ADVENTURE TEST | BMW R 1300 GS IN AFRICA

I returned home from the press launch of the BMW R 1300 GS in Málaga in October 2023 with mixed feelings. On the one hand, I was totally enthusiastic about the bike’s brilliant handling on the road but on the other I was disappointed by the off-road part of the presentation, which was too short. It became clear from the short stints on the dirt roads that something had changed in the off-road characteristics of the Beemer. However, in order to really understand what Head of Development Christof Lischka (himself a passionate rally racer) raved about, it would have taken long daily stages off-road with varied terrain, like those of a rally…

There are plenty of historic examples of BMW boxers racing in Africa: Hubert Auriol founded the myth of the twin based on the first R 80 G/S with his victories the Paris-Dakar Rally in 1981 and 1983; while Gaston Rahier went one better with two further successes in 1984 and 1985 on the HPN-BMW. After the turn of the millennium, BMW attacked once again with the boxer, and in 2000 the American Jimmy Lewis actually made it onto the Dakar podium (BMW’s second podium in a row after Richard Sainct won the 1999 event on the single-cylinder F 650 RR). A few years later, BMW got involved in off-road races with the HP2, but the rally commitment had come to an end due to changes in the regulations.

Hence the spontaneous idea of putting the BMW R 1300 GS through its paces over around 3000km of off-road rallies on African soil, with the Swank Rally Tunisia and the Lamas Rally Morocco being the perfect events to implement the project.

Rally time

In the paddocks of Douz in Tunisia and Er Racchidia in Morocco, the brand-new GS in production attracts a lot of attention, and the comments are not long in coming: “You’re crazy, you won’t have any fun with that machine, how are you going to make it through the dunes….?” In the midst of all the professional rally bikes, some of which still wear the start numbers of the last Dakar or the Africa Eco Race, the GS really stands out; the bike is completely standard with some additional factory-equipment in the form of sports suspension with 20mm longer spring travel, plus the Enduro Package Pro, Dynamic Pro and Dynamic Suspension Adjustment (DSA). It is also fitted with an Akrapovic twin silencer and, for the first test in Tunisia, it’s rolling on Metzeler Karoo 4 tyres mounted on the forged alloy off-road rims.

In the briefing before the prologue, organiser Renato Zocchi warns of the dangerous situations that will suddenly confront riders in the desert due to a light sandstorm. He is proven right on the very first stretch of dirt road, as the centre line on the gravel is marked with large stones that are difficult to see in the dust. As a result, the first few kilometres are like Russian roulette, so I postpone the 136hp drift orgies until later. Anyway, the event is not about results for me, as I am not in the race classification, but following the race route with the GPS track in the ‘Discovery’ category.

The light sandstorm becomes more and more intense, and the ground contour is difficult to recognise making changes of direction a challenge on the GS, especially in deep sand. Sand drifts, sometimes a metre high, decorate the tracks and carry the BMW quite well – with a short burst of throttle, the machine rolls up and the plentiful torque mills the bike calmly out of the sandpit again. Soon my confidence increases and I conquer even the small dunes at the edge of the road.

Big bike, big fun

It’s incredible fun to let the Boxer plough away in second or third gear until it suddenly builds up traction again and flies back onto the track like a bullet. Even the first part of the timed special stage, a deep ravine around 10m wide with extremely deep sand and whhops like you’d find on a supercross track is rideable on the GS. But I have to concentrate extremely hard and keep an eye on every single inch of the track… and never come to a standstill. This extraordinary stress drains me completely, and after a mile or so I take the emergency exit and ride off the race course; after a long winter break my fitness is not yet back to the desired level.

But nevertheless, the GS works. Unlike the old R 1250 GS, on which you had to shift your weight far back and hang on to the handlebar with your arms outstretched, always hoping the spongy front end would somehow find its way through the sand, the 1300 steers completely differently. The riding position is more front-wheel orientated and the new Telelever, with the fork tubes mounted rigid in both triple clamps, has greatly improved the directional stability and accuracy of the front end. You no longer ride as a passenger on a heavy touring machine through the dirt, hoping the GS will somehow find its own way across the track – now it’s up to you to decide for yourself where you want it to go, with great precision. Yep, the BMW R 1300 GS is very impressive!

A fast section over a hardpack track with slight sand drifts is no less brilliant. In the rear-view mirror I can see the lights of pursuers on their Yamaha Ténérés, but the GS holds them at bay at around 80-100 km/h, with great stability. Traction control and ABS are deactivated and it’s great fun to open the throttle on the sand drifts – Rally fever has taken hold of me again.

Sea of sand

On the second day, the organiser asks me to take the road to the oasis of Ksar Ghilane as the route is littered with small and very soft dunes for more than 100km. I could get into trouble there with a 230kg bike and it would be extremely complicated to send the pickup truck into the dunes to rescue me and the BMW. But at the end of the stage, I pluck up all my courage and let the GS run free on the small tracks through the dunes around the oasis: it’s incredible how easily and precisely the 1300 can be manoeuvred through this sea of sand. The GS can be steered almost exclusively with the throttle and by shifting body weight. If she sinks in on a dune, I simply engage the next higher gear and let the beefy torque do the dirty work for me. Stops should be chosen carefully though, preferably on a firm stretch of sand slightly downhill, otherwise you might find it a struggle to get going again.

I’m extremely excited, my blood is pumping through my veins, my heart is racing and the tension is rising. After half an hour in the sandpit, I return to the camp soaking wet, my hands shaking so much I can barely undo the chin strap of my helmet. Surfing through the dunes with 136hp is the ultimate rush and the overdose of dopamine has pushed me to my physical limits – I’m on the verge of collapse but the satisfied grin won’t leave my face for days to come.

The next day on wide gravel tracks the improvement of the new BMW R 1300 GS in terms of stability at high speeds becomes apparent once again – at 100-120km/h I can almost keep up with the rally bikes. On the relatively firm surface, only occasional sections of loose gravel remind me to slow down. However, the Telelever and the Metzeler Karoo 4 simply push small rocks aside. My confidence in the GS grows with every stage and on every surface the speed becomes faster and faster, the BMW conveying something like invulnerability in the desert, even if it only rolls on a 19-inch front wheel and weighs quite a lot…

From Tunisia to Morocco

After a thousand trouble-free kilometres in the rather monotonous and flat desert of Tunisia, the tune changes in Morocco at the Lamas Rally a month later. The sand is much softer and the BMW R 1300 GS only floats over it at speeds above of 60km/h. I get caught out on the first tiny dune and manage to get the bike going again only with extreme effort.

The tracks in Morocco are aren’t as wide as those in Tunisia, but are mostly narrow dirt with two slightly well-trodden lanes that can be used as berms. It’s here that the GS reveals an astonishing manoeuvrability allowing me to dance on the track from one side to the other with ease. Rally riding on the GS becomes a work of art.

On the big dune in Merzouga, a ‘Dune Contest’ takes place in the evening: who will make it to the top and, if so, in what time? At first I’m reluctant – I can hardly imagine surfing the sandy mountains on such a heavy bike, but then I feel the supporting structure of the light brown grains of sand and, as if pulled by a magical hand, the GS swims up the steep ramp towards the crest at around 80km/h in third gear at full throttle. I’m riding way too fast and can barely make out the edge of the dune; during my panic braking, the front wheel simply dives away and I plough straight into the sand, helmet first. Our Moroccan tour guides are thrilled; no modern GS has ever been this far up the dune! The second attempt is better, and I place the GS on the top of the dune crest with utmost precision and feel like a rally world champion for a tiny moment as friends cheer me on.

After this experience, I become one with the bike – there are no more limits and riding off-road in Morocco feels like riding on a magic carpet. The GS can be steered with little effort and minimal weight shifting on the ’pegs, and evasive manoeuvres at the last moment are easily possible even at higher speeds when there are rocks on the track.

The route leads westwards along the Algerian border and although a heavy sandstorm gets in our way the scenic experience in Morocco is overwhelming. The GS is just as brilliant on the deep sandy tracks through Erg Chigaga as it is on the dry salt lake at around 180km/h. At this speed, it’s like riding in a bubble, changing your view of the world and the track as well as your perception.

Heading north towards the Atlas Mountains, the trails become more challenging again, stones and rocks urge caution, and I often have to stop to memorise the incredibly beautiful panorama: a steel-blue sky above snow-capped mountains in the distance, and the foreground littered with stones and sand in all possible shades of brown, green, red and white.

There are deliberately fewer special stages during the last few days of the Lamas Rally so that the participants can enjoy the panorama.

After around 3000km on rally tracks in Africa, I park the GS at the finish line in Er Racchidia without having experienced any technical problems. During two weeks in Africa, the BMW R 1300 GS proved to be a fantastic companion, and this ride will forever occupy a place at the top of my list of dirtbike adventures.

The Bike

The standard BMW R 1300 GS is equipped with optional sports suspension (20mm longer spring travel), Enduro Package Pro, Dynamic Pro and Dynamic Suspension Adjustment, as well as the Akrapovic twin silencer and Metzeler Karoo 4 tyres on the forged alloy off-road rims. It is a €25,000 package; in Australia the similarly equipped R 1300 GS Trophy starts at around $39k +ORC.

The handlebar riser and the normal seat height of 850mm ensure optimum ergonomics for a rider 175cm tall.

Apart from the unbelievable performance of the engine, chassis and brakes, the following stood out:

– The small windscreen with robust support and manual adjustment is very effective.

– The two air filters on the upper front of the tank are very well protected; no changes were necessary during around 3000km in the desert.

– The position of the rear brake lever is suitable for both seated and standing riding (without adjustment).

– Thanks to the engine concept with vertical gas throttle flow and the timing chain of the right-hand cylinder at the front of the engine, the feet and legs have plenty of space and do not collide with parts of the powertrain in any situation, even off-road.

– The Pro riding modes are very efficient and useful: the hardest suspension setting was used in the sand and a medium setting was used on the rocky tracks, switching between Enduro Pro and Dynamic Pro.

– The clutch is a little rough when the engine is cold and comes on a little suddenly, so be careful when manoeuvring, but this is resolved after 20 seconds of engine running.

– The rotary sensor on the side stand is completely unprotected from below and exposed to rocks, but there were no problems during our test.

– Two of the three fastening screws on the rear mudguard close to the wheel were lost and have been replaced.

– The small bar for operating the sidestand is too close to the left footrest, and releasing it with the heel of off-road boots takes some getting used to.

– The rubber mountings of the rear indicators were affected by repeatedly putting the bike down in the sand and began to tear.

– Two small eyelets on the rear side of the passenger grab rail would be desirable for attaching a tool bag.

– The standard handguards are too low and leave the top of the hands and forearms unprotected.

• Although the traction control is eliminated in Enduro and Dynamic Pro, it has to be deactivated after every restart. Once this is done, it is also deactivated in Road mode, even though it might be activated in the Road preselection. There are several steps to achive this; a single button for deactivating traction control, as on the previous model, would be better.

– Fuel consumption on test was between 5.5L/100km and 6.5L/100km over a mix of sand and gravel tracks.

– I rode with pressures of 2.2 bar at the front and 2.4 bar at the rear in Tunisia. In Morocco, the extremely soft sand and dunes demanded lower pressures of down to 1.7 bar. On fast tracks and tarmac, however, tyre pressure was adjusted to more than 2 bar.

Swank Rally Tunisia

The Swank Rally Tunisia, which starts and finishes in the city Douz on the edge of the Tunisian Sahara, is aimed at ambitious rally riders who want to gain experience in navigating with road books and compass courses. The event is organised by rally legend Renato Zocchi, who started in the Dakar in 1984 on a Yamaha XT600 and organised the extremely successful Sardinia Rally for a decade from the same year.

The successful Yamaha works rider Alessandro Botturi was responsible for the route, while Deus Ex Machina, the hip clothing and surf shops, trendy cafés and restaurants, helped with the organisation.

Over five stages, the 2024 route covered around 1200km, with the dune passages proving to be very challenging for the single and twin-cylinder rally bikes. The participation fee for 2024 was €2000 ($3400) for ‘early riders’, plus bike transport and flights for a total budget of around €4000 ($6800) for riders from Europe.

See adventureriding.it/en/swank-rally-tunisia-eng/ for more information.

Lamas Rally Morocco

In 2016, Italian tour operator Manuel Podetti came up with the crazy idea of the Gibraltar Race: a navigated marathon rally from Greece to Gibraltar over around 10,000km and two weeks through Europe. The ‘European Dakar’ was born and quickly became a legend, with the event focusing on clean navigation in the special stages and not necessarily on fast times.

After seven editions, Podetti is now breaking new ground but has retained the concept with the Lamas Rally in Morocco. On daily stages of around 300-400km, the riders are only given the waypoints for the special stages and have to work out the routes themselves in order to complete them in the correct order. The total distance of the 2024 first edition was around 1800km with six stages. The routes and landscapes in southern Morocco are more varied and beautiful than in Tunisia, and the participants are more world-travelled adventurers than hunters of special stage times.

Total costs including registration, bike transport, flights/travel between €4000 and €5000 ($6800 and $8500) for riders from Europe.

See lamasrally.com/ for more information.