Spotted: Wild BMW R 1300 GS Roaming In A Pair On Roads, Mostly Undisguised

Rumors and spy shots of the next evolution of BMW’s flagship GS adventure touring line have floated around for the past couple of years—but now, we’re getting a better look at it than before. Previous spy shots have been more heavily camouflaged than the set recently obtained by RideApart, as you can see here. Although the headlight and the hard cases have assiduously been covered in matte black ‘don’t look at me’ tape, the rest of what appears to be a pair of BMW R 1300 GS variants is visibly on display in these shots. 

What’s also clearly visible on both test mules is the integration of an adaptive radar system, which is most visible in shots of the front of the bike., where you can see what seems to be a radar unit tucked neatly back in the recess just under the headlight. BMW Motorrad has publicly discussed its adaptive cruise control plans since at least 2020, and went on to pull the covers off the 2021 BMW R 1250 RT with such tech available from the factory in October of that year, very shortly before Ducati did the same with its Multistrada. 

A shot of the cockpit and the display inside gives a glimpse of what could be cruise control iconography, although like many spy shots, the image isn’t completely crystal clear. In another shot, we get a very clear view of one bike from behind as it’s stopped—and it appears that the brake light has been integrated into the turn signals, as both are glowing red while the rider is clearly slowing in traffic.  

They aren’t at a complete stop, because their feet aren’t on the ground, but there’s no mistaking the bright red light coming from the two lights on either side of the red reflector and black license plate bracket structure at the rear. (It’s not clear yet if this rear lighting concept might change depending on the global market each bike is released in, because not having a separate rear brake light seems like something that the US Department of Transportation wouldn’t go for.) 

Both of the BMW test mules shown here share a number of features. They both come with spoked wheels, what appear to be the same windscreens, handguards, and auxiliary lights on either fork leg up at the front. One bike (ridden by a rider in a hi-viz vest) has engine guards installed, while the other does not.  

Digging up these spy shots now seems like fortuitous timing, as our colleague Dennis Chung over at Motorcycle.com just turned up Swiss homologation documents that further confirm the existence of the R 1300 GS. The new 1300cc boxer twin engine should produce a claimed 143.5 horsepower at 7,750 rpm and 109.9 pound-feet of torque at 6,500 rpm, according to that certification.  

It’s a modest bump in the numbers over the current BMW R 1250 GS (just under 10 horsepower and under 5 pound-feet of torque), but every little bit counts. We’ll link Motorcycle’s piece in our Sources so you can go have a look after you’re done perusing these spy shots.