I can't believe it when people think a BMW R1300GS is too heavy for them! Here's why

Something that I hear a lot when out and about on the BMW R1300GS is: “I can’t imagine riding such a massive motorcycle, especially off-road.” It’s an observation that, inexplicably, never ceases to surprise me. Maybe it’s because I ride a lot of adventure bikes, and maybe it’s because I’ve visited the excellent Off Road Skills centre in Wales to really learn how to ride the GS off-road – but I genuinely don’t find the GS unwieldy. 

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• Update one: First impressions
• Update two: The GS fails to start after getting wet
• Update three: Building the miles and riding with a pillion
• Update four: The good, the bad and the fugly
• Update six: Over 1000 miles in 22hrs for the R1300GS

Okay, so I’m neither tall nor short (5ft 11in), and I’m very definitely on the chunky side of human forms (17st 2lbs to be precise), so perhaps I exist within a decent window of acceptable height and powerful build. But while I’ve never struggled with the GS or GSA, there’s no doubt the R1300GS is tangibly more forgiving and helpful than all GS versions that have come before it. 

A big part of that is the suspension’s ability to drop both front and rear shocks to minimum height, meaning that you can get your feet to the floor with a great deal more ease. If you feel you’re in the camp of needing the functionality, rather than just liking it, make sure you don’t switch it off.

• Related: Best adventure bike kit tried and tested by MCN

Normally I prefer not to use it, then did 1000 miles with it switched on, before switching it off again. As a result I nearly fell over at the first junction when the floor was suddenly quite a bit further away than expected. The bottom line is that it works exceptionally well – but I honestly prefer not using it. The only time I find it useful is when paddling around on loose surfaces, particularly when preparing to park up.

BMW claim the 1300 is 12kg lighter than the old 1250. It feels lighter, too – but when we measured this bike (with its array of Tramuntana accessories fitted), it was 261kg juiced. But it really doesn’t feel like it. It never feels unwieldy. The low centre of gravity helps, and BMW’s attempts to take weight out of the bike above that tideline has also worked. 

Mass aside, the GS also feels more compact and less of a handful. The only downside is that there’s a marginal, but noticeable, reduction in seat-to-peg room. My regular pillion rider occasionally mentions the same lack of legroom. But if you’re worried about the scale and mass of a GS, I have one bit of serious advice: ride one. It’s the only way to tell if perception and reality are really the same.