I feel like the most interesting days of our lives are the days that we learn something about ourselves. The day you learn you like whiskey, Steely Dan, old Star Trek, being choked, oysters, etcetera. Prior to this week, I had never ridden anything like this. I like BMW bikes - I own one myself - but had never thought I could ever like one of these big, dorky, fully-faired, cross-country cruise ships, let alone a motorcycle that's effectively automatic, and yet, here I am, taken with a 2026 BMW R 1300 RT ASA. I did not know that about myself.
What’s new
The 2026 BMW R 1300 RT, like the rest of the new generation of Bavarian boxers, is all new. There’s a new, lighter, more sophisticated, more powerful engine, a completely new, lighter platform, and new active suspension technology that all serve to make BMW Motorrad’s mobile office an even more capable and more athletic long-hauler than it already was.
Styling
Part of the reason why I didn’t think I could ever like one of these is because, let’s face it, they’re all kinda ungainly and decidedly Dad-core. Not so is the case with this new RT. It’s new shape is one that is more aggressive, with what looks like less wind protection, offset by a much taller windshield, that can automatically drop when parked (because cool) and raise when you set off (because function).
The overall look is one that’s leaner, meaner, and quite futuristic; it looks like it belongs on a Star Trek set. This tester’s Impulse package bundles in striking blue paint with dark chromed exhaust, forged handlebars, and subtle red accents. For the extra vain, the optional top box is fairly easily removed to make for an even more slick, sci-fi look.
Cargo
That aforementioned top box is powered, with a built-in USB charge port to your laptop or phasers charged on the move. The side boxes can be popped off and carried away easily, which isn’t really new, but the fact that everything - including the bike itself - can lock and unlock with just one keep is pretty clever.
Even more clever than that is the Vario system: the side box shells can telescope outward with a turn of a knob; so they can be tucked in or expanded enough to store my large modular helmet with space to spare. Very cool. The side boxes store up 33 litres each (27L collapsed) and the large rear top box can accommodate 54 litres.
Ergonomics and tech
Chassis
There is a lot going on here. First, there is the aforementioned windshield, whose automatic function I’m quite fond of, and is so quiet that I didn’t notice it working until day two. Then there’s this bike’s Dynamic Chassis Adaption - all these new R 1300s have some variety of semi-active chassis control, and it's not a blanket solution, but tailored to suit each application.
In the case of this RT, it can not only raise, lower, stiffen, and soften the shocks and spring rates, but even goes as far as to raise the rear so as to shorten the front angle of its Telelever-Evo front forks in its most aggressive of ride modes. Naturally, it also serves as a self-levelling system. Wild stuff.
Audio
Even the sound system is active and speed sensitive, with an EQ that varies with speed to maintain clarity, and I can confirm it can be obnoxiously loud and remarkably clear even at autobahn speeds - more on that later. Curiously, as far as I could find in it’s labyrinth of menus and settings, it doesn’t seem to have any means of adjusting plain-ole volume with speed.
screen/ui
The screen, menus, and its control interface is familiar, using a larger 10.25-inch version of the same TFT display and interface that’s been around for a while; the extra screen space enables second multi-function window, so you can run gauges and radio, radio and navigation, whatever’s your pleasure. If you wanted integrated navigation, you’re gonna need an iPhone, because the app isn’t available on Android.
Regardless of what kind of phone you have, there’s a handy tray that can support and secure a huge phone (my Samsung S25 Ultra in a case just barely fit), along with wireless charging and a cooling fan - great for the Apple Carplay that I didn’t get to try!
rider aids
Along with the trick chassis controls and usual slew of ride modes to tailor engine response, the R 1300 RT gets traction control, drag reduction control, wheelie control, linked and anti-lock brakes - all with lean sensitivity. The rider aids don’t end there: this bike has blind spot monitoring (which seems a tad redundant, given the enormous, wide-set mirrors), front, rear, and side impact warnings, and adaptive cruise control - the latter's functionality is hugely expanded by the ASA system.
This tester has an adaptive LED headlight that adjusts for cornering, lean, and pitch, to help you see as well as the bike can. In
Heat
The grips, both seats, and even the backrest are heated, and more impressively, they will get noticeably warm almost immediately and be hot in about a minute.
I think that mostly covers it. It's a lot.
Motor
The twin-cam boxer-twin engine displaces exactly 1300cc, and makes 145 horsepower and a very impressive 110 foot-pounds of torque; almost all of which is available through the whole rev range. It shares almost nothing with the 1250 that precedes it, using a revised and more compact version of BMW’s ShiftCam variable valve lift system to improve performance, response, and ‘round-town manners all at once.
On top of all that, it’s lighter than the 1250 that came before it, more efficient, needs valve clearance checks half as often, and it is finally symmetrical, eliminating the staggered footing that’s been a staple of BMW boxer bikes for a century.
Automated shift assistant (ASA)
This motorcycle does not have a clutch lever, and the shift lever isn’t mechanically connected to anything. It is a big, powerful, multi-speed motorcycle that you can put in D and forget about. You probably will find this very weird and off-putting. I know I did… for about 500 feet, or however long a lap around the parking lot at BMW is. This is brilliant.
I know it sounds hard to believe, and I know you’re thinking you probably won’t like it, even if I do, because you’re a manlier man or a better rider than me - both of which are probable, but beside the point. Before BMW gave up on their SMG transmission tech in their cars, they were getting pretty good at making it feel mostly normal.
Now, imagine if they had another couple of decades to refine it. Add to this equation the magic that is an oil-bathed multi-plate slipper clutch. On top of that, add in the sequential nature of motorcycle gearboxes. Suddenly the idea of this working pretty naturally doesn’t sound so far-fetched, does it? Hell, pretty much every modern bike comes with a clutchless quickshifter anyway, and this is just the next step.
Just twist the throttle and go. You can twist it a little bit, and it’ll give you a little bit of go, for tight maneuvers, parking, edging forward at a stop; it can do all of that very naturally. You can twist it a lot and it’ll give you the exact amount of rev and slip you need to launch and call upon the wheelie control. Fast or slow, ASA’s clutch control is probably better than yours. The fact BMW first deployed this on their G/S bikes, which need precise low-speed control for tricky terrain is a testament to how well it works, and I can see now it works beautifully.
Shifting behaviour is more or less perfect, too; it’s quick and slick no matter what. You can put it in D and let it shift on its own, but you may be a little thrown off by having a brief interruption of power. It also refuses to kick down, no matter what, as that jolt could be a real problem if you’re not ready for it. It will downshift smoothly as you slow down, and it’ll do that in manual or automatic mode. Similarly, it’ll respond to upshifts and downshifts via the shift lever in automatic mode, so you can kick it down a couple gears and fly away, and it’ll shift back up once it’s decided you’ve settled down.
I generally found myself leaving it in manual mode - because it is still satisfying to cal for a crispy shift on my own terms - and more often than not forgot to downshift when coming to a stop, counting on the bike to do it for me, which is always did, and pretty imperceptibly, too.
I did not find myself longing for a clutch lever. It’s not a hindrance at any speed, its action is impeccable, its timing is usually pretty good if left on its own, and it responds to you instantly. It’s still fun when going fast, and more importantly, it is a total game-changer when you’re stuck in traffic.
On the road
It wears its 622 pound curb weight very well. I got off of the leanest 1300 and straight onto this, and I didn’t feel like I was wrangling a top-heavy truck. There’s no getting around that it’s a lot of mass, but as soon as you’ve got just a walking pace under you, it disappears, and just wants to stay upright, thanks to its low, centralized mass. Only a scooter could be easier to deal with in traffic, and it’s really not a bear to park, either.
In its gentler ride modes, it is positively plush, making marred surfaces go away. The seat is well shaped and soft, comfortable to sit in all day, but supportive enough when needed. In typical BMW fashion, there’s a very slight bit of forward lean for more control (I understand the bars are lower and further forward than the former R 1250 RT), but it’s generally a very relaxed riding position that’s easy to maintain all day. Wind deflection from the tall screen is, in a word, incredible; I’m pretty sure I could light a cigar on the highway if I wanted to. I forgot to close my helmet for a whole hour, and then decided to keep it open anyway, just because. There’s no weird turbulence at the edge of the screen either, the wind is just gone.
This can be a bit of a problem, because that, and the smooth ride, and the seamless engine and power delivery, all conspire to deceive your senses and hide how fast you’re going. There are brand new cars that are more turbulent and unsettled at extralegal velocities than this ridiculously competent bike, and this is all without actually trying to hustle.
If you are intent on exploring the honed edge of the R 1300 RT, you will be rewarded with a transforming act. The engine ramps up its already alacritous response, and the DCA system turns this tourer into a surprisingly sharp machine, with good road feel, eager turn-in, and fine balance. Maybe it's just the lack of wind noise talking, but this sounds distinctly better and more throaty than the other 1300s I've ridden, too.
This is a bike that’s just as much of a pleasure to ride several hours out of the flat, gridlocked hellscape of Toronto as it is when you finally arrive at the good roads in cottage country and beyond. That it can do both as well as it does is remarkable. Strange, that something so large and so comfortable can be so agile, sure, but remarkable all the same.
Relativity
As of this writing, the only bike I’ve ridden that’s vaguely similar to this is the Harley-Davidson Street Glide, and that’s a very different machine. For better or worse depending on your preference, the BMW is far more loaded with tech, and as a consequence of that, vastly more athletic and refined, and they both cost about the same money. As much as I enjoy the Harley vibe, I’d have the boxer blat, Star Trek styling, and 200-ish pound weight savings every time.
I've since booked a Honda Goldwing. Stay tuned.
Money & wrap it up
The 2026 BMW R 1300 RT has a surprisingly affordable base price of $25,795, but don’t get hung up on that. You’ll get a nice bike, sure, but if you want any colour other than white, that’ll require adding a package, and if you want the genius suspension, that’ll call for another package… and it keeps going from there until you’ve built this $38,370 luxury-laden cruise missile. The trick is that everything is priced such that it feels like you can’t afford not to (only $545 for premium audio upgrade!), but it adds up.
What it adds up to is an incredible machine that I am floored to be so fond of, but that's just another fun thing I didn't know about myself. I guess I like Touring bikes now.