever electronics, good integration of the ride-by-wire throttle and rapid movement of those actuators, the shifts should be as smooth as any human rider can achieve, but won't be truly seamless like the DCT gear changes. However, the system should also be much lighter and more affordable than the Honda design.
BMW has confirmed that there will be both fully-auto and manual shift settings, selectable via a control on the bars, but there's no finger-operated gear controls. While the ASA transmission has been officially confirmed, we need to do some sleuthing to find out about the R 1300 GS Adventure it will be fitted to.
Look carefully at the photos BMW released, showing the ASA controls and the red-and-black bike they're fitted to doesn't quite match anything in the existing range, with different hand guards, a different seat and changes to the fuel tank compared to the R 1300 GS. Type-approval documents filed by BMW confirm that there will be an R 1300 GS Adventure in 2025.
