Instead, BMW has created a completely new model that shares nothing with the older bike and in the process reminded the world what they can do. To improve an already excellent bike is hard work, but BMW has done it, and not by a fraction but by a significant step, one that will send current GS owners scrambling to the BMW showroom and owners of other brands questioning if they should, too. MCIA Secured gives motorcycles a rating out of five stars (three stars for bikes of 125cc or less), based on the following being fitted to a new bike as standard: In short, this uses the radar sensor to anticipate potentially dangerous situations ahead even when the cruise control isn’t engaged, and can alert the rider, then even apply the brakes, in an attempt to avoid a crash or at least reduce its severity. The third element is Lane Change Warning, which uses a rear-facing radar to monitor traffic approaching from behind, and warn a rider if vehicles are travelling closely, or approaching at speed. Stage 1 Care and Ride assessments can be taken at any BHS Approved Riding School and also be booked via the Education Team on one of our pre-arranged assessment days:

Standard equipment also includes a new lighting system, with indicators built into handguards, and a brand-new LED headlight that’s certain to split opinion. Where every GS since the 1150 has used an asymmetric, two-light face that’s become synonymous with the model, the 1300 boldly switches to a brand-new X-shaped unit. Despite the wealth of bigger numbers, not everything has gone up in size. BMW say this is a more compact Boxer engine than before, thanks to moving the six-speed gearbox from behind the engine to a new location underneath it. This means the motor is shorter and better balanced – in fact, the engine alone is now 3.9kg lighter, while the weight savings increase to 6.5kg across the whole powertrain. Leaving the hotel, I opted for Eco and enjoyed watching the Eco icon on the top right of the screen informing how economically I was riding. (Not especially as it turns out.) However, it didn’t take long before I dialled up Road mode, and that's when I encountered the noticeable jump in performance from the old bike to the new. Thankfully we soon left the hell of holiday traffic behind and headed for the deserted hills. BMW have designed the electronic Dynamic Suspension Adjustment (DSA) to give a comfortable, smooth ride and it certainly does that. In Road mode the ride is outstandingly comfortable, on the verge of soft and wallowing at times, but always miraculously controlled too. There’s more suspension movement, and you can feel the EVO Paralever and EVO Telelever suspension working their magic, constantly reacting to the poorly paved Spanish roads.Despite making the new Boxer unit massively oversquare and upping peak power by a claimed 11bhp, you don’t have to chase the revs. The R 13 drives very much like the older bike –it certainly sounds like the old bike –but does so with more of everything. There is a now a deeply satisfying spread of torque from as low as 3000rpm, and I found myself accelerating briskly out of sleepy Spanish villages in high gear with effortless laziness.

You feel the difference between the old 1250 and new 1300 as soon as you throw a leg over the new seat. For a vertically-challenged rider like me, it is much more accessible, especially as a flatter and smaller (by one litre) fuel tank makes the bike instantly more manageable.We have developed our assessment model for Stage 4 Senior Management to allow candidates to be assessed via video call. An assessment centre is not required and the assessment will be arranged by the BHS. DSA moves electronic suspension on to the next level by not only offering the ability to adjust front and rear damping in real time, but now also being able to change spring rate too. We’ve covered the system in detail before, so for more information on how it works, have a read here .

The first is Active Cruise Control (ACC) – which uses a forwards-facing radar to adjust the bike’s cruising speed to maintain a safe distance to the vehicle in front. On top of this is a new Front Collision Warning (FCW) system, which you can read more about here . On the road, we had the standard Eco, Rain and Road riding modes, plus the optional Dynamic/Pro, which optimises the rider aids, suspension, and power characteristics to the moment. MCIA Secured gives bike buyers the chance to see just how much work a manufacturer has put into making their new investment as resistant to theft as possible. Shorter, lighter, more powerful and gruntier across the revs – on paper, it certainly looks like BMW have done an impressively complete job of the most significant Boxer reinvention in more than a decade.Ladies and gentlemen, welcome to the biggest shakeup in the 40-plus-year history of BMW’s beloved GS legacy. The all-new R 1300 GS – and by ‘all-new’, we really do mean every single component on the bike – is more powerful, torquier, lighter and more sophisticated than the R 1250 GS it takes over from. The R 1300 GS is a true, literal, clean-sheet design: a totally redesigned engine, in a completely new chassis, featuring technology that’s never been seen on any production road bike before . And, perhaps most controversially, there’s also a dramatically different look from nose to tail. I rode the old 1250 GS recently and didn’t think it needed to be improved one jot. But the game moves on and with the new R 1300 BMW has improved the GS in every way. Watch out; the stampede to BMW showrooms is going to be alarming. BHS Qualifications (BHSQ) is an awarding organisation recognised and regulated by the Office of the Qualifications and Examinations Regulator (Ofqual) in England, SQA Accreditation in Scotland, Qualifications Wales (QW) and the Council for the Curriculum, Examinations and Assessment (CCEA) in Northern Ireland. BHSQ works in partnership with a variety of organisations to develop and award qualifications for the equestrian industry. This ensures BHSQ qualifications are fit for purpose for the sector. As the awarding organisation, BHSQ is responsible for the processes which learners undertake to obtain certification. BHSQ is responsible for verifying that assessment practice in approved centres is conducted systematically, effectively, securely and to national standards specified within the qualification.