BMW

Bikes used and abused by the gang, some for weeks some for years, with our views on the good, the bad and the downright ugly (these are only our opinions and we are happy you may not agree). Got a bike and you want to help us help others send in your photo and some words on whats what and we’ll look to add it.

GSA1300 (2024)

Following an icon was always going to be difficult, going in a dramatic directional change was going to really divide opinion and so BMW has found it to be. If the GS1300 wasn’t controversial enough then the GSA1300 has taken it to a completely different level with the die hard GSA1250 fans really not taking to the new bikes looks. With the Lego block side view and the already talked about X headlight this bike has really got everyone discussing it. We saw it at the launch at Bahnstormers at Alton in Hampshire and we have to say its better in the flesh and is not as angular as it appears in photo’s but it remains to be seen what it rides and evidentially sells like. Hopefully we’ll get a chance to test ride one soon.

So first one to ride the GSA 1300 was our very own ‘Wolfman’ who got the chance to ride it when his GSA 1250 was in for a service before he heads off around europe and here’s what he had to say about it:

Looks & Design

Visually, the R1300GS Adventure makes an interesting first impression. Some of the bodywork, especially around the luggage mounting points, appears more streamlined, and that’s a positive. However, the overall design feels unfinished—almost like the final detailing phase was rushed. The lines don’t quite flow as cohesively as I expected from a top-tier BMW. There’s no obvious separation or transition in the seat design, which gives it a slightly awkward look in profile. The materials used also give off a slightly cheaper vibe, possibly a result of weight-saving measures. Engine covers seemed oversized to me—not necessarily a flaw, but they stood out in a way that didn’t quite sit right aesthetically. Of course, looks are subjective, but it didn’t give me that premium GS presence I’m used to.

Comfort & Ergonomics

This is where my opinion solidified. My personal GS 1250 is lowered, so hopping onto the stock-height 1300 Adventure was a bit of a shock—it felt very tall at a standstill. For someone of my stature or setup preference, this bike would need lowering straight away. That said, the high stance does translate into a commanding ride position once you’re moving. Controls and handlebars felt familiar—very similar to my modified GS 1250. They’re ergonomically sound and positioned closer to the rider, which I appreciate.

However, the seat was a letdown. Within an hour, I was flashing back to my time on a Yamaha Tracer, and not in a good way. The seat feels hard, with edges that start cutting into you during longer rides. It didn’t improve over the course of a 200-mile trip. In fact, by the time I returned to my GS 1250, it was a relief. For me, long-distance comfort is essential, and the 1300’s seat is a dealbreaker.

Performance & Ride Quality

This is where the R1300GS Adventure earns back some points. I tested the bike in Rain, Road, and Dynamic modes, and in all settings it felt lively, agile, and more responsive than the 1250. It corners brilliantly and gives a sense of sportiness I wasn’t expecting. The gearbox is smooth—almost Japanese-bike smooth—which is high praise. It’s not 100% perfect, but it’s a noticeable improvement over the 1250. The overall handling, especially when cornering, is tight and confidence-inspiring.

Final Thoughts

The version I rode wasn’t fully spec’d—no fancy centre stand or upper-tier add-ons—so that may have coloured the experience somewhat. But even with that in mind, my overall impression is clear: the R1300GS Adventure just doesn’t quite meet the all-rounder standard I’ve come to expect from the GS line. Yes, it’s sportier and sharper in some ways, but for me, long-distance comfort, finish quality, and that solid, refined GS feel matter more. I’m happy with my decision to stick with the GS 1250 Adventure—it still feels like the right choice.

Wow ! with this insight we should really get him to write more reviews 🙂

Pro’s – Lighter and more powerful than the GSA 1250, more sporty than its predecessor

Cons – Looks, Price

Rating – 9/10

For more information click Here

GS1300 (2024 Trophy & 719)

Wow! So BMW really set tongues wagging when it released the GS 1300, More powerful, smaller, faster and with that headlight, it really got the GS owners and other bike owners talking. Now having ridden both a GSA1250 and GS 1250 this bike has the same familiar feel as those bikes but with a more refined riding experience on a more compact package. The wide bars and low centre of gravity of the boxer engine really make this bike turn in really easily, the seating position and comfort of the saddle (Heated) are pretty much perfect. Wind protection from the electric screen ( fitted to this bike) is also very good for me at 5ft 8. This bike is a lot closer now to the XR and the sportier feel will I’m sure temp some owners of their other models to join the GS club. This mile muncher comes with all the hi tech of other BM models with the companies excellent TFT dash, quick shifter, blipper etc however now with the option to have luggage with elec power charging, lights and even centrally locked. Things I didn’t like is the on switch has been moved to the right bar but that has meant the heated grips now have to be turned on through the menu which is a bit fiddley and other than that the only other downside is the price, fully loaded with all the tech and luggage is around the £25k mark which although it’s a lot of bike it’s very serious money, that said it really is that good….

Pro’s – Just brilliant!

Cons – Price, Heated grips control through the on board menu, Some GS Owners Snobbery

Rating – 9.9/10

For more information click Here

M1000XR (2024)

The much anticipated BMW M1000xr is now in the showrooms so we took advantage of the very nice people at Bahnstormers in Alton and took out their demo model. This is not the more expensive carbon laden one but does look good cloaked in the M sport livery however due to the bike having very few miles on it we were limited to just how much we could give it.

As with the other 2 bikes in the M range the XR comes complete with winglets designed to give downforce when you apply the power from the +200bhp powered engine taken from the RR as well as a whole host of M range goodies that make this a £+22k machine.

First impressions riding it however were a little underwhelming, yes this is one mighty powerful bike, however the power is very linear and with the low down lack of torque meant that we didn’t really to get to experience what an animal this bike is lightly to be on full chat. The ride is hard ( as you’d expect) however on the less that perfect surface roads this gave the bike a nervous/twitching feeling.

Were we blown away by this bike the answer has to be no, with all of us saying that for day to day riding the GS1300 ( that we had at the same time) would be the better bike given it’s road manners and torque from the boxer engine, oh and don’t forget the luggage situation which on the MXR is in our opinion a massive mistake by BMW,

Pro’s – Looks, Over 200bhp, M stuff

Cons – Doesn’t sound or feel particularly fast, Low down torque, Luggage, Winglets, Price

Rating – 8/10

For more information click Here

M1000R (2023)

Following from BMW’s first ‘M’ bike the M1000RR comes the hyper naked version of their S1000R, the amazing M1000R. Wow, oh wow, what a bike this is, based on the standard bike but looking like it’s swallowed a bottle of steroids the M-thou sports some large wings on the front, Bulby ‘s not keen on wings for road bikes as he things it’s OTT and not really required but they do really make this bike standard particularly when you look at it head on. The real headline of this bike is the 210hp motor, a full 45hp over the standard bike and catapult’s into the hyper-naked class currently home of Ducati’s Streetfighter V4 and Kawasaki’s H2. Not having ridden the others in this class we’d still have the M-thou as it looks better than the Kawasaki as the green team’s styling department needs sacking (in our opinion) and it has the feel of better long term reliability and build quality over the streetfighter (again only our opinion based on having owned recent other Ducati’s.

This bike comes in 2 versions, the bike in these pictures is the standard M-thou with a price tag of approx £20k, if money is no problem BMW also do a competition version (like their M cars) at a cool £25k it does have a beautiful dark grey paint scheme which blends those wings in nicely but does have a menacing/intimidating look and feel to it.

The bike we rode was limited to 8500rpm as it was brand new and still running in but even up to this point the power is insane, it pulls hard from low down and with a full rev range available to you this bike will want to be looking sky wards a lot as you pin the throttle. This bike is so fast but with that it’s also smooth, not fussy or difficult as you might expect from a bike with this much power, if you want to potter through some 30mph limits the bike does it easily and if it wasn’t for all the M badges that catch your eye you’d be forgiven for thinking you were riding a standard S1000R. Would we have one if the money was there, absolutely, go find out for yourself and grab a test ride, you won’t stop smiling.

Pro’s – Power, it’s a proper 210hp naked monster, smooth but amazing power delivery, comfortable, great road manners,

Cons – Price – £20k for the standard bike, £25k for the Competition, Winglets

Rating – 9.5/10

For more information click Here

R18 1st Edition (2022)

The R18 is the type of bike the TTW crew tend to steer clear of as they feel cruiser type machines are too much of a compromise for the UK market and Bulby being given this one as a loan bike has not changed their opinions in the slightest. Trying to find good points about this bike were heard and limited to find, a low seat, reverse gear and good equipment in the form of rider modes, cruise control and heated grips however the negative things question why you’d want one, very very vibey, uncomfortable seat, the engine sticking out so making motorway pegs impossible, no fuel gauge, buffeting from the screen so bad your eyeballs vibrate in their sockets we really couldn’t find a lot to love about this bike, if you have to have a BMW and you must have a cruiser then yes this is the bike for you but otherwise look elsewhere

Pro’s – Low seat, cruise control, heated grips, reverse gear

Cons – to quiet, uncomfortable, very vibey making everything numb, buffeting from screen, price, nearly everything

Rating – 4/10

For more information click Here

For a closer look click Here

K1600GT

The K1600gt, what a bike, the super, creamy smooth 6 cylinder engine was totally unexpected. You can sit on this bike and rev the engine and yes watch the rev counter and listen because that’s the only way you know this engine is working harder it is really that smooth. Power, it has bundles and will see the wrong side of 3 figures without you even noticing.

Added to this the plush seat and every extra possible including reverse gear, electric screen, radio, heated grips, quick-shifter etc etc the list goes on. This bike was such a surprise as we thought we’d hate it but we don’t.

Add to that the somewhat evil stare it projects from the 2 halo ring headlights and servicing costs in line with other BMW’s it begins to question why you wouldn’t want one…..oh yes. the price , starting at a whooping £19k and loaded with a lot of the toys this bike had, an eye watering £25k this bike only then makes sense if the other types of bike you are looking at are Honda’s Goldwing or some sort of Harley

Pro’s – Pretty much everything. Super smooth 1600 engine. Available Equipment

Cons – Electric screen is still to low when on the highest setting for bigger riders. Price

Rating – 9.5/10

For more information click Here

For a mini review click Here

S1000XR (2024 Mark 3)

New for 2024 is the latest version of BMW’s sports tourer the S1000XR, this is the 3rd generation of this model and on first inspection it looks exactly the same as the Mark 2 which BMW introduced in 2020. However there are some subtle changes over the out going Mk2 bike and not just in revised liveries, mainly a small power hike in engine performance from 165bhp to 170 bhp.

Now in regard to the paint schemes we like them (particularly the white M sport in the photo and the black with white XR logo) however looking closer there are some things BMW are doing which when you think it’s a premium brand they shouldn’t, look closely and the front side panels are now not painted and just black plastic, also in the coin tray on the tank it used to come with like a small rubber mate in the bottom, not any longer, we can only think they are doing this to save on costs.

So far we are yet to ride one to see what difference the engine changes make but as soon as we do we’ll give you further updates

Pro’s – New coloured nose, Extra 5BHP

Cons – Graphics, Colour choice, None painted Side Panels

Rating – 9/10

For more information click Here

S1000XR TE M-Sport (2023)

Review to follow: The basic bike hasn’t changed since the launch of the MK2 S1000Xr since its launch in 2020 other than changes in paint colours and decals. One thing that has come to light with the first few rides, it feels like BMW have changed the seat in some way, unlike the 2020 bike which pushed your bits forward onto the tank the 2023 bike doesn’t do this so much and it feels like your sat flatter.

Pro’s – M Sport colour scheme, Standard equipment

Cons – Needs revving to really get it going, needs more torque below 6k rpm.

Rating – 9.5/10

For more information click Here

S1000XR TE- (2020 )

This is really a bike that divides opinion, even within the crew. Riders of the gen 1 bikes seem to prefer their machines, the popping of the exhaust, the brutal acceleration, the way you can throw the bike about saying the MK 2 (or Mk3 as it is really as the Mk1 XR had a mild facelift midway through it’s life) really isn’t worth the £4/5k to part ex their bikes for. And the final part of that is mostly likely true, however this bike is much more refined, lighter, sharper and very much improved. A truly brilliant all round sports/adventure/tourer (call it what you will) the more you ride this bike the more it makes sense. Yes the engine has lost some of it’s character with no popping or banging that while addictive is also an annoyance when you want to go unnoticed. As the miles click by the power and performance of this bike really do excel and I honestly believe it will make you a faster rider as the control is excellent. The TFT is brilliant offering great information at the touch of a button but also the convenience of Bluetooth connectivity etc. There are some niggles though, the seat, on this bike is the low seat which for Bulby is a must (he’s vertically challenged) with various reports complaining about how uncomfortable it can be and with any XR there have been reports that some bikes are still experiencing the handle bar vibrations found in the MK1’s. If you can live with that or are lucky enough to get a bike that doesn’t suffer from the vibes you will open up a whole new world of excitement and fun.

Pro’s – Creamy smooth, super quick, TFT dash, Keyless,

Cons – Engine has lost some character (no popping, linear) Beak is flimsey looking. Only 2 paint options. Cost of TE fully loaded

Rating – 9/10

For more information click Here

S1000XR (2019)

BMW have taken the engine found in the S1000RR road bike, de-tuned it and wrapped in sports touring clothes to give you the S1000xr and in turn made the boys favourite bike (Ever). With all the tricks that you find on the S1000r of blipper, quickshifter, heated grip, cruise, rider modes etc and with the same 165bhp power output this bike was designed to take on the opposition in the sports tourer/adventure bike section with the Ducati Multistrada firmly in it’s sites. The engine is an absolute peach and really the choice comes down to whether you prefer a twin or an in-line four, the choice is yours but having ridden both we think the S1000xr really does leave the Ducati in it’s wake.

Pro’s – Equipment, engine, reliability…….. everything

Cons – Vibrations

Rating – 9.5/10

For more information click Here

S1000R Sport (2022)

The 2022 S1000r sport is an interesting bike, with all the ingredients to make a brilliant bike how can it not be a hit, simple it’s compared to its predecessor. The 2022 bike uses the same engine found in the latest XR which in turn is derived from the RR but like the XR it has to live up to what’s gone before. Sadley in Bulbys opinion (he’s ridden or owned both) it fails. Yes, this is a very good bike, the BMW TFT screen is excellent, the extra’s on this bike are great with blipper, quick shifter, heated grips cruise etc but it lacks what the previous bike had, character, the bug eyed front, the popping and banging as you shifted up and down, all gone for a euro friendly, sanitised bike that is more refined but nowhere near as much fun. Buy it not having owned the previous bike and you’ll be very happy but if you know what it’s like to sample the rawness of the original, you’ll be left wanting.

Pro’s – TFT, Blipper and Quick shifter

Cons – Look, Sound, Colour scheme

Rating – 8/10

For more information click Here

For a closer look click Here

S1000R Sport (Klaus) (2017-2019)

Klaus as this S1000r sport is known is truly a remarkable bike, with the same power train as found in the XR and with the same levels of equipment this truly is an awesome do anything bike. Seen here with the semi rigid, Hepco Becker luggage system it is ideal if the XR is a little to tall for you. In Bulby’s own words ‘ this is truly the best bike I have ever owned’

Pro’s – Everything

Con’s – Wind protection from the standard fly screen (well it is a naked) The 2020 version didn’t get the TFT screen. After a bike this good what can you buy next

Rating – 9.5/10

For more information click Here

R1250 GS Adventure (2019)

The GS 1250 Adventure takes everything to the next level when you want to be the next Ewan and Charlie and head off into the sunset to travel the world. With its wire spoked wheels (19inch front) seen here in a beautiful gold colour and with a massive 30 litre fuel tank which will keep you going for as long as your body can take it. This really is a bike which has been designed to go anywhere and that’s why with the brilliant BMW boxer engine, a whole host of different options it’s no surprise this bike has been so popular and is the market leader in this class. Starting price is around the £18k mark however in realistic terms most bikes with options will tip the scales around a wallet busting £23k mark.

If you are after an all-out adventure bike, then the BMW GS1250 Adventure is hard to beat as long as you can live with the image.

Pro’s – Colour Scheme (the HP is stunning}, Capability, TFT screen, riding position, Extra’s

Cons – Quick-shifter and blipper (wasted on this bike with this engine). Engine (vibey) Price (fully loaded the bike comes in at a whooping £23k)

Rating – 9.5/10

For more information click Here

R1250 GS (2020)

Love them or loath the R 1250 GS family of bikes are truly capable machines and while the Adventure version is really designed for those who want to go off exploring the standard 1259 GS is more suited to commuting and touring in comfort. The bike comes with a more standard road set up and cast wheels which make it a superb two up tourer and nearly 18kg lighter than its big brother. Range is reduced due to the fuel tank being reduced to 20 litres, but this makes it more usable for the everyday rider. Seat height can be lowered to 800mm meaning although it’s a big heavy bike with the low seat and low centre of gravity of the boxer engine it makes it a suitable option for the shorter rider. Engine power is exactly the same as the adventure with a 136bhp and a top speed of 125mph (according to BMW).

With a whole list of options to make the journey even easier this bike is a class act and

Pro’s – TFT screen, Riding position and comfort, Options

Cons – Quick-shifter and blipper (wasted on this bike with this engine). Engine (vibey) Overall look. Lacks the capability of its big Adventure brother. Price fully loaded

Rating – 8.5/10

For more information click Here

F 650

This bike has ultimate sentimental value to Babee Gee as it was his late fathers and so in a sense what it rides like doesn’t matter. The connection to something that a lost one cherished is greater than any how fast was it, how’d it handle etc and this is the same in this case so everything else doesn’t matter.

Pro’s – Babee Gee’s Dad’s bike

Cons – Babee Gee’s Dad is no longer with us to ride it R.I.P

Rating – Sentimental Priceless

For more information click Here

F900R

Had the loan of a F900r for a couple of days and not a bad little bike for what it is. The twin cylinder 105BHP engine has quiet a nice sound to it in stock format and is easy to ride. This particular came in the Misano blue ( which Bulby loves) and a £100 option and BMW 3 stage excellent heated grips, however other than that the bike didn’t have any goodies that you come to find on a lot of the bikes from BMW, so it was manual changes to the smooth gearbox and even the great BMW TFT screen had less features with only the standard display being available (no sport setting) and only Road or Rain Mode ( why would you want to reduce power on a bike which doesn’t have loads). Starting price is from £8700 at the time of this and that will increase dramatically when you start to add the list of factory options, click on the link below and build your own on BMW’s configurator, when we did this the bike came in at an eye watering £11600!!. This would make an ideal commuter or Sunday fun bike and good for an inexperienced rider making their way onto a bigger bike anything more than that and the better choices from BMW would be the boxer engine 1250r or the 160BHP, insane 1000R

Pro’s – Easy to ride, light , good build quality, Looks

Cons – Lack of power, lack of electronics, wind protection. Cost. Tank range

Rating –8/10

For more information click Here

S1000RR Sport (2022)

As great as the latest incarnation of BMW’s iconic S1000rr is to look at with its sharpen lines and chiselled front end the real impact of ownership is disappointing. A number of reliability issues and faults from new as meant the bike has spent a lot of time parked up with its owner left frustrated with stories of long delays for parts. Once it is fully functional further updates will follow but for now ownership of the sports bike is at best questionable when believing your buying into a premium brand.

The longer its gone the better its got and the issues first experienced have settled down a bit, the owner of this bike ‘Darren’ is still not super happy and has even told us recently that if a RSV4 factory came up again like his last one the RR would be for the chop. Sad as it really does look the part with it’s alien looking headlights but lets see what happens next

Pro’s – Looks

Cons – Reliability

Rating – 7.5/10

For more information click Here

S1000RR Sport (2020)

Wow, in the motorad colours this bike looks the dogs danglers, it really does stand out and look every bit the amazing sports bike it is however riding it the RR doesn’t quite live up to the Hype its motorsport paint job would have you believe. Yes it’s fast, very fast, with 3 figures coming up on the brilliant TFT display very quickly, the new engine with the variable cam thingy has 207BHP which is more than bikes racing in super-bike series on the TV would have had only a few years ago but in some way this new engine lacks some of the character seen on the older models (as with the new XR which uses a detuned version of this same engine). The seat is very hard and high and the riding position is very focused with a lot of weight on the wrists. DJ took one of these bikes out a few weeks prior to this with the intention of parting with some of his hard earned ( make your own mind up about that) cash and within half an hour came back and handed the keys back as he was totally underwhelmed. Starting price is on the money with what you’d expect in today’s market at around the £15900 mark for the basic RR, £16900 for the RR Sport and an eye watering £20k for the M sport in these photo’s, fully loaded up and the M sport will set you back a wallet busting £26k

Pro’s- Colour scheme (M Sport), looks, TFT and electronics package, It’s bloody fast!!

Cons- Engine lacks character compared to others ( R1, Ducati, Aprillia etc) Seat. Cost

Rating – 8.5/10

For more information click Here

NineT Scrambler

The Scrambler is a real kool looking bike which perfectly suits the style of the 1250 boxer engine. The retro styling is very en-vogue at the moment and the Scrambler is a perfect Sunday afternoon ride to the pub type of bike. from the singled sided twin exhaust to the round headlight and single gauge this bike oozes retro appeal.

When coming from the rev happy 1000Xr you really have to adapt your riding style with the 1250 boxer engine, this engine is really torquey so suits the select a high gear and twist the throttle rather than the chasing up and down the box that you find yourself doing on the in-line 4.

There are some down sides to looking so kool though, the single gauge while formative is cluttered and we’d prefer the twin gauges of some of the other 9T variants which includes a rev counter, the seat is also like sitting on a plank and after 10mins started to cause a numb bum.

On the day of the test the weather was horrible so it was difficult to really see how the Scrambler handles on the road to any degree however it did handle the lying water well but did seem quite hard when finding lurking potholes. Now the Scrambler name does give a nod to off road riding but ( and this applies to the competition) we wouldn’t really recommend taking this bike off road, yes it has tyres that look slightly trial based but other than that this is a £10k bike with a big , wide boxer engine.

As with a lot of the BMW ranges you are buying a premium brand so there is a premium cost but this bike does come with good equipment which includes heated grips and cruise control, one thing it doesn’t have ( on this particular bike) is BMW’s excellent q and blipper but there is an argument that says this engine doesn’t suit it quick-shifter anyway.

The 9T scrambler is a beautiful looking bike in a competitive market with the likes of Ducati and Triumph also having bikes with the same moniker, if you can live with the hard seat a great addition to anybody’s garage.

Pro’s – Look and Style, Torquey tried and tested Engine

Cons – Hard Seat, Single Gauge, Price

Rating – 8.5/10

For more information click Here

Fore a mini review click Here

NineT (Other Variants)

Not a bike any of the team have owned but have had a number of test rides on and it is a bike which the whole team love even though it is limited to really a sunny Sunday afternoon Hoon machine. The clever thing that BMW have done with the NineT is make it so personal, you can have a version that is naked, off road, cafe racer, street racer etc etc . All bikes use the tried and tested BMW boxer engine however different exhaust setups offer slightly different power outputs. This bike really is anything you want from a bike ( with the exception of a touring version, if you want that buy a GS) with various different gauges, seats and numerous other items that you can add to really make it unique. Do yourself a favour and on the next sunny day get yourself down to BMW and test ride a NineT, you won’t be disappointed.

Pro’s – Various models and numerous options, Paint schemes, Quality feel

Cons – Not really for everyday so would be really a second bike, expensive, to much choice

Rating – 8/10 ( dependant on variant)

For more information click Here

K1300s

Owned by Asti the K1300s was an absolute rocket ship that BMW built to challenge the likes of Suzuki’s Hayabusa, Honda’s Blackbird and Kawasaki’s ZZR1400, with a 1293 cc 4 cylinder 175bhp engine the BM may have not had as much power as some of its competition however it could really get it planted down. The original model built from 2004 had the 1200 engine and could be found in both this intercontinental mile muncher or a quirky naked version known as the K1300r, the engine increase came in from 2009. This is one very fast bike that with the small rigid panniers and comfy seat can tour all day long on, added to this the shaft drive which takes away the pain of chain adjustment and lubrication during long trips and this bike makes a great choice for bikers wanting to tourand able to go quickly. Standard features on the bike , like a lot of BM’s were heated grips, cruise control, quick shifter and with the tele lever front end really did provide an alternative to the Japanese big CC super-sport tourers

Pro’s – Super fast, 0-62mph in a claimed 2.8 secs (claimed), luggage, heated grips, quick shifter, shaft drive

Cons – Looks, weight , it’s heavy at 228kg and long making it slower to turn. Tele -lever takes getting used to

Rating – 8.5/10

For more information click Here