BMW Motorrad celebrates a milestone with the one millionth GS motorcycle featuring a boxer engine.
The one millionth BMW GS motorcycle with a boxer engine rolled off the production line at BMW Motorrad’s plant in Berlin-Spandau on June 21, 2023. BMW marked the occasion by unveiling the new BMW R 1300 GS at the grand opening of the BMW Motorrad Welt in Berlin on September 28, 2023.
BMW Motorrad has built GS models with boxer engines since 1980, when the R 80 G/S introduced what became the touring enduro genre. That mix of on-road manners, off-road capability, and long-haul comfort is what turned the GS into a mainstay of BMW’s lineup.
The One Millionth BMW GS: An R 1250 GS in Triple Black
The one millionth bike is an R 1250 GS in Triple Black style, marked in a ceremony at the Berlin-Spandau plant the same day — timing that lands squarely inside BMW Motorrad’s “100 Years” anniversary year. It’s a milestone for a model line that’s shaped the rest of BMW Motorrad’s range.
The BMW R 1300 GS will premiere at that same Motorrad Welt opening ceremony on September 28, 2023, adjacent to the Berlin-Spandau plant. The unveiling streams live on BMW Group and BMW Motorrad’s social channels, and Motorrad Welt opens to the public on September 30.
The R 1300 GS itself marks a real step change for the line: 145 horsepower at 7,750 rpm and 110 lb-ft of torque at 6,500 rpm from a 1,300cc boxer twin, up from 1,254cc on the outgoing R 1250 GS. BMW moved the gearbox underneath the crankshaft rather than behind it, a redesign the company says trims roughly 14 pounds off the powertrain, and carried over the ShiftCam variable valve timing system already used elsewhere in the boxer lineup.
The line has come a long way from the original R 80 G/S, which made 50 horsepower from a 798cc boxer twin. Four decades of development have added ABS, traction control, semi-active suspension, and the rest of the electronics package that defines the current R 1250 GS.
The R 1300 GS debut on September 28 is next up for the line — the one millionth BMW GS is just the marker along the way.
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