There’s simply one thing proper as rain about using by means of the postcard-perfect German countryside on one in every of BMW’s newest bikes. Even when it does really rain. We have been in Germany for BMW Motorrad Boxer Days, a press launch that included technical deep dives and check rides on three new-for-2026 fashions: the BMW R 12 G/S journey bikethe BMW R 1300 RT sport-tourer, and the BMW R 1300 R roadster (evaluation coming quickly).
R-series boxer-powered bikes are the life blood of BMW Motorrad. The primary BMW motorbike, the 1923 R 32, had an opposed flat-Twin (boxer) engine, a longitudinal crankshaft, and shaft ultimate drive. Bikes with the identical configuration have been in BMW’s lineup for over a century.
Within the mid to late Seventies, BMW launched a number of variants of the 980cc R 100 platform: the R 100 S (for Sport, with a small bubble fairing just like the one on the enduring R 90 S), the R 100 RS (for Journeyor Journey, Sport, the primary manufacturing motorbike with a full fairing), and the R 100 RT (for Journey Tourer, much like the RS however with an enlarged fairing, Krauser saddlebags, and a heel-toe shifter).
The RT, which developed into R 1100, R 1150, R 1200, R 1250, and now R 1300 variations, has at all times been one in every of BMW’s top-of-the-line touring fashions. The opposite has been the liquid-cooled inline 4-cylinder Okay-series LT (Luxurious Tourer) fashions, which started with the Okay 100 LT in 1986 and continues at the moment with the Okay 1600 GTL.
Rider has examined all of them, and three have been chosen as Motorbike of the 12 months: Okay 1200 LT in 1999, Okay 1600 GTL in 2012, and R 1200 RT in 2014.
The purpose of this stroll down historical past lane? BMW Motorrad takes touring significantly. It has been designing and constructing tourers with fairings, saddlebags, and different creature comforts for almost 5 many years, steadily including energy, refinements, and technological enhancements alongside the way in which. The R 1250 RT, launched in 2019, was a implausible motorbike that set a excessive bar within the sport-touring section. How significantly better may the BMW R 1300 RT probably be?
Fairly a bit, really.
RT Reset
The BMW R 1300 RT relies on the identical platform because the R 1300 GS that was launched for 2024 and was Rider’s Motorbike of the 12 months. It was a clean-sheet machine, a revolutionary redesign relatively than only a bump in displacement and some extra bells and whistles. As we wrote in our evaluation of the R 1300 GS“solely the butterfly valves and some bolts and connectors carry over from the R 1250 GS.”
The RT’s engine continues to be an air- and liquid-cooled boxer, because it has been for greater than a decade, and it retains the vertical-flow cylinder heads, variable oil consumption, DOHC valvetrain with mild cam followers, and ShiftCam variable valve timing system that have been on the 1250.
GEAR UP
However the similarities finish there. The brand new engine is extra compact, weighs 8.3 lb lower than its predecessor, and has revised internals. The cams are pushed by a brand new timing chain association, with the appropriate cylinder’s timing chain in entrance of the cylinder and the left cylinder’s chain behind the cylinder. Cam timing has been revised, the valves are bigger, and the compression ratio is greater (13.3:1, up from 12.5:1). A bigger 106.5mm bore (up from 102.5) and a brand new crankshaft with a shortened 73mm stroke (down from 76) increase displacement from 1,254cc to 1,300cc.
In comparison with the R 1250, the R 1300 generates extra horsepower (145 at 7,750 rpm, up from 136), extra torque (110 lb-ft at 6,500 rpm, up from 105 lb-ft at 6,250 rpm), and a broader unfold of torque. A brand new light-weight 2-into-1 chrome steel exhaust system contributes to a 14.3-lb weight discount for the powertrain.
As with the R 1300 GS, the RT’s former tubular-steel bridge body and subframe have been changed by a metal sheet metallic body and an aluminum lattice subframe. The brand new chassis design is stiffer, higher centralizes mass, and optimizes load distribution when using with a passenger or baggage.
Renewed Objective
At first look, the R 1300 RT’s silhouette is definitely recognizable: the big, curved windscreen, the broad fairing, and the built-in mirrors, all designed to guard the rider and passenger from wind and rain. Nevertheless it carries itself in a brand new method: slimmer and extra muscular, trendy, and purposeful.
A touring bike has one job above all else: Make lengthy days within the saddle gratifying. The RT has lengthy been among the best bikes for burning critical miles, and the R 1300 RT is even higher. Not solely is its bodywork sleeker and extra aerodynamic, however it’s additionally designed to offer extra consolation for the rider. The fairing facet panels slide up and down to regulate the quantity of air that enters the cockpit, Variable Wind Deflectors are elective, and small cylinder fairings defend the rider’s ft. The detachable saddlebags are smaller (capability is 27 liters every, down from 35) to permit extra room for the passenger’s decrease legs. For those who want extra packing area, the elective Variable Baggage System electrically expands or contracts the baggage’ width as wanted, altering their capability over a variety from 27 to 33 liters.
The RT has at all times appeared extra imposing when parked than it feels when sitting within the saddle. That’s nonetheless true, and the RT isn’t any light-weight – curb weight is 620 lb, up from 615 on the R 1250 RT – however its redesign makes it really feel extra compact and slender from the cockpit. Notion of dimension has loads to do with seat peak. To accommodate a variety of riders, the usual seat is adjustable between 32.3 and 33.3 inches, and its tilt is adjustable. The usual seat will also be swapped for a decrease (30.7/31.4 inches) or taller (33.0/33.9 inches) seat.
The ergonomic triangle was revised to place the rider farther ahead whereas retaining the identical distance between the seat and pegs. The handlebar is farther ahead, wider, and fewer swept again, which places the rider in a extra energetic stance with out sacrificing consolation. Placing extra of the rider’s weight towards the entrance wheel improves dealing with and opens up extra space for the passenger.
The Telelever EVO entrance and Paralever EVO rear suspension methods that debuted on the GS are additionally used on the RT, although with much less wheel journey (5.9/6.2 inches vs. 7.5/7.9 inches on the GS). Semi-active Dynamic Digital Suspension Adjustment is commonplace and adjusts damping, spring charge, and cargo routinely as situations require. Dynamic Chassis Adjustment is a brand new characteristic that’s included with elective Experience Modes Professional. In the usual modes – Street, Rain, and Eco – DCA makes use of a flat steering head angle and decrease trip peak to maximise stability and luxury. Within the Dynamic and Dynamic Professional trip modes, DCA makes use of firmer damping, a better spring charge, and a better trip peak, elevating the rear greater than the entrance to shorten rake and path for faster steering and elevated cornering clearance.
Autobahn and Past
Out on the street, the bigger 1300 feels stronger in all places. Whether or not overtaking slow-moving vehicles on backroads or merging onto the autobahn, the bike responds effortlessly. The midrange punch makes passing particularly simple and pulls sturdy to the 9,000-rpm redline.
The R 1300 RT handles like a a lot lighter motorbike because of the low heart of gravity of its boxer with the gearbox mounted under the engine and new wheels which are 3 lb lighter than their predecessors. The brand new seating place suited my 5-foot-7 body completely, and the redesigned fairing and electrically adjustable windscreen created a small nest of calm air on the freeway. Even after hours on the autobahn and unfamiliar twisting backroads, I by no means felt careworn or uncomfortable.
Our check bikes have been geared up with the elective Automated Shift Assistant, which eliminates the clutch lever however retains the foot shifter and provides totally automated or handbook shifting, with automated shift factors adjusted primarily based on trip mode. ASA is just not as seamless appropriately. It may possibly really feel clunky at low speeds, and though auto shifts are easy, their timing isn’t at all times best.
Extra tech abounds on the RT, although its availability is dependent upon which choices packages you purchase. Along with ASA ($935), our bikes had the Impulse Bundle ($7,345), which incorporates Experience Modes Professional, DCA, the Variable Baggage System, the adaptive Headlight Professional, radar-enabled Using Assistant (Lively Cruise Management, Entrance Collison Warning, and Lane Change Warning), central locking, and lots of extra consolation and magnificence add-ons. The RT additionally has a ten.25-inch TFT show providing split-screen navigation, media controls, and cellphone integration by means of BMW’s Connectivity Hub, and atop the tank is a vented storage compartment for charging a smartphone.
Touring by means of Germany offered quite a lot of microclimates and situations, and the BMW R 1300 RT took all of them in stride. Wind and climate safety have been glorious, and the bike felt sure-footed and assured on moist roads – all traits we’ve come to count on from the RT.
The R 1300 RT isn’t simply an replace of an already-excellent touring motorbike; it has developed right into a machine that’s greater than the sum of its components. Carving alongside darkish forest roads, gliding down the autobahn, or exploring hidden villages, it delivered all of the consolation, enjoyment, and energy I may ask for. The R 1250 RT was a favourite of ours and that of many sport-touring riders, and the 1300 RT takes issues to the subsequent degree. It’s extra refined, extra succesful, and extra partaking – a motorcycle that makes you wish to trip farther simply to see what’s across the subsequent bend.
From metropolis facilities to scenic mountain passes, the R 1300 RT reminds us that nice bikes don’t simply take you locations – they make the trip itself unforgettable.
2026 BMW R 1300 RT Specs
- Base Value: $22,495
- Value as Examined: $31,525 (Impulse Bundle w/ High Case Prep, Automated Shift Assistant)
- Web site: BMWMotorcycles.com
- Guarantee: 3 yrs., 36,000 miles??
- Engine Sort: Liquid?cooled longitudinal opposed?Twin, DOHC, 4 valves per cyl.
- Displacement: 1,300cc
- Bore x Stroke: 106.5 x 73.0mm
- Horsepower: 145 @ 7,750 rpm (manufacturing unit declare)
- Torque: 110 lb?ft @ 6,500 rpm (manufacturing unit declare)
- Transmission: 6?pace, hydraulically actuated slip/help moist clutch
- Last Drive: Shaft
- Wheelbase: 59.0 in.
- Rake/Path: 26 levels/4.5 in.
- Seat Peak: 30.7?33.9 in. (low/commonplace/tall seats)
- Moist Weight: 620 lb (manufacturing unit declare)
- Gas Capability: 6.3 gal.
