New Goose 1300 or why the Goose is the most popular motorcycle in Europe

In a nutshell, despite its apparent large size, the new 1300 Goose is very convenient for city riding. Now, let's delve deeper.

At first glance, the Goose might seem very cumbersome for urban settings with its protruding cylinders, and so on.

I used to think the same until I rode it myself. The previous "wet" 1250GS was just enormous, feeling like sitting on a fence, whereas this 1300, despite its engine upgrade, feels leaner.

The first thing you notice is the comfortable seat. The passenger seat is probably even more comfortable than the driver's. You ride and relax without feeling cramped, unlike being squeezed in traffic. Unlike neighboring Germany, lane splitting is allowed here, but speeding is not accepted; motorcycles travel with cars.

I'm not a fan of the Goose or adventure motorcycles in general, as they're called in Russia, "turondur."

The motorcycle doesn't feel heavy. The manufacturer claims a dry weight of 237 kg, which is very light.

Electrically adjustable windscreen.

One thing I can't accept is the lack of a brake light. What's the point of this saving? The role of brake lights is performed by red rear turn signals. If I can understand this on a café racer or chopper, it's incomprehensible on a massive motorcycle with large panniers. By the way, Harley started this trend with the Dark Custom lineup. Additionally, there are plenty of additional headlights in the front.

I won't discuss the design; it's a very contentious topic. There's something in it that resembles the Honda NC. The front headlight resembles the letter "X" or "H." But there are beautiful motorcycles, such as the Africa Twin, Tenere.

It rides beautifully, the weight is completely imperceptible, you can feel the investment BMW put into it, sometimes excessively. The soft suspension only adds to the comfort.

About the BMW dealer in Charleroi. As scary as Charleroi is, like Belgium's Lipetsk, sorry Lipchans, the BMW dealer there is great. Interiors, couches. Only then did I realize it was a Fender Stratocaster electric guitar. Bar. BMW R18 as a monumental sculpture.

So, if I see someone in the city on a Goose, assuming motorcycles, not scooters, then every second person, and if it's over a liter, 99%, it means they don't have a second "city" motorcycle, maybe not even a car, which is unlikely. It's expensive, but it's not for the poor; credit, down payment, and then you can pay it off.

Do you need an opposed engine? Or can you get by with an inline? I haven't ridden V-engined bikes. That is, I rode Harleys and their imitators, not normal motorcycles. But the opposed engine is longitudinal, allowing the use of a driveshaft with a single bevel pair. An opposed engine has more character. An inline is completely soulless, you could say Japanese. And the relatively low center of gravity significantly improves the driving experience with the same road clearance. But not all opposed engines are alike. A wet one is equipped with a balancing shaft that compensates for the reactive moment and some vibration, but not completely. On a "dry" one, there's a moment that gives the motorcycle character. And the wet one has a torqueier engine. That is, on dry ground, vibrations are large and pleasant, you feel the power, and on wet ground, they're small at high revs and unpleasant.

On paper, a wet engine is much more powerful, but in practice, it's not that noticeable. Engine and gearbox. I'll express a bold opinion, the gearbox on the old air-cooled engine works better, there are no problems with finding neutral. Because the shifting mechanism travels a very long distance to the gearbox located deep in the engine, under the crankshaft.

Need to switch to automatic. We're waiting for the new air-cooled 1200 "Goose" (HP2 Enduro, whichever you prefer) on the R12 platform, its appearance is quite possible.