2025 BMW R 1300 GS Adventure

BMW’s GS Adventure has always been the motorcycle for those who want added comfort and capability for long journeys. Globetrotters have taken advantage of the Adventure’s added benefits for decades, and this one is the best version to date.

The original GSA joined BMW’s lineup back in 2001 in the form of the R 1150 GS Adventure. This latest fourth-generation Adventure stays true to its original intent of providing additional range, comfort, features, and performance for riders who want a bike that can conquer a broad range of surfaces and conditions.

Features that have always separated the GSA from the standard model include a larger fuel tank, more suspension travel, and standard features that improve long-ride comfort. For 2025, that trend continues. The brand-new R 1300 GS Adventure has all of those travel-oriented features, but is also the first machine in the company’s lineup to utilize the brand-new Automated Shift Assistant transmission. This optional system provides the rider with the option to ride the bike in a fully automatic shifting mode, or in a manual mode, providing the rider with control or comfort like never before.

Like so many of BMW’s models, the available options list provides buyers with a ton of features that will personalize the bike to their wants and needs.

As a brand-new model there are a ton of updates compared to the outgoing model. The most significant change is the availability of the Automated Shift Assistant transmission that we touched on above. Additionally, the R 1300 GS Adventure’s engine is brand-new, with an increase in displacement and a major layout change.

Changes to the engine allowed the engineers to alter the chassis for better handling both on road and off. Like the standard model that preceded it by a year, the Adventure gets a ton of updated electronic systems and rider aids.

A brand-new motorcycle wouldn’t be complete without all-new styling, luggage options, and ergonomic updates. The GS Adventure gets all of those, and a bunch of features that aren’t available on the standard model.

The R 1300 GS Adventure’s base price starts at $22,745. If you want the new ASA system, you’ll first have to opt for the $3,275 Premium Package and then tick the $850 ASA option. The Premium Package provides a ton of features including: Gear Shift Assist Pro (if you don’t want ASA), chrome exhaust header, electric windshield, Ride Modes Pro, Headlight Pro, Riding Assistant, Sport Brakes, GPS prep, and mounts for aluminum side cases.

Other notable à la carte options include: rider and passenger seat heating ($180 each), $625 Adaptive Height Control Comfort (which permanently reduces the seat height another 3/4 inch), or $625 Adaptive Height Control (retaining the standard seat heights when extended), $745

Enduro Package, $1,095 Forged Enduro Wheels, $1,145 Double Silencer, and $55 Off-road tires.

There are four color options available including: Racing Red, GS Trophy (+$845), Triple Black (+$895), and the Option 719 Karakorum (+$2,495).

There is no shortage of competition in the open-class adventure segment. Obvious competitors include the new-for-2025 KTM 1390 Super Adventure S and S Evo, KTM 1390 Super Adventure R, in addition to the Triumph Tiger 1200 Rally Explorer, Ducati Multistrada V4 Rally, Harley-Davidson Pan America 1250 Special, MV Agusta Enduro Veloce, and the lone open-class Japanese adventure model, the Africa Twin Adventure Sports ES DCT.

Powering the R 1300 GS Adventure is an all-new 1,300cc boxer engine with a 106.5 x 73mm bore and stroke (compared to the previous engine’s 102.5 x 76mm). Peak horsepower is a claimed 145 at 7,750 rpm with 110 lb.-ft. of peak torque arriving at 6,500 rpm. That’s a bump of 9 hp and 5 lb.-ft. BMW claims that the engine makes at least 96 lb.-ft. of torque between 3,600 and 7,800 rpm (redline is set at 9,000). The combination of the extra displacement, an increase in the compression ratio from 12.5 to 13.3:1, and larger intake and exhaust valves (up to 44 from 40mm and 35.6 from 34mm, respectively) are responsible for the added oomph. Optimizing performance for partial-load and full-load situations is the variable cam timing ShiftCam technology.

“First impressions of an engine are usually accurate and lasting, and so it is with this 1300 boxer,” Editor-at-Large Blake Conner said after riding the bike in Spain. “The first thing that stands out is its broad spread of torque, which is then backed up with a spicy midrange-to-top-end delivery. Once our route started to get twisty and fun we switched the mode to Dynamic Pro, which we had already customized with the max power available and sharpest engine response. In this setting you get the maximum performance the boxer delivers with very sporty response and aggressive power.

“With the broad spread of torque, you can choose between a few gears on most roads. On tight roads, second or third gear is ideal, even in uphill 180-degree hairpins there is no need to drop down to first. When the road opens up with fast sweepers you can shift it into fourth and leave it alone, and with peak power arriving well below redline there is very little need to ever wring the 1300′s neck.

“After two days riding the Adventure on a huge variety of terrain from some short single-track sections, fast flowing dirt, tight and twisty asphalt, and the highway, the thing that stands out is that this engine is perfectly happy everywhere. Whether you’re tiptoeing through rocks in first gear at 5 mph, blasting gravel at 60, or slaying sweepers at 100, the 1300 boxer is up for the challenge.”

One of the headline features on the new R 1300 GS Adventure is the Automated Shift Assistant, an $850 option in the US. The way the system works is mechanically simplistic, yet electronically sophisticated. There are two electromechanical actuators, one that operates the clutch, and one that turns the transmission shift shaft. The actuator regulates the required amount of slip and engages and disengages the clutch automatically. Sensors on the transmission shaft determine transmission speed and then the actuator executes the shift.

The ASA system enables a fully automatic Drive mode. The ASA-equipped models don’t have a clutch lever on the bar but still retain a foot-operated shift lever in the traditional location. The rider can choose between manual operation or the automated Drive operation from a button on the left control pod.

“In Manual mode, the bike gives you pretty much only what you ask for,” Conner said. “It won’t shift for you unless you are about to stall because you forgot to downshift. And if you are wringing its neck up around the engine’s redline, it will upshift. But outside of those two scenarios it gives the rider a massive amount of control. In this mode the shifts are incredibly quick, smooth, and precise, both upshifting and downshifting.

“Later in the morning we decided to commit to the fully automatic D mode (no manual shifting) for a full hour’s ride between stops. The shift behavior is tied to the selected mode, but its decisions also take into account other factors such as how aggressive the rider is turning the throttle and applying the brakes, and the system of course knows your lean and yaw angles thanks to the six-axis IMU. This is important because this is where it really outperforms other systems we’ve ridden. With the bike’s mode set to Dynamic Pro the transmission acts in a very aggressive manner, holding onto gears deep into the rev range when you are accelerating hard, and then making quick downshifts as you brake for corners.”

This new model features a completely new chassis. At its core is a new steel-sheet main frame and a lattice subframe made from aluminum tubing and forged aluminum components. Hung fore and aft are the Evo Telelever front and Evo Paralever rear suspension systems. The latest iteration of the electronic Dynamic Suspension Adjustment (DSA) takes the system a step further than before. The new setup not only adjusts the front and rear damping, but also adjusts the spring rate depending on the selected riding mode, and the automatic adjustment of spring preload compensates for load and or a passenger.

“On the road, the big GSA’s chassis defies logic,” Conner said. “Give credit to the well-dialed DSA settings for sure, but the thing that stands out the most is the confidence that the Evo Telelever front suspension gives entering corners. Off-road, that feeling is largely duplicated. We’re not going to say that the GSA floats like a 450 enduro over off-road rocks, ruts, and obstructions, but dang, does it do an incredible job considering its weight. We only did a few smaller sections of what could be considered trails, but we rode a ton of really beat-up single-lane dirt roads with a lot of embedded rocks and washed-out ruts. With the mode set to Enduro Pro, the suspension is soft and forgiving yet still has enough holdup to deal with bigger G-outs.”

Braking is handled by a pair of four-piston radial-mount calipers upfront with 310mm discs, while a twin-piston rear caliper and 285mm discs is used. All variations come standard with BMW’s lean-angle optimized Full Integral ABS Pro. The Sport Brakes included in the Premium Package are an upgraded version that BMW claims offer better performance.

We’ve not been able to ride the bike outside of the press launch, so we’ll have to update you after we get a test unit in our fleet.

“Ergonomics on the GSA are very comfortable when seated, while the electronically adjustable windscreen is another luxury that makes riding in variable conditions quite nice,” 5-foot, 11-inch Blake Conner said. “Despite its huge appearance (much less shocking in person), the big fuel tank never gets in the way when standing on the pegs riding off-road. Furthermore, the reach down to the handlebar is natural and comfy in this situation, giving the control you need while allowing you to stand for long sections of dirt.”

“The amount of rider aids and electronic features available on the R 1300 GS Adventure is almost overwhelming,” Conner added. “Some of the systems are optional and we got to try out almost all of them, so we’ll focus on those so you can decide what you’d want to equip your motorcycle with. But first here are primary electronic features that are standard on the bike.”

In terms of rider aids there are: four riding modes including Rain, Road, Eco, and Enduro; Dynamic Traction Control (DTC); Hill Start Control (HSC); Engine Drag Torque Control (MSR); Dynamic Brake Control (DBC); BMW Motorrad Full Integral ABS.

Convenience features include: Dynamic Cruise Control (DCC) with brake function; Tire Pressure Monitoring (TPM); Keyless Ride; heated grips; Intelligent Emergency Call; and Smartphone charging compartment with integrated USB socket and 12V on-board power socket. Electronic Dynamic Suspension Adjustment (DSA) is standard on the models that BMW imports to the US.

New BMW Motorcycles come with a three-year or 36,000-mile limited new vehicle warranty, whichever comes first.

Additionally the GS Adventure comes with “The Ultimate Care Break-In Service,” or “600 Mile Service,” included. Time and mileage limits apply: maximum six months from the in-service date or maximum 750 miles, whichever comes first.

From our initial contact with the R 1300 GS Adventure, fit, finish, and overall quality appear to be exceptional.