BMW R 1300 GS Adventure By Ben Purvis
The launch of BMW's R 1300 GS a year ago saw the introduction of a completely new generation of boxer twin engine and a clean-sheet redesign of the chassis, but its new sister model - the R 1300 GS Adventure - is likely to sell in even larger numbers.
Like its predecessors, it shares its mechanical parts with the standard version. The engine is the same new boxer twin, measuring exactly 1,300 cc and putting out 107 kW (143.5 bhp/145 PS) at 7,750 rpm, complete with BMW's ShiftCam variable valve timing and lift system and featuring a new layout for the company that positions the transmission underneath the engine rather than behind it.
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The result is a shorter package than its predecessors, despite its larger capacity and extra power and helps raise higher ground clearance. Like the standard R 1300 GS, it dispenses with the tubular steel design of all its predecessors in favour of pressed and welded steel - reducing weight and increasing rigidity while retaining the ruggedness of steel for off-road use.
At the back, there's a cast aluminium subframe, sitting above a new 'EVO Paralever' rear suspension swingarm that takes advantage of the shorter engine and transmission to be longer than the design used on earlier models.
The front suspension is the 'EVO Telelever' system that debuted on the R 1300 GS, which combines the benefits of two previous generations of BMW's signature Telelever setup. BMW's 'Dynamic Suspension Adjustment' that gives electronic control over the suspension damping on the move is standard on the Adventure, and there's the option of being able to drop the ride height by 30 mm when stationary.
Where the R 1300 GS Adventure really departs from the standard R 1300 GS is in its appearance. The styling is completely reworked around a 30-litre fuel tank that gives the bike a boxier look than the base model. BMW has used the surface area of that tank as a platform for an array of mounting hooks and brackets, purpose-made for its own range of optional luggage parts.
BMW has clearly learnt from Honda's recent experience with the Africa Twin, where the semi-automatic DCT transmission variants are now outselling the manual model, so will be offering its new ASA 'Automated Shift Assistant' as an option on the R 1300 GS Adventure as well as the base R 1300 GS. It uses electromechanical actuators to operate the clutch and the gear shifter, allowing both fully-automatic and semi-automatic shift options.
There's no clutch lever, as that's controlled by computers, but unlike the new Yamaha Y-AMT semi-auto system, BMW has opted to retain a conventional-looking foot shifter for the gears. Despite looking and feeling like a normal gear lever, it's not actually connected to the transmission, instead operating a switch that tells the ASA system that you want to change gear.
