BMW F 750 GS Review
Bike Tested: BMW F 750 GS; Road Test No. 1129; Test Location: Mumbai
Price OTR Mumbai: Rs. 16,85,500/-
The F 750 GS is the latest and most accessible middle-weight GS motorcycle
Out of all the adventure motorcycles that I have tested till date, they have been either a Triumph or a Ducati. This is when we consider the middle-weight or premium motorcycles in the adventure category. For the first time, I could get my hands on a German adventure motorcycle but almost 6 years back, Faisal got to ride the BMW F 650 GS. So to keep things in place, BMW gave us the most forgiving and the latest middle-weight adventure tourer, the F 750 GS. The quest was to find out if the BMW F 750 GS was an improvement over the F 650 GS or a completely new motorcycle altogether.
Motor Quest: In the name BMW F 750 GS, the term GS stands for Gelande Sport which means all-terrain sport. While India is getting its fair share of GS motorcycles in recent years, GS motorcycles have been produced and sold worldwide since the 1980s.
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The design language and the lines are common across all GS motorcycles
Styling – The BMW F 750 GS is stonker in terms of looks. This has a lot to do with the top-of-the-line adventure motorcycle, the BMW R 1250 GS. The body lines, appearance and styling have been majorly derived from the elder sibling. All the changes and toning down of power, weight, size have been done to compensate for the price of it. With its appearance, the F 750 GS might appear quite large. The 15-litre fuel tank adds up to the mass and buffed look of it. Adding to the rather spectacular looks is the bikini fairing that goes from the fuel tank and extends further till the headlamp housing. The extreme front end consists of the decently protruding beak right between the set of asymmetrical LED headlamps and the front fender, it is topped by a rather small windscreen.
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Asymmetrical headlight setup is another BMW speciality
The Austin Metallic Yellow colour scheme is unique to the BMW F 750 GS
There’s bare minimum exposed appearance of the chassis and more of the bulky body cladding repping BMW. Addition of a bash plate and a pair of tubular crash guards on the periphery of the engine are blatant. For both the rear side profiles there are tubular bits and fibre sections for eased mounting of panniers and a top-box plate come as standard as well. The F 750 GS we’ve tested was mounted with 10-spoke alloy wheels shod to tubeless rubber and a cast aluminium dual swing arm at the rear. The upswept exhaust adds up to the looks and the exhaust canister stays exposed just like the older F 650 GS, however, it is on the right side this time.
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Full digital console offers loads of information
Instrument Cluster and Switchgear – The instrument cluster looks very sleek and comes loaded with a ton of features, has an equal number of switches to toggle in and out of the menu. Not to forget, such a premium system comes with the price of it, an easy Rs. 50,000/- to be shredded-off your pocket. With the 6.5-inch TFT display, you can switch from riding modes, alter the rider aids, use navigation, check the next service appointment, media and phone connection via Bluetooth. You can also change the suspension setting and also access the cruise control. The console even offers auto day-time light, engine temperature and surrounding temperature display. All of these options are offered in a full electronics package and can be surfed from the joystick on the left side unit and the switches around it.
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One of the most unique joysticks ever seen on a motorcycle
Addition of the fully digital console on the Pro model adds a lot of oomph
The digital screen has a satin finish but that does not become a problem for the rider in having just a glance at it on the go. The screen changes the background colour as the surround light changes. Most of the controls are on the left-hand side and the right-hand side just has two switches. One of them brings the motorcycle to life and another helps you change the riding modes. The fit and finish of the switches and the joystick are quite sturdy and easy to use. Most of the switches are coloured in black and white except the ignition, hazard light and the horn, those are in red and white.
