BMW R 1300 GS Adventure ASA Full Options Triple Black: the queen of adventure joins the Moto Corse Evasion fleet

Some moments in the life of a motorcycle rental agency leave a lasting mark. The arrival of the new BMW R 1300 GS Adventure Full Options Triple Black — featuring the revolutionary ASA automated gearbox — is undoubtedly one of them. Adrien, owner of Moto Corse Evasion, takes you through his discovery of an extraordinary machine, from first impressions to the winding roads of the Island of Beauty.

First impressions: when the GS arrives at the agency

Resting on its centre stand in the middle of the agency, this BMW R 1300 GS Adventure commands a presence that very few motorcycles can match.
Its imposing silhouette and the blend of sweeping curves and sharp angles give it a singular set of proportions — most notably in the way the boxer cylinders thrust outward on either side, as if claiming ownership of the space around them. A character trait found nowhere else in the world of two wheels.
The GS makes no attempt to conform to any standard. It breaks away from convention and trend alike, offering its own definition of design. Above all, it is built to go anywhere, to last, to protect, to perform. And on that front, the new R 1300 generation does far more than simply push the envelope — it rewrites the rulebook entirely.

Technical specifications: the numbers that turn heads

A closer look at the machine: an architecture built for real adventure

Full protection as standard
Where previous generations could leave the cylinder heads exposed — Adrien knows this first-hand, having seen a cylinder head pierced in a fall on a rocky track — the R 1300 GS Adventure takes a proactive approach. An aluminium engine bash plate as standard, two-piece crash bars forming a partial protective cage: this motorcycle is built to take a tumble without losing its vital organs. That is not a minor detail — it is a philosophy.
The crash bars also serve a practical purpose off-road: when the bike tips over, the protruding cylinders prevent it from lying flat on the ground, creating a natural tilt. The result: picking the bike back up is far less of an ordeal for the rider.

A 30-litre tank — freedom without compromise
30 litres. That is 11 litres more than the standard GS. And in Corsica, where some back roads leave any petrol station far behind for tens of kilometres at a stretch, that figure changes the very nature of the journey. With a range approaching 600 km, you stop thinking about fuel. You think about the road.

Evo suspension: 210 mm front, 220 mm rear
The new Evo Telelever front and Evo Paralever rear systems have been thoroughly redesigned. The Telelever has gained in kinematic precision, feeding back sharper, less filtered information — a quality felt immediately on tarmac, and even more so off-road. The Adventure benefits from 20 mm of additional travel compared to the standard GS, for greater progressiveness on rough terrain.
The DSA (Dynamic Suspension Adjustment) system manages the suspension electronically in real time, responding to riding mode, payload and road conditions. Solo, two-up, fully loaded: the dampers adapt on their own.

Ergonomics and accessibility for all rider profiles
The adaptive ride height system can lower the seat height by 30 mm when stationary and at low speed, allowing a rider of 1.75 m to place both feet flat on the ground. The GS Adventure remains a large-format motorcycle — but it can now accommodate a much wider range of rider profiles.

Luggage fitted in under a minute
The aluminium panniers mount and dismount without tools, in a matter of seconds. That is time saved when configuring the bike in our workshop according to the chosen option. The top case takes a full-face helmet. The GS Adventure is built to travel. Genuinely.

The ASA revolution: riding without a clutch lever

This is the defining innovation of this generation, and very likely the one that will be talked about for years to come. The ASA gearbox — Automated Shift Assistant — is fitted to our model, and it fundamentally transforms the riding experience.
How it works
Forget the clutch lever. It simply is not there. The traditional mechanical gearbox is retained, but two electromechanical actuators take care of clutch operation and gear selection on your behalf. You keep a foot-operated gear selector — BMW speaks of a shift assistant, not a pure automatic in the conventional sense.
Two modes are available:

• 🔧 M mode (Manual): you select gears with the foot shifter, the bike handles the clutch on its own. It is an exceptional bi-directional quickshifter — up and down, without closing the throttle, with disarming smoothness.
• 🤖 D mode (Drive / Automatic): the gearbox handles everything. Upshifts, downshifts — all you need to focus on is the line, the scenery, the sensations. You are riding a 145 bhp adventure motorcycle with the comfort philosophy of a premium GT scooter.

What it actually changes
Adrien was eager before the test ride. He had his experience with the Honda Gold Wing DCT, and with automated gearboxes in cars that had occasionally left him a touch sceptical. And then the GS hit the road.
In Dynamic mode with the gearbox in manual, the bike surges forward. Gear changes happen instantly, without jerk, without that split-second hesitation that breaks the rhythm. In Road mode with the gearbox in automatic, the smoothness is such that you eventually forget gear changes are happening at all. The machine thinks for you — and it thinks right. It is genuinely astonishing.

On the road: sensations, emotions, performance

Immediate confidence from the first metres
Within the first few dozen kilometres, the surprise is total. A 269 kg motorcycle that handles like a 200 kg one. The mass centralisation, with the boxer engine sitting low, turns physics into something close to magic. Leaning into corners is effortlessly intuitive. The wide handlebar provides natural leverage to tip the bike into bends without effort.
Where the previous generation asked for a few hours of acclimatisation before you were truly in tune with the machine, the R 1300 feels familiar within ten kilometres.

145 bhp, 149 Nm: torque you can use every day
This boxer engine is a masterclass in balance. Supple at low revs — pulling cleanly from 2,000 rpm — it becomes genuinely fierce when pushed, spinning to 9,000 rpm with an appetite unexpected of a twin. The 0–100 km/h in 3.4 seconds is no exaggeration: it is a measured reality, on a par with a Porsche 911 Carrera S.
And yet the engine never becomes intimidating. The ShiftCam system continuously adjusts valve lift to suit engine speed, delivering both refinement in town and punch on open roads.

145 bhp, but fully usable by a rider with a solid level of experience.

Seven riding modes: a motorcycle that adapts to you
Rain for Corsica’s autumn downpours. Road for everyday riding. Dynamic to sharpen things up. Dynamic Pro to exploit every Newton-metre of torque. Enduro and Enduro Pro for the tracks. Eco for the long hauls. Each mode brings a complete reconfiguration of the suspension, engine mapping, ASA gearbox and active rider aids. It is not the same motorcycle from one mode to the next. It is seven motorcycles in one.

Braking: precision you can trust
Standard ABS Pro intervenes even when the bike is leaned over. Front and rear are coupled: pressure on the front brake engages the rear, and vice versa. On roads where the surface changes mid-corner — an everyday reality on Corsica’s back roads — this active safety system is no gimmick: it is an additional safety net that can genuinely make the difference when the unexpected happens around a bend.
The assisted emergency braking goes further still: if the front radar detects an approach to the vehicle ahead that is too rapid, the bike first alerts the rider visually, then sends pulses through the lever, then brakes on its own if necessary. Another welcome layer of protection that is never intrusive — until the moment it truly needs to be.

Adaptive cruise control
The front radar manages a cruise control system that slows down and accelerates in response to traffic, with no rider input required. On the T20 — formerly the N193 — between Corte and Bastia, on the RT10 along the eastern plain between Bastia and Porto-Vecchio, and even on the long descent towards Porto, this feature gives the rider genuine mental freedom. You ease your grip, the bike takes care of things. You rest your eyes on the ridgelines, on the sea between two hairpins, on the end-of-day light over the maquis. While remaining alert and attentive, of course.

The BMW R 1300 GS Adventure and Corsica: a natural fit

Some motorcycles seem built for a specific destination. The R 1300 GS Adventure and Corsica are exactly that kind of pairing.

The roads that make the difference
Corsican roads are unlike any other roads in Europe. Relentless sequences of hairpin bends stretching for dozens of kilometres. Abrasive granite surfaces that deliver exceptional grip in the dry. Elevation changes from sea level to 1,400 metres in just a few kilometres. Legendary passes — Bavella, Vergio, Verde, Vizzavona — that put both machine and rider to the test.

This terrain demands a motorcycle that does everything well. Not just adequately — well.
The selection of motorcycles in the Moto Corse Evasion fleet is not the result of chance or opportunistic sourcing — it reflects meticulous thought and an intimate knowledge of the terrain. Read our articles on the subject:

Choosing the perfect motorcycle to explore Corsica

2026 fleet newcomers: which two-wheeler should you choose for Corsica’s roads? Comparison

Mass centralisation: the key to Corsica
Through the tight sequences of the Col de Bavella, up the hairpins towards Zonza, around the sweeping curves of the D81 above Porto — the GS Adventure’s superior agility, born of its low centre of gravity and boxer architecture, proves a decisive advantage. It leans without resistance, repositions without effort, and delivers a steering precision that far exceeds what its weight would suggest.

30 litres to ride to the far end of the island without stopping
In Corsica, remote areas can be entirely without petrol stations. The Tavignano gorges, the Cuscione plateau, the wilder stretches of Cap Corse — with 30 litres and 600 km of range, there is no mental arithmetic. You choose your route freely, without the constraints of refuelling dictating your itinerary.

Enduro modes for Corsica’s small back roads
Corsica also means kilometres of roads that are sometimes closer to dirt track than tarmac, ridgeline paths, forgotten white roads absent from GPS maps that lead to the finest viewpoints. With Enduro and Enduro Pro modes, the suspension goes to its softest setting, the ABS reconfigures for off-road use, and the traction control adjusts its slip thresholds for knobby tyres. The GSA can leave the smooth tarmac behind. And it does so with confidence.

Comfort for longer stays
A motorcycle trip in Corsica is often 5 to 10 days on the road, 100 to 200 km a day, mountain passes in the morning, coastline in the afternoon, sunsets and good restaurants in the evening. The standard electric windscreen genuinely earns its place — helmet and upper body sheltered, fatigue significantly reduced. Heated grips take care of your hands on the cool morning passes. The wider pillion seat makes two-up riding comfortable over long stages.

Who is it built for?

The BMW R 1300 GS Adventure is an extraordinary motorcycle. But one thing must be said plainly: its size and 269 kg kerb weight make it a machine that demands a certain level of experience, particularly for low-speed manoeuvring, U-turns in tight spaces, and handling tricky situations on demanding terrain.
It is the ideal choice for the experienced rider, well-versed in large-format adventure bikes, who wants to experience an exceptional machine without compromise. For those who have doubts about their riding level or whether this model suits their planned itinerary, the Moto Corse Evasion team is on hand to talk it through — our catalogue includes other models that may be a better fit for your profile.

Our verdict on the BMW R 1300 GS Adventure ASA

• ✅ The most powerful production boxer engine ever built — 145 bhp, 149 Nm, one-of-a-kind character
• ✅ The ASA gearbox — a genuine revolution, transparent from the very first kilometre
• ✅ 30 litres and ~600 km of range — absolute freedom in Corsica
• ✅ Electronically controlled DSA suspension — comfort and efficiency on every surface
• ✅ Seven riding modes — a motorcycle that adapts to every road, every rider, every weather condition
• ✅ Full active safety suite — adaptive cruise control, cornering ABS Pro, blind spot detection, assisted emergency braking
• ✅ Adaptive ride height — accessible to a wider range of rider builds than you might expect
• ✅ Fully integrated luggage system — fitted and removed in seconds, without tools
• ✅ A motorcycle for everywhere — tarmac, mountain pass, track, long distance, two-up, solo — never a disappointment

The BMW R 1300 GS Adventure full options ASA is available to hire in our fleet. It is a unique opportunity to ride the most accomplished adventure motorcycle of the moment on the roads that deserve it most.

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Want to know whether this motorcycle suits your riding level and your Corsica itinerary? Our team is available to advise you personally — route planning, riding assessment, bike selection, fully tailored stays.

📞 +33 4 95 51 19 20 — Monday to Sunday, 8am–6pm · 13 Bd Sampiero, 20090 Ajaccio

FAQ — BMW R 1300 GS Adventure for hire in Corsica