We’ll try not to confuse the matter any more than BMW already has, but the 2013 F700GS the company just announced does not have a 700cc engine, just as its predecessor, the F650GS, did not have a 650cc motor. BMW has stuck to its guns and continued the strange protocol of giving this lower-performance version of the F800GS a model designation that has nothing to do with its engine displacement. The F700GS actually has the same 798cc parallel-Twin engine as the 800 (and the 650) but tuned to better serve the entry-level market.
Those tuning changes reduce peak horsepower output from a claimed 85 on the F800GS to 75 on the F700GS. And it appears that the only change to the drivetrain is a shorter final-drive ratio for improved acceleration.
But big changes come in the form of available features. ABS with a twin-disc setup up front is now standard, and both Electronic Suspension Adjustment (ESA) and Automatic Stability Control (ASC, BMW-speak for traction control) are optional on this bottom-of-the-line middleweight for the first time.
Other alternative choices intended to attract entry-level and female riders include a low accessory seat that reduces height from the standard 32.3 to 31.1 in., along with a lower suspension option that will bring the seat height all the way down to 30.1 in. Updates to the windshield and dash, and the addition of Euro-style smoke-tinted turnsignals, are all part of this bike’s package.
The 700 is available in three colors: Red Apple metallic, Masculine Ostra Grey metallic matte and Dynamic Glacier Silver metallic. No word, though, if all three will be available in our market.
Pricing for the U.S. hasn’t been released, but BMW predicts that bikes should start arriving in dealerships this fall, possibly even as early as September.
