New 2024 BMW R1300GS Full Specs, Details & Price Announced!

Welcome back everyone, now today's a big one because BMW finally announced their massive update to their best-selling, world-dominating GS with a completely new bike that's built from the ground up. This one is huge news because this bike is pretty much the benchmark against which all other large-capacity adventure bikes are measured. Thing is though, truth be told, the competition has really improved in the last year or two. Triumph put their Tiger 1200 on a huge diet and really dialed up the power, and the Ducati Multistrada V4 is absolutely incredible with a superbike-derived engine and bags of the latest technology. So is this new R1300GS enough of a leap forward to keep its place at the top of the market, or is BMW's development starting to lag behind? Well in this video, we'll go through absolutely all of the specs and details to find out. Perhaps the biggest strength of the GS has been its boxer twin engine, which is a big signature feature of BMW bikes. But it has started to look a little bit underpowered versus the competition recently, at least on the spec sheet. But for 2024, this bike now gets even more capacity, so they've given it a much bigger bore. And that now means that it's exactly 1,300cc as opposed to the 1,254 of the previous generation. So power is up as a result, as you might expect. Now you're looking at 145 horsepower versus 136, and it's made at the exact same point in the rev range at 7,750 rpm. So that's a handy boost of 9 horsepower, although I think when you set it against the rest of the large adventure bike market, it does still look a little bit on the low side. Thing is though, this engine has really always been about usable torque and richness and smoothness overproducing astronomical headline power figures. And so now with this extra capacity, it's actually making even more torque with 149 Nm at 6,500 rpm. So that's up on the 143 Nm of the previous generation. That makes it by far and away the torquiest of the bunch, and it also produces it pretty much the lowest in the rev range. So to be fair to BMW, it seems as though rather than going after peaky power, they've actually leaned even further into what makes the GS a GS, which is real world usable grunt. I don't think anyone who's ridden a 1250 would describe it as slow in terms of getting up to motorway speeds, and so this new one should be even brisker. The other thing that stands out to me about the Boxer engine is the fuel economy. I mean, the previous generation was just 4.75 liters consumed per 100 kilometers traveled, and even with a bigger engine now, it's still just 4.8 liters. Pretty impressive, I think, for such a big engine, and again, set it against the competition, and it looks very good indeed, especially versus the Ducati. A big factor here will be their shift cam variable valve timing and lift system, which has two different cam profiles on the intake valves. One is more modest and biased towards riding economically, but when you give it a good twist on the throttle, it automatically electronically switches over to the more aggressive cam profiles, and that gives you maximum acceleration and peak power. The only downside I can spot with this new 1300 GS is that fuel capacity has gone down a little bit. It was 20 liters before, and now this new fuel tank design is 19 liters, but even with that slight one liter penalty, owing to the super economical figures, you should theoretically still get more range than any other comparable 20-ish liter adventure bike. On top of all this, they've also played with the layout of the engine, so the gearbox now sits below it rather than behind like the previous generation. That means that you've now got a much shorter engine, which has allowed them to optimize its position in the chassis, and that, in turn, they say, means better handling. But this engine redesign also contributes to some pretty substantial weight savings, so we're talking 3.9 kilograms alone on the engine, and 6.5 kilograms saved if you include the shaft drive system, which has also been fully reworked. In fact, across the whole bike, we're now talking a 12 kilogram reduction, which means it's a 237 kilogram total wet weight. Super impressive, and I think that now makes it the lightest of the bunch when you compare it to the nearest competition, and while I'm sure there are lots of little savings all across the bike, a couple of key features really do jump out at me, so one would be the frame, which was previously made of tubular steel, but now you've got a main frame that's made from sheet steel, and also an aluminum subframe, so they say that not only helps with weight and packaging, but it's also said to increase stiffness, which is said to make the bike feel more precise out on the road. Then you've got a new lithium ion battery, which is worth 2.5 kilograms weight saving alone, and so that's almost a quarter of the total 12 kilogram reduction, which seems like a good quick win, as they say. So looking pretty good on the engine front and the weight savings, but the other area in which this bike was starting to lag behind a bit was the technology. Now for 2024, they've fitted a lot of equipment as standard, so you get four riding modes, lean sensitive ABS and traction control, dynamic brake control, hill start control, and more, and there's also an electronics package in the accessories catalog that gives you three more riding modes to allow for even more customization. All this stuff is managed through the same excellent six and a half inch TFT display of the previous gen, which of course offers all the connectivity and navigation features that you could ask for. But I think the biggest leap forward on the technology front has to be the new front and rear radar system, which opens up their new riding assistant features. This includes active cruise control, which uses the front radar to follow the traffic in front at a set distance, automatically feathering your speed. And then there's the lane change warning, which is effectively a blind spot warning system and that'll give you a light in the mirror if there's someone sitting just behind you as a warning not to move over. Both of these we've seen on other adventure bikes like the Ducati, the KTM, the Triumph, as well as the active cruise control on some of the other BMW bikes like the R1250RT. But new on this bike, and I think it might be a first on the market, is a front collision warning system, which calculates your rate of approach to the vehicle in front and can actually intervene with the brakes if it thinks you're about to crash. Really advanced stuff that we're talking about here. And there's even something in the press release that mentions the rear radar being used to help to avoid rear collisions. And so I think this is probably the most advanced system on the motorcycle market. And I'm not just talking about adventure bikes, but pretty much any bike that I can think of. So let's hope that it's just as good out on the road as they say it is. Now by the way, if you like the look of this sort of tech, but you don't necessarily want to change bike, then I'd definitely recommend checking out today's video sponsor and that's Ride Vision. They make what looks like an ordinary dash cam system with front and rear facing cameras, but actually the control unit is constantly analyzing the video feed to identify hazards like front collisions and blind spot warnings, and also dangerous overtakes coming from way back. The system then warns you with its super visible lights that attach to the existing mirrors on your bike, or you can buy the Ride Vision mirrors with the integrated lights. Now it doesn't tie into the brakes or the engine or anything like that. The control is still entirely with the rider, but I've had Ride Vision 2 fitted to my Tiger 800 for a few months now, and I've got to say it's a really good reminder when you're out riding to take extra care, leave a little bit more distance and also be a bit more cautious about what's happening behind you. In fact, in Ride Vision's data, they say it can massively reduce the chances of a front collision and there are also some brilliant extra features like their app, which allows you to customize the brightness of the lights or the sensitivity of the warnings. And then all the time in the background, it's just behaving like a regular dash cam and capturing footage so you can refer to it later should you need to. We've actually made a full video with all the details that you could ever wish to know and I'll link to that down in the description below, so do check it out if this sounds of interest to you. And also, Ride Vision have been kind enough to give me a 15% discount code specifically for my viewers, which you'll also find in the description. So once again, a massive thanks to Ride Vision for their support. And with that, back to the GS. Now another huge strength of the GS in my book has always been the suspension with that signature Telelever front end instead of a traditional fork. And that gives it this exceptional ride quality and also largely eliminates dive under braking. This new generation uses a new design called Evo Telelever, which uses a new handlebar decoupler for what they say is a more direct feel to the steering. There's also an update to the Paralever shaft drive swingarm at the back that's now called Evo Paralever as well. And they say this one has a stiffer connection to the frame, which again will have a positive effect on handling. Now Dynamic ESA is their electronically adjustable semi-active suspension upgrade. And this has also had a big boost for 2024. Not only does it still adjust damping in real time to give you the best possible ride quality and response based on the current riding conditions, but also they're saying the spring rate is now dynamically adjusted as well. So it ensures that the bike sits level with the right amount of sag, whether you're two up or with luggage or riding solo. And it's doing that constantly in real time. The GS to me has always felt like a brilliantly poised bike, basically unflappable. And so I'd be expecting even more of the same from this new, more advanced system. Then you've got the adaptive ride height. We've seen a feature like this on the Harley Davidson Panamerica, the Tiger 1200, the Multistrada V4, where you can just minimise the preload on the rear shock so that even with a pretty tall bike, you can actually get your feet down a little bit easier. But I guess the beauty of having the Telelever on the GS means that you've got a monoshock both front and rear, and so this system, the adaptive ride height, means you can lower the whole bike, not just the back end. Now they say it goes from a standard seat height of 850mm right down to 820mm when you're stationary or riding slowly. So that's a huge difference, and they say it happens pretty quickly and almost imperceptibly. Then you can customise it so you can make it automatic or permanent. And you've also got different settings for each of the different riding modes. It is worth adding that if 820mm still sounds a bit tall to you, then there is a low accessory seat at 830mm, so taking the same 30mm off the total height, that'll presumably get you down to 800mm with the adaptive ride height. Lastly, on the suspension front, there is a new sports package which is geared towards more aggressive off-road riding, and that gives you 20mm more travel at each end. So that's up from the 190mm at the front and the 200mm on the standard bike, to 210mm and 220mm, and they also say it's got a firmer setup for tackling that more challenging terrain. Now as for the rest of the chassis, well we've got some rather fancy looking new brake callipers up front. Four pistons and radially mounted, and almost looking like knock-off Brembos with that red writing and the bare metal finish. Those are on twin 310mm discs. Now wheels are still 19 inches at the front and 17 at the rear, which seems like a decent balance of on and off-road capability, as opposed to stuff like the Tiger 1200 Rally from Triumph, which really does go all out on the off-road focus with a big 21-incher at the front. Realistically though, this setup should do the trick for most scenarios. And there are also three choices of wheel construction. So the standard bike gets cast alloy wheels, which are of course the most road-biased. Then there's a set of spoke wheels that offer more strength for off-roading. And then you've also got the option of their newly developed Enduro forged wheels, which sound like a bit of a compromise between the two. Stronger than the cast wheels, presumably, but also lighter than the spokes by 1.8kg. So loads of changes to this bike, but perhaps none more immediately noticeable than the styling changes, which really are quite substantial. I mean, it's still clearly a GS from the overall silhouette, but the changes to the engine and the frame make it look a lot more modern and angular, as does the bodywork. Then we've got the new LED headlight up front, which they're calling a Matrix design. And it's a huge departure from the previous gen, which used an asymmetrical design, which had become a bit of a BMW thing. Personally, I like this new direction though, and I think they've also kept the front end looking very clean by integrating the indicators into their handguards. Maybe that sounds like it could be a bit expensive if they get damaged off-road, but in terms of looks and neatness and visibility, I think it's actually a good touch. And then paint-wise, we've got a range of options from the most simplistic base model. There's a triple black for a more stealthy look, a trophy version, which gets BMW's signature sort of rally colours. And then at the top of the range, the fanciest of the bunch is the option 719 Tramontana, with a bit of a popping combo of green and gold, as well as some extra bits of finish on the hardware. I think overall it's going to take quite a while to get used to the new looks, because the GS is such a staple of the motorcycle market that I've become very used to seeing the old version. This new one definitely looks more modern, but perhaps a little bit less rugged and robust as a result. But the more I look at it, the more I think I like it, and I think I'm looking forward to seeing what it looks like also in a bunch of different specs. I think I'd be going with the trophy finish, for example, with the spoked wheels. But as always, the looks are totally subjective, so let me know what you think of it down in the comments. As for the price, well, the previous gen was already looking pretty hefty at $14,990 for the base model, $18,400 for the TE, which gets a load of extras as standard. So for this new one, we're looking at about an extra £1,000 or so, at least for this base model, although the TE doesn't look quite so bad by comparison. Now spec for spec, it's pretty hard to compare a lot of these large adventure bikes like for like, because there's so much variation in standard equipment. But $15,990 isn't a million miles off the starting price of the competition, and it sort of lands it somewhere in the middle. Naturally, if you look at some of the accessory equipment on offer, like the extra riding modes, the suspension packages, the adaptive headlight, electric windscreen, SOS button, keyless ignition, the wheels, the heated seat, center stands, all of that sort of stuff, and even more if you look through it, you know, realistically, you're going to be well over 20 grand for something that is well specced. As always, I'd love to know what you think of it, so do let me know down in the comments below, is it still the king? Personally, I reckon it looks pretty good on torquiness and fuel and weight and technology, and so as always, it's going to be a difficult all-round package to beat. We are expecting press bikes in the UK in the not-too-distant future, so do hit subscribe if you've not already to see our review as soon as it goes live. Many thanks for watching today, and we'll catch you in the next one.