The BMW R1300GS Adventure bike, known as the brand's adventure flagship, has been slightly modified and is now a record-breaker in hill climbs. Greg Mansell, son of F1 legend Nigel Mansell, initiated this project.
Greg had previously tested the R1250GS Adventure on the Bouley Bay Hill Climb and achieved a faster time than he expected even with standard road tyres. After seeing the new R1300GS, they decided to take it on the hill climb to measure its speed.
Now, the R1300GS is like a supermoto, with 17in front wheel, upgraded suspension, ECU map, straight-through exhaust, and tweaked final drive. Due to changes to the chassis, the focus is not only on power but also on handling and speed on steep roads.
As a result, Greg broke the 15-year open capacity record at Bouley Bay, with a new time of 45.13 seconds, 0.02 seconds faster than the previous record. Even though the BMW M1000XR had more power, the GS was defeated on the steep and rough track due to its Telelever suspension and low-end torque.
This project is proof that even with just a few modifications, an adventure bike can become world-class in the unique challenge of hill climbing.
