[Arrrr1300]

Hey, just joined the forum and purchased the r1300r (picking it up at the end of the month). Test rode one the other week and was genuinely impressed. I’m coming from a 1250GS and had a 1200GS before that.

The power and torque are genuinely more than anyone would need on the road, only gave around 60% throttle and it felt impressively quick. Very agile and the suspension was much more firm than I expected, even on road mode it feels very firm at speed.

Only complaints would be that the seat is not comfortable, didn’t notice at first but towards the end of the two hours, my ass was going numb. Also felt it on my wrists a bit. Last, the bike sounds nice on cold start but over 50mph, the wind noise completely drowned out the bike.

The agility of the bike is so impressive though. I ride my GS pretty hard on some winding mountain roads and it’s amazing but it felt so much better on the R, considering it’s about the same weight, it’s really impressive.

I’m a bit nervous leaving the GS, I have a feeling I might regret it but I only toured once and it felt overkill just to take it on spirited runs at weekends. I got the SE model with the sports breaks and akra. The blue looked great in person, still not a fan of the front - they do a good job of making the instrument cluster above the headlight look incredibly awkward but I like the headlight, the very angular look matches the angles on the bike well.

I can see why 1200R and 1250R owners who really like those aren’t keen on the new one. It’s much more aggressive - seems to be closer to a Superduke compared to the 1250R.

Happy to answer any questions on it

 

[Arrrr1300]

Welcome to the forum.
We need to see a picture of your new bike

Thanks, I will do!

 

[Arrrr1300]

Cool, how's the seating position compared to the GS? Not only arms and wrists but also the legs angle. And... how tall are you if you don't mind me asking

The seat itself is still fairly neutral but the bars are pretty low so it does tilt you forward a lot more - there’s much more weight on the wrists. The rear of the bike is higher than the front in dynamic mode to keep your weight on the front wheel.

Legs definitely bend a lot more compared to a GS but my legs fit comfortably within the cutout of the tank. I will say it’s a lot less comfortable though, I could feel it in my knees a wee bit by the end of the two hours.

However, I was impressed with how stuck to the bike I was. With the GS, I felt like mine could really do with some tank grips for more stability but the R1300R seemed to fit me really well. I’m 6’2” with longer legs and a shorter torso

 

[Arrrr1300]

When the images of the new R1300R showed up on the web, I personally thought it was butt ugly. Not sure why, maybe more photos and video, but that thing has really grown on me vs. my 2022 R1250R.

The new model looks way more sporty and modern to me. Not wild about the current color options. Would want the features of the "sport" model color, but not the white color scheme.

It is too bad BMW was incapable to shed some pounds, all while reducing fuel capacity. This was a missed opportunity to compete more favorably with Ducati Streetfigher and Aprilia Tuono.

I am 50+ in years, but I am certain BMW is def targeting "younger" or sport oriented riders with this new design language. I will def be looking to 2027 color schemes/ equip options to switch over to it from my 2022.

I do wonder if the straight cut gears actually sound better or worse, I suspect that is very subjective. But so far, reviews indicate butter smooth quick shifter now, which in my mind is a big plus. The 190 rear tire probably isnt needed, but again speaks to the sportier look.

Good luck to those of you who pull the trigger on one, looking forward to your first ride in sight.

It’s interesting the colours are tied to the options. I wanted the white but wasn’t willing to spend the extra £2k+ on the performance pack so I got the blue for the SE options.

The first time I saw one was in person and I do like how it looks. I don’t understand how it weighs so much though, it’s basically the same weight as the GS. It doesn’t feel heavy at speed though, only really felt it when pushing out of a space, it’s very agile on the roads

 

[Arrrr1300]

You are all echoing the reviewer’s opinion that “this is not your granddad’s bike” like the 1250R is. 😅 Other (more mature) reviewers have said the same, albeit dad’s bike.

Look at the demographic of this forum compared with her generation and, as I have opined previously, it’s obvious the bike isn’t aimed at us. She was positively squirming with delight over the bike, and I fully expected her oohs and aahs to ‘reach a crescendo’ if you know what I mean. The way she went on about the bike’s shoulders … 😳

Personally I think it’s a great looking bike, although would have preferred it without the adaptive function of the new cruise control, with its concomitant radar face (for both function and form reasons).

For me, though, it’s lost its Swiss Army knife appeal - my top-case stays on almost permanently, as I’m always running errands with the bike. A topcase on the 1300R would look oddly out of place, I’d think (not that they ever look great on anything less than an RT). The abbreviated rear seat means I’d not easily be able to throw a bag of pool salt on the back. Not sure about pillion room/comfort. And the styling is likely to not bode well for adding farkles, other than from the BMW Motorrad Option $£€719 catalogue.

So hang on to your K27/53, those of you of the ‘older demographic’ - the new bike is for the Sunday morning crowd. The GS will eventually take the place of our ‘old school’ Roadsters as the tool for every occasion, I reckon.

It’s interesting you suggested the GS as the monthly price between the GS TE and the R1300R SE were the exact same. I wouldn’t be surprised if that’s the route a lot of people go, especially now that the GS has that lowering system for when you come to a stop.

Some things in the review that did not mirror my experience was the suspension. At speed, it’s rock solid and softens a bit when slowing down for a corner. Although, I am 90kg so I’m probably on the heavy side for who it’s set up for but definitely didn’t “glide” for the most part for me.

Last, the clutch is very heavy on it. Definitely a bit of a forearm workout. It feels more like a sports bike that’s usable daily vs an every day bike, if that makes sense.

Definitely worth a test ride though. I expected not to like it but my riding is spirited mountain roads mainly which the bike really suits and it did put a massive smile on my face

 

[Arrrr1300]

Also, the R1300GS has lost weight, the R1300R hasn't, so the weights are almost equal.

I’ve asked the same question to a few people who said BMW have lied about the GS weight, apparently any that have been weighed is a lot more than the specified weight but not sure how true that is. It still confuses me, some reviews have said it’s 2kg heavier than the GS which I can’t wrap my head around. Smaller tank, no telelever fork
- the GS is genuinely impressive if it’s around the same. It definitely didn’t feel as heavy as a GS breaking and cornering

 

[Arrrr1300]

I test rode the manual and the automatic and really liked both of them. Personally, I thought the ASA was excellent, particularly the way it felt like the clutch was being feathered during slow manoeuvres.

I was all set to buy one until I asked about the issue Jon mentions, i.e. the rack / top box situation. When I was told that BMW were not going to supply a rack for this model I was nonplussed. It's a naked Sports Tourer for goodness sake! So that was that. Instead I saved myself a lot of cash and bought a second hand R1250R that had hardly been used (900 miles on the clock) was incredibly well specified and thousands of pounds cheaper. Maybe in a years time BMW will come to their senses and address the issue of the rack I might reconsider, until they do, no 1300R for me!

PS - I notice that the 1300 is sportier than the 1250. It was definitely a heads down, bum up riding experience and seems further between seat and handlebars. I would specify the higher bars, which BMW laughably cannot tell you how much higher and further back they are from the standard sports handle bar! Interestingly, neither dealer I test rode the bikes at bothered to follow up with me after my test ride!!

I was told by one of the sales staff that the higher bar is the same height as the standard r1250r if that’s any help

 

[Arrrr1300]

There’s a UK YouTube reviewer I watched who suggested you couldn’t add luggage to the sport version (white) but it seemed to work for me on the UK configurator.

I asked about luggage when getting my bike and the option was there but it was £1650 for the top box and panniers 😬

 

[Arrrr1300]

Picked up my R1300R today, managed 100 miles on it, still a bit to go for its brake in but really enjoyed it. Was sad to see the GS go but really looking forward to properly using this

 

[Arrrr1300]

I did 100 miles on the first day with my bike and received 3 compliments on how nice it looks by people passing when I needed to give my back a break. It’s interesting reading the comments here, my only complaint is the plastic above the headlight looks a bit janky but really like the muscle bike type look of it. Admittedly, it was all younger women that complimented it so maybe that just says I’m just into girls bikes

 

[Arrrr1300]

Took the bike for its annual service today at Douglas Park Motorrad. They had two new blue R1300R’s One unregistered and one registered demo bike.

It looks better in the flesh. It is certainly a new direction. From the rear it looks good, and from the side it looks not unreasonable. Everything side on is integrated with each component seamlessly flowing into the next. Though I still think it is kinda jet ski in style. The front aspect however looks like at some point the bike just exploded in the design studio and they just kind glued it back together as best as possible and pushed it out the door. Appears to have two radiators sticking out either side of the front forks. The front aspect is wide, heavy and messy. It is just pig ugly when viewed head on.

The rear looks cut down further again from the R1250R. That probably means even more crap down your legs when it rains.

Sitting on it, yup the bars are further away and the bike feels longer but not uncomfortable.

I’d have to try it, but I’m in no rush to do so. Certainly, two things put me off. The current lack of a decent top box option. The configurator – to get the options I want, I’d have to spend a fortune on stuff I have zero interest in – which means the bike, to me, becomes way overpriced.

I test rode the demo there, it was very quick and easy to book a 2 hour slot. Got to fintry and back pretty easily so some really good roads to test it on nearby - would recommend it if you’re curious. Would ask for Scott at sales, the rest of sales there are horrendous to deal with - they just will not call you back or sort anything out