2026 BMW R 1300 R Pairs A Bigger Boxer With KTM Styling Cues
BMW's new 1300cc boxer twin has been a hit in the new R 1300 GS, and the company is now bringing the engine out to other sections of the model lineup. It's starting with the roadsters, replacing the R 1250 R with the latest and greatest: The new R 1300 R, a more powerful and more angular take on the naked boxer formula.
The R 1300 R retains its predecessor's size (59.5 inch wheelbase) and weight (527 pounds ready to ride), bumps horsepower from the 1250's 136 up to 145. Torque, too, rises from 105 lb-ft to 110. The new bike will likely continue the "riding smaller than the spec sheet says" refrain so commonly heard about the 1300 GS, but the biggest change is almost sure to be that styling. Doesn't it remind you of something?
That headlight is giving KTM
It's a little tough to see in the blank renders BMW supplied — all higher-quality "photography" in the BMW release is AI, as is the company's recent tradition, which I will not run on this site — where the daytime running lights that frame the sides of the headlight aren't illuminated. Turn them on, though, and they start to look quite reminiscent of one of the R 1300 R's competitors: The KTM 1390 Super Duke. It's an odd choice, given that KTM's selling point over BMW has always been power and aggression rather than the brand's oft-maligned styling, but BMW only evokes the latter here. The Super Duke is currently only available in ultra-hardcore R Evo trim, where it makes 187 horsepower to the Beemer's 145 — yet, on styling, the two are more similar.
Of course, the BMW's looks aren't all Austrian. The R 1300 R appears to retain the R 1300 GS's new steel frame and aluminum subframe, and the rear end continues the current BMW trend of multipurpose turn signals that also act as tail lights for a nice clean look. In some colors, the tank plastic even resemble the old first-generation F 800 GS with its side openings. Don't expect those turn signals, sticking out through those panels, to be so subtle on the dealer floor, though. BMW uses European-spec bikes for its press shots, where regulations don't mandate the same light-to-body distance that we do over here. Those signals will likely stick out further on the American-spec bike.
New mechanical bits
BMW's updated some other mechanical bits from the R 1250 R for the new 1300, revising the suspension to include adjustable spring rates within its electronic controls. BMW claims this is the first time an upside-down fork has had adjustable springs, rather than simply adjustable damping, depending on ride modes. The 1300's rider triangle has also been adjusted, shifting the rider's weight further forward on the bike, all in a bid to increase front end feel.
The biggest change mechanical from the R 1250 R though, outside of the engine, is the new Automatic Shift Assistant, inherited from the GS. ASA gives the option of automating the manual transmission, allowing it to act as a clutchless manual — a la Honda's e-clutch — or as a fully automatic motorcycle. That tech should be everywhere in the motorcycle world, democratizing the coolest bikes for those who can't shift on their own, but I suspect it'll be a while before it trickles down from BMW's finest.
That finery, of course, comes at a price: $16,595 before a $695 destination fee. That's the base price, which gets you a bike that exactly zero BMW dealers will ever order. Expect a price closer to $18,000 before tax by the time you actually see one on a showroom floor, loaded up with the requisite Premium Package that seems to adorn all Beemers nowadays — a package that here includes the electronic suspension, quickshifter or automated shifter, rider modes, "sport brake," lean-sensitive headlight, and a few other quality-of-life features including heat for your hands and seat. It's a pretty penny, but a lot of bike.