to 13.3:1 in the quest for power and torque in the face of emissions regulations . We thought the 1250 was a big step forwards , and this is too - it ’ s a serious bit of kit . Happily , it is still rider friendly . BMW recommends 95RON Super Unleaded for the 1300 , which is fine . We can ’ t always get that at gas stations in the back-blocks , so it ’ s great to see you can use anything from 91-98RON fuel and the GS will take care of it with Adaptive Fuel Regulation , handy if there ’ s only 91 on tap . The six-speed gearbox with wet anti-hop ( slipper-type ) clutch is a mixed bag . The antihop and clutch action is excellent and the quick-shift up is nice and slick , but the lever movement to change gears seems overly long and feels odd . The down shift is average , some other brands are smoother and are better in this down-changing action . To be very honest , I prefer my 1250 gearbox .
CHASSIS AND SUSPENSION The new looks and complete re-design that has come with them have shaved an impressive 12kg from the bike ’ s kerb-side weight . The suspension on the 1300 is better because it is firmer when it needs to be and softer when it needs to be , and less harsh overall . I found it always plusher and more controlled than the suspension on my 1250 . Add in greater bottoming resistance and the suspension action is a decent step up on what came before . Chassis and handling ability has stepped up too . New for the 1300 is EVO Paralever and EVO Telelever . The Paralever now having rear wheel guide , but I couldn ’ t find what that meant ... The EVO Telelever has obvious visible updates . The fork tubes have grown substantially and are mounted in a larger , stronger triple clamp . The flexible bushes that were at the top of the fork tubes are gone with a new single flexible bush now incorporated into the top of the steering stem . The whole assembly looks substantially more robust with a resulting superior feeling of security up front while still feeling quite like the Tele-lever on the 1250 . All this combined with the new chassis makes the handling excellent . Agile , yet planted and very confidence-inspiring – it ’ s a weapon on road and decent on gravel . The brakes are like
KIWI RIDER 63