The document summarizes the BMW R1200S sports bike. It describes the bike as BMW's most powerful boxer twin engine yet, producing 122hp. The R1200S addresses criticisms of BMW bikes not being powerful enough sports bikes. It has a reworked 1170cc engine and other performance upgrades. The bike handles well and is stable yet more nimble than previous BMWs. While not as focused on touring, it can handle long distances reasonably well due to its comfortable ergonomics and large fuel tank. The R1200S provides a powerful German alternative to Japanese and Italian sports bikes.

1. R11S was left out in the
cold, even getting passed
over for the 1150 engine
update. Was there
salvation for the R11S?
Was the model about to
be shelved and BMW
forget about competing
in the rarified
atmosphere of sporting
twins?
Fear not BMW sportsbike
fans, the R1200S is here
to make matters right.
This is BMW's most
powerful boxer yet and it
comes in a set of sporty
clothes. It claims to
produce 122hp @ 8250
rpm and 83 lb-ft of
torque. The engine is
based on the 1170 engine
and boasts many tricks to
get those performance
figures. A modified
cylinder head design,
higher 12.5:1 compression,
larger 52mm throttle
bodies, 5mm larger
exhaust headers and a
The first thing that comes
to mind when thinking
about BMW motorcycles
are touring, flat twins and
a classy but staid image.
Not a good thing for the
die-hard, dyed-in-the-
wool BMW fanatic who
also happens to be a
sportsbike fan. The BMW
car fans on the other
hand never had any
problems like this. The
BMW M3 and M5 are
considered to be among
the best cars in their
class. Not so the bikes.
The closest BMW has got
to a proper rip-roaring
sportsbike was the R1100S
in 1998. The best of that
series was the BoxerCup
but it shared the 98
horsepower engine and
weight as the other
R1100s. Sadly it was
overshadowed in a world
of 916s, VTR1000s and
other hard hitting twins.
For seven long years the
BMW R1200 S
Ride Impression
NEW WHEELS
Text by Amir Hamzah
Photos by Capt Nik Huzlan
000 msportbike msportbike 000

2. higher 8800 rpm redline
do the job well. How well?
How about a claimed 0 to
60 mph in 3.15 seconds?
That's sportsbike
territory. The rest of the
engine is brought over
including the 6 speed
gearbox and clutch.
The surge that comes
past 7000 rpm is
confirmation of this
boxers' sportsbike tag.
Where the older BMW
boxers start to run out of
steam, the R12S starts
coming alive with little or
no detriment to the lower
end and mid-range power.
The extra 24 hp the new
engine produces will pull
hard all the way to
redline. As usual for
twins, corner exit drive is
excellent, with traction
aplenty. Top speed is
definitely higher than the
older model, around 250
km/h indicated, so we've
heard.
Weight is reduced
wherever possible. The
sportiest boxer ever
weighs in at 195 kgs, 13
kgs less than the
outgoing elder brother.
The fact that the front
fairing brackets are made
from magnesium shows
how serious BMW is about
weight saving. Even the
brake booster was
omitted in their efforts to
lose the fat. The EVO
Paralever is lighter that
the previous design and
the larger front discs are
thinner to avoid weight
gain. How to lose more
weight? Bin the standard
exhaust silencer for the
titanium/carbon fibre
Akrapovic version. The
sound alone is worth the
entry fee, believe us.
Suspension components
are regular BMW Telelever
front and EVO Paralever
at the rear. The test unit
came with the optional
Ohlins suspension at both
ends. No suspension
tweaking was necessary
wet or dry, highway or
twisties. The Ohlins
suspension is fully
adjustable front and rear
for compression and
rebound damping as well
as ride height. During the
update from R11S to R12S,
the rake was steepened
to 24 degrees from 25
degrees and trail reduced
to 87mm from 100mm.
Wheelbase is 58.5 inches.
A typical tyre setup
graces the bike, a 120/70-
17 up front and a 180/55-
17 at the rear. Our bike
was shod with Metzeler
Sportec M-1s.
Which brings us to the
handling. The rake and
trail figures tell the story.
The new R12S turns in
much faster than the R11.
Stability is still a strong
point and the top-notch
Dutch suspension does a
sterling job of keeping
the wheels in contact
with the road. The
steering damper is hardly
necessary but still this
model is the liveliest of
all the boxer twins.
Feedback from the tyres
and chassis is excellent.
Initial turn-in is heavier
than, say a GSX-R K5 or
CBR1000, and some effort
in countersteering is
necessary for fast
transitions but once on a
chosen line, the neutral
stability makes up for it.
A little tweaking to the
ride heights should
change the initial heavy
turn-in. Changing line
mid-corner is easy and
precise. It's easy to forget
that it has unconventional
front suspension, so good
is the Telelever design
but once you hit the
brakes, the lack of dive
will remind you as well as
help you. So, forget
diving up the inside of
that fast flicking
Japanese superbike, go
round the outside in the
bumpiest corner...
So it goes and handles
like a sportsbike but will
it tour? Up to a point it
will go long distances but
it's obvious BMW gave
little thought to touring
when it built this bike. For
one thing, the windscreen
is a little bit too low for
touring. Above the legal
limit, the windblast is the
limiting factor, hmmm,
just like any other
sportsbike. A certain
amount of vibration
coming through the clip-
ons doesn't help the
touring possibilities
either. The vibration only
intrudes at higher rpm
levels. The sporty riding
position is fairly
comfortable and the big
tank is a nice chest rest
in a tucked in position.
The well designed seat is
plenty comfortable for a
whole tank of petrol.
However, luggage
capacity is limited to
whatever you can strap
on to the bike. There's a
whole raft of options on
the BMW Motorrad
catalogue but it's much
better to get the LT for
those long jaunts...
Speaking of options, the
aforementioned
Akrapovic exhaust and
Ohlins suspension are
listed, as well as a wider
6 inch rear wheel for a
190 tyre, anti-theft alarm,
heated grips, tank bag
and rear soft bags but no
hard luggage is offered.
Get the picture yet? It's a
sportsbike alright.
A sportsbike that has an
anti-lock braking system?
The ABS comes as
standard equipment.
Without the brake
booster, it's 3 kgs lighter
but the real bonus is that
it doesn't intrude in
sportriding mode. In fact,
it feels just like a great
set of unassisted, non
ABS brakes. That's a good
thing. It's also switchable
but the we never felt the
need to switch it off.
Looks-wise, the R12S
keeps the family
resemblance to the older
R11S. But subtle tweaking
has it looking more hard
edged. We particularly
like the new wheel
design, the side mirrors
(with indicators faired-in)
and the little windscreen
blister. The new
instrument panel is
definitely better looking,
with white faced dials
and gauges for engine
temperature, gear
position, two tripmeters,
odometer, fuel reserve
and clock. Yes, fuel
reserve. This boxer
doesn't have the usual
vertical bars for
indicating fuel, just a
light and warning that
you are on reserve. The
intensity of the panel
lights adjust
automatically to ambient
light. Cool!
What about the rest of it?
The assymetrical
headlight and 18 LED
taillight are bright and
beautiful. The seat height
is much lower than the
R11S, lessening the
chances of a humiliating
traffic light incident.
In conclusion the R12S is
BMW's best shot at
convincing owners of
Japanese and Italian
sportsbikes that a
German alternative is a
viable alternative. Forget
the size and weight, this
German hotshot will take
other sports twins on and
have a fighting chance of
coming out on top. Erm,
any chance of getting
one for the MotoGP round
of the Malaysian Super
Series? Purely for testing
purposes, of course.
Please?
The R12S is available in
Black, White Aluminium,
or Yellow from BMW
Malaysia or Auto Bavaria.
Priced at MYR88,000 OTR
(w/o Insurance)
I wrote that by the way, and I rode that too.
Raw 122 Horsepower or 110 Brake Horsepower is too much
for me don'tcha think? I asked BMW. - Answer was, "Nah…..
unless you prefer the K1200S?"
My first jump from anything less than 100HP was nerve-
wrecking to say the least. Reassuringly asking again
"……will this be anything like the F800S?....."
I did not get a reply.
It looked uncannily larger than life but perception aside, the
830mm of seat height framed to my size and sat extreme
comfortably on the ergonomic triangle seat - made slimmer
to the front making it so much easier to touch ground.
After having ridden the F800 series with the clarity of the
instrument panel, I was familiar with the similar electronic
display sitting next to the tachometer and below the rev
counter. The computer offered mileage, oil temperature,
range, time and gear in use, but the fuel level was not visible
though. Strange.
A larger bike meant a further ride. Great excuse for an
impromptu play at a ground further away from KL.
The North South Expressway provided an approx. 200kms of
wide open road, exiting Simpang Pulai in direction of
Cameron Highlands, followed by some 70kms of non-stop
winding road fitted perfectly.
Touching junctions I knew I had the advantage of the
retrofitted Akrapovic undertail exhausts. Never knew riding
a twin that hits the mark could be so effortless. But then
with its weight optimized large frame, I was glad to find it
full of grunt and it led to an extremely stable ride within any
speed zone.
It's a dominating machine. Motorists favour it. At constant
speed (faster) for a straight 200km distance at one go is
easy.
I found it to be a unique style for ease of ride, friendly with
rider position, though the pegs were placed slightly higher
than my usual liking as on several occasions I had my legs
stretched or my head rested on the tank. Which made me
realized that the freedom to move on this bike was
unbelievable.
I could at least call myself a talent for trying wonderful
engineering.
000 msportbike
NEW WHEELS
Talented Auds riding the
Beemer R1200S……
BMW R1200 S
RIDE IMPRESSION
Text by Auds
Photo by Odie The Dog