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-   -   BMW R1300 GS Ownership Review (https://www.team-bhp.com/forum/superbikes-imports/282945-bmw-r1300-gs-ownership-review-2.html)

For those looking for the Carplay/Android Play device. In addition to the regulars. INNOV & Carpuride, should check out this new product

https://www.chigee.com/products/aio5-play-for-bmw

My friend who got his 1300 last month is ordering this through a friend in the US.

Thankyou, yes have been planning the mods on this one for months now, the worst part is that when I have the bike with me I am badly tied up at work to even get the mods installed at Pathpavers / do it on my own.

I am not sure if I should post the prices here since most of the stuff is ridiculously priced but will update the thread once I have most of the stuff installed in another post.

The last thing to reach me is the order from UK that should be here by the end of August.

Chigee is my first choice too if I was to pick the one with BMW adaptor, makes it an absolute joy to use. I was more tilting to the dashcam functionality given the way Indian roads are and thats where Innovv had advantage of being regarded as the best in business. Carpuride is another good example thats cheaper too and easily available in India.

Update on this: with the Wunderlich seat availability no where near, got the BMW standard seat instead. Wasteful expenditure but helps me flatfoot much better.

Thats an awesome beast you got there. Congrats!. The mods planned are well thought out.

Are you going to have a SAE connector harness under the seat? I gave up on battery operated tire inflator pumps, and got a a really small 12V pump that has a SAE connector. I can also use this to heat the seat, jacket or any such, without having to go through any current limiting circuitry.

Also, any plans for CAN bus connectivity for programming aux lights , horn and stuff? Does your dealer/shop have HEX ezCAN? I found their support team in Germany to be awesome, very helpful. I had installed Denali aux lights, and license plate brake lights. It wasn't working because of bad connection, and I thought the software was messed up. The Hex team helped me out using emails, pictures & a phone call. Programming these for number of blinks, and intensity was fun. I have tried a bunch of settings, and have finally settled on something I like. lol: I recommend the Denali license plate brake lights, it's really bright compared to OEM lights. I think it will help out a lot if you ride on dark roads. The aux lights, go off when you turn on indicators, etc. Lots of config options with HEX ezCAN. Easy to install as well.

Please keep the thread updated with all your mods.

Yes SAE connector will be carried forward from by Tiger 900 since my air pump is SAE plug like you said. Hex can too is part of the list to add my Baja Design and Denali lights in addition to the denali sound bomb horn.

Rear indictors + brake light will be added with a pair of Denali T3 in the number plate frame in addition to the stock lights.

Amount of tech these bikes have I will not add anything that's not routed via canbus and Hexcan, its simply not worth it.

On lights front plan to light this one up like a christmas tree, there is more stuff ordered from the UK and US that's arriving in Aug and Sept. Will update the thread as rides and mods progress. Thanks for reading !

Hey @adi_sun! Congrats on your GS purchase - that front grows on you dunnit!
You mentioned that the Carpuride is easily available in India - any suggestions on online/offline stores I can reach out to? Thanks in advance & following this thread with anticipation on the end result of your aftermarket blitz! Cheers!

I know Naila Biking Superstore in Baner stocks this. Not sure of who else does. Innov is sold by BigBadBikes Bangalore and Chigee has an India website and official retail channel too although - not sure via whom but they have an India website so you can follow that and find out.

Thanks for the info! Nevertheless I've winged it & ordered the W702 Pro from the Carpuride website itself - there's a 30% discount running currently. Hopefully the Indian Customs Gods are merciful to me! Will keep this thread posted on the progress! Cheers!

Hi @adi_sun - I am potentially considering this motorcycle as an upgrade from my Ninja 1000SX, particularly to have the ground clearance and have the confidence to take it anywhere (not into off-roading though). I don't believe I will get to enjoy materially more HP as Ninja has 143 HP, the 1300GS surely offers much more torque. Could you please share your ownership experience, likes, dislikes for the benefit of people like me who are potentially considering? Many thanks.

I have done about 5k km on the bike till now and have absolutely loved every aspect of it. For a one bike garage it will be my sole pick. A close friend has a Ninja 1000 that I have ridden for some time.

Ninja is good sports tourer and if I were to think of this shift things you will love:
- Comfort, Nijna is a very comfortable bike in sports / super sports category but a taller ADV like GS is a big step in comfort
- Go anywhere capability, fly over potholes and speed bumps without a worry
- Luggage carry capability will increase multifold specially for 2 up riding

What you will miss:
- GS is so good at so many things that sometimes it becomes boring
- Manic acceleration of inline 4, GS is not slow but definitely the inline 4 has a different feel
- Cost of ownership is not the same, Kawa is much more pocket friendly

If you are used to riding with panniers then it becomes very easy to ride in city. I feel it's almost the size of an auto with engine guard. Barely manages to pass through nice road tolls booths meant for motorcycle. There may be some exits which will not be wide enough for gs1300 and have to use the car exit. Problem is the short barrier which is lower than handle bars but gs engine itself is like handle bar width. Except this and not so perfect quickshifter it's amazing bike. Seen some comments which says replacing the gear lever to aluminium ones make the shifter better. Will try it in a few days.

Thank you for sharing the feedback. When I test rode the R1300GS, I loved the seat height, its almost SUV like seating position and as you have pointed out, no need to worry about road humps and potholes which I need to be really careful about in the 1000SX given its big catcon.

I have always enjoyed the smooth torque of the 1000SX, but, the R1300GS takes it to a much higher level. Power is where I felt a bit underwhelmed and I found the throttle response and power enjoyable only in the Dynamic / Dynamic Pro riding mode - not sure what impact it would have on fuel efficiency if you are always riding in this mode?

What is your experience with rider and pillion seat comfort? The 1000SX offers a good rider seat, however, the pillion seat still hurts after an hour or two of riding - is this the same with the R1300GS as pillion seat comfort is an important criteria for me.
What about Navigation? Have you installed Chigee or Carpuride?

Lastly, is Motorrad India extending any discounts? I may be wrong, but, I just felt the R1300GS hasn't been as successful for BMW as has been the R1250 GS/A. Views?

Thanks @subincp. The overall width of the bike and its ability to pass through narrow toll gates meant for 2 wheelers didn't cross my mind, but, its such an important consideration. When you don't have enough width to pass, do the guys manning the toll gates allow you to pass through the wider exit meant for cars and trucks? Any issues there?

Yes they do allow to use in nice road. National highways the width is for autorickshaw so not a problem. Even other bikes with panniers have this problem. Compared to other bikes the difference is, the projection is at lower side. If it was higher we will be aware as handlebar is very wide. At bottom if there is short barrier or some blocks kept on foot path or kerstone edge you will have to be extra careful especially if you ride lots in city traffic. It is really a huge bike but extremely nimble once you are used to the dimensions. Can handle it like scrambler 400x.

In real world I value torque more than power honestly, mine is always set to Dynamic and get ~16 kmpl. I am not light on throttle so have no reasons to complain.

Getting on the bike is the biggest pain given the height, other than that its very comfortable, my tiger 900 had a top box that made pillion confort excellent. Will add on GS as well, vs ninja in terms of pillion comfort and space this is a big step ahead. I am using innovv N1 for carplay and dashcam

Not certain but yes there were some discounts, yes 1250 was a runaway success this one with its smaller form factor did not appeal to many specially those who want a larger looking machine.

yes I swapped stock gear and brake levers to SW motech and the gear shift is smoother. It has become better with time, way smoother than 1250 GS

Thank you for all the inputs. I test rode both R1300GS and F900GSA back to back yesterday evening. This is the 3rd time I am test riding the R1300GS and my reference point unconsciously continues to be my Ninja1000SX (N1K) although I know these are 2 dissimilar motorcycle categories and must not be compared. However, if I am looking to change from my Ninja1000SX (which is still in brand new condition with only 7K on the odo), I need to know what more (or better) I am likely to get.
I find the R1300GS engine very rough and the engine feels strained when you do some spirited riding. Likewise, the gear shifts are really clunky, it needs quite some toe pressure to shift the gears which I note from the above post resolves (to some extent only) with the SW Motech replacement levers and I suppose this is purely due to better mechanical advantage / leverage?
Engine heat in slow / stop and go traffic is felt more than my N1K and mind you, this is winter. I would imagine this can become quite bad during the summer temperatures?
When I rode over rumble strips, the jolts are not soaked and can be felt quite a lot - this is perhaps due to the telelever suspension design? The clear advantages that I felt are the ground clearance, take-it-anywhere type of characteristics and the torque.
As a contrast, the F900GSA has a very plush suspension, smoother gear shifts and you sit even taller as I was told this is at 870 or 875 mm seat height - really nice for tall riders. However, when you brake, the nose dives in quite a lot which would take a little getting used to especially when you ride it immediately after riding the R1300GS. Power and Torque is materially less (than the R1300GS), but, in absolute terms, it has enough. Lastly, the F900GSA may be much better VFM as it comes fully loaded with all the crash bars, protection, electronic suspension, aux lights, etc.
Overall, I reckon it will take me some thinking as its hard to give away the in-line four smoothness.