Written By SHERMAN HALE NAZARETH Images by Dattaraj Bodke, Elvio Coelho & BMW Motorrad India
The F 450 GS is BMW Motorrad’s attempt to redeem itself in the budget adventure world. BMW’s have a reputation for setting the standard in shrinking continents. It has, of course, been credited with officially crafting the first ever adventure motorcycle available to the public, the R80 G/S, back in 1980. And since then it’s been a hell of a ride with all the subsequent adventure models to leave BMW’s stables, including the ever-so iconic R 1200 GS.
Back in the 90s BMW released the F650 Funduro; essentially a budget adventure bike to appeal to the masses. But it was built to BMW’s classic standard of solid build quality and reliability. Even though it was initially made in Italy at the Aprilia factory, with bits from the Aprilia Pegaso chassis and a Rotax engine from Austria. Confusion be thy name! I would know, I own one.
Then in July 2018, BMW tried to recreate its budget adventure bike through a tie up with TVS. Enter the G 310 GS. A most confusing machine if there ever was one. There seems to be a pattern forming here. The 310 GS did not hold the GS lineage true in any form except for its price tag and service costs. Even a drop in pricing could not be its saving grace. But badge loyalty ensured that there were enough takers for it. Thankfully it was discontinued in 2025.
With the 2026 F 450 GS, BMW Motorrad seemed to have really upped their game. Built at the TVS factory in Hosur, Tamil Nadu, styling now stays true to the flagship GS, the 1300. Even the build quality feels really solid now. Of course, it doesn’t hurt to have that all familiar BMW TFT-dash sitting pretty in front of you.
India gets three variants, the Base, Exclusive and GS Trophy. We don’t get the Sport variant that’s available internationally, though. I won’t get into the nitty-gritty of the bike’s details because those have already been out for a while and the European and American journalists have already ridden it. What I will do, though, is get into how this bike feels to ride in our Indian conditions.
Luckily for me, I was part of BMW India’s internal shoot for their own content and B-roll before the bike launched. So I’ve spent two whole days pottering about Goa in the sweltering summer heat. It definitely didn’t help that I had to wear BMW’s winter touring jacket. But onto the star of the show.
First impressions? It’s a massive step up from the old G310 GS. The engine feels noticeably punchier and far more refined than the single-cylinder unit it replaces. The all new 420cc engine has a very well distributed range of torque thanks to its 135- degree firing order instead of the conventional 270-degrees that most of the twins today use. So it isn’t just for the raspy exhaust note, which isn’t too bad either.
While the engine is buttery smooth at low revs, it gets a bit buzzy past 6000rpm. But the bike does move, and how. Power delivery isn’t abrupt or intimidating. Get on the throttle and the steady pull has a very solid feel to it. It’s got a sporty responsiveness in the mid range, which is where most of the real world riding happens anyway.
Of course the 450 GS comes with BMW’s full electronic suite that everyone’s already familiar with. Which in my opinion is a bit of overkill for a 420cc motor. I found myself just keeping the bike in Enduro Pro mode all through my time riding it. The less intrusion the better, right? With ABS Pro, traction control, riding modes, heated grips, adjustable levers, travel-dependent damping, and a 6.5-inch TFT screen, the F 450 GS doesn’t seem underappreciated even in base trim. All of it is unmistakably BMW, it’s just been reduced in size to make it more approachable and affordable.
The two days I spent riding the Exclusive were perfectly fun. The fact that it had a conventional clutch was one of the reasons I preferred it over the Trophy. When I did finally get onto the Trophy, it took a little while to get used to the Easy Ride Clutch (ERC). The only time you’ll ever need the clutch is to start the bike in first gear. Beyond that the lever is just a decorative accessory. You won’t even need it when pulling away from a standstill. Working the gearbox, the quickshifter does a good job and still holds that all familiar shift clunk you’d find on the bigger 1300 GS. It isn’t as smooth as the quickshifters you’d find on the new KTM 390 lot.
While the auto-clutch is a great failsafe for newer riders just getting their off-road chops, the fact that power starts to kick in only at around 2600rpm means the revs are already pretty high when they do. At 2800rpm, the auto clutch disengages fully. But the transition is fairly smooth depending on the kind of throttle input you give it. Of course, the issue with it is the gear doesn’t hold when you need to stall the bike on inclines in case you get stuck. I suppose a hill-hold feature should really be introduced here. Not really a deal breaker per-se but something the more adventurous riders are definitely going to be looking for.
The overall build quality of the bike is definitely to BMW’s standard and things weren’t rattling around after 2 days of really aggressive riding for the shoot. The bike feels nimble on the road and off it but off-road the tyres are a bit of a let down. Unfortunately, here in India we don’t get the Metzeler Karoo 4s that the international spec 450 GS’ get. We get the Maxxis Maxxplore instead. Decent on the road but not so great off it.
The178kg kerb weight is pretty well distributed and you don’t really feel the heft of the bike unless you’re attempting some technical, low speed off-road maneuvers. Despite being on the stiffer side at its softest setting, suspension travel at 180mm is pretty decent and you’re going to have to really be pushing it to bottom this one out. It does have a pretty healthy ground clearance of 220mm.
Comfort and ergonomics are classic BMW GS standard. The seat is well padded and the rider triangle is fairly neutral. An entire day in the saddle and I wasn’t overly fatigued despite the unforgiving weather. I did set the handlebar a bit forward to a more neutral and off-road friendly position and repositioned the gear and brake foot-levers for the MX boots I was wearing.
BMW has definitely hit the mark with the F 450 GS in terms of the true GS DNA tricking down to this smaller model. Something that definitely wasn’t the case with the 310 GS. If long distance touring is your thing, then this bike’s definitely going to tick a lot of boxes for you. It won’t shy away from a bit of light off-road either. Although, you may want to opt for BMW’s larger windscreen to keep fatigue at bay.
The launch price for the Base variant is ₹ 4.70 lakh, the Exclusive comes in at ₹ 4.90 lakh and the GS Trophy is ₹ 5.30 lakh (All prices are Ex-showroom), which isn’t too bad in this day and age for a 420cc twin.
While the 450 GS is a great all-round bike that’s really rider friendly and definitely geared to get you out on your next adventure, one aspect that will really define the ownership experience is going to be the cost of service and spares. The customer experience soured with the 310 GS, hopefully the 450 heads off in a different, better trajectory.
