Motorcycle. BMW R 1300 R and RS, two very different motorcycles

After the GS and the RT, it's the turn of the R and RS to move to the flat twin 1300 to complete the circle of changes. The R 1300 R and the R 1300 RS share a lot of things but not everything that makes them very different motorcycles to ride.

You can't call the RS an R with a fairing, they are very different and radically evolved compared to the 1250 they replace.

When you get behind the handlebars, the 1300 R has slightly set back footrests and a significantly forward and lower handlebar, while for the RS these changes are there but in a more subtle way.

The 1300 R is more engaged at the front than the 1250 R, the 1300 RS a little more than the 1250 RS.

The 1300cc flat twin we know from the GS, GSA and RT are the same on the R and RS with the same performance. With 145 hp and 149 Nm, this engine is not lacking in responsiveness.

It is capable of dropping low in revs for a twin-cylinder of this displacement and then taking off again with a quick burst to climb towards the red zone without failing.

With the new positioning of the gearbox and the chassis revised to accommodate this 1300 cm3 engine first on the GS, we have machines that are really different from the previous generation with the 1250.

More lively, more compact and lighter to handle, these are characteristics that apply to both the R and the RS.

For sportiness, you have to keep the engine around 5000 rpm, even beyond. This is where it is most lively and pulls frankly. It is much more demonstrative than the 1250 which was undoubtedly a little more rounded.

The gearbox, however, is always firm, or more precisely, the selection. This is true whether you have the pro shifter or the ASA automatic gearbox offered on both models. The upshifts through the first three gears can be violent during strong acceleration.

On the other hand, the gear changes are very successful even with the ASA, whether in automatic D mode or manual M which automatically changes them back down when stopping at a traffic light for example to always start off in 1st.

The only difference is not in the fairing, this was true for the 1250 and it is even more so with the 1300. My RS also had the Performance pack with Sport suspension.

When you jump from one bike to the other, you discover a very agile R and it's not just a question of weight since only 6 kg separates them (239 kg for the R and 245 kg for the RS).

The R's handlebars are wider and lower, and with your feet slightly set back you have very good leverage to handle this bike, which jumps from one corner to the next with disconcerting ease. The RS's half-bars above the T don't offer the same ease.

It's a bike that needs to be cornered, requiring a minimum of commitment, whereas the R is handled with your fingertips. The Sport suspensions on our RS don't improve comfort and don't add much to the ride compared to the standard suspensions on our R.

If we add to that the adjustable windshield, which offers little protection whatever its position, the RS appears much more Sporty than GT but without the ease that we appreciate so much as the R.

Perhaps without the Performance pack it would regain the pleasure that one expects from riding a Sport GT, even if the handlebars would obviously remain the same.

So these two machines are very different even though they share so many things.

The R is preferred on the secondary network for the pleasure of its sportiness without being uncomfortable in the long run, while the RS is more at ease on the main roads like a road car.

Both perform well in the city with a remarkable turning circle, but outside of an urban environment there is little doubt about which one is preferred.

If you're planning a road trip, both have cruise control as standard and passenger handles, although the RS's are more accessible, and both can be fitted with luggage, heated seats and grips, the ASA automatic transmission, etc.

The front paneling of the R is more protective than that of the previous generation, even if it is not as protective as that of the RS, which deserves to be more so.

In terms of pricing, the R costs €20,260 with the Pro Finishing pack and the RS costs €22,275 with the Pro Finishing pack as well.