Those changes in detail...

All 2017’s bikes in the range feature a catalytic converter, judder damper on the transmission output shaft and reworked transmission. The modifications for Euro 4 add approximately six kilograms, but the biggest change to the way the bike rides is the revised gearbox. There’s always been a heavy clunk when going into first gear from neutral – call it a character trait of the GS – but it’s softened by this year’s updates, if not as slick as that of a Japanese four-cylinder.

The other noticeable change, and one that’s been present since 2015, is that both the GS and GSA get the heavier flywheel that the GSA originally came with. The lighter flywheel of the original GS made it quicker to rev but also easier to stall. The heavier flywheel seems that bit doughier to get moving, but it does have a bit more chug for slow speed manoeuvring. Out of the blocks and onto the winding roads of the Algarve, the current bike feels like my own 2014 model GS, but with a mechanical polish. Slicker, smoother, less clunky in the gearbox, but that same usable spread of power, easy to ride, well balanced and deceptively light once moving.

Despite the Karoo 3 dual-sport tyres (depending on production cycle the bike can also come with Continental TKC80s) it handles well; flat, stable and with those wide bars easy to pitch into corners. The rubber offers good grip but is noisier than I remember; as noisy in fact as the Michelin Anakee Wilds. The Michelins are even more off-road biased, last longer than the Karoo 3s and the Continental TKC80s, and would be the tyres I would fit if I really was wanting to go off-road on a GS, especially in mud. Alternatively, a Heidenau K60 is a ‘better’ road tyre than the three mentioned, and still offers a bit of visual off-road flare, as well as much longer wear rates.