Intro: Against the grain
Quite simply, the most powerful roadster on the market. We have to ask just what bug bit the designers at BMW to provoke them to launch this bike, as it goes completely against current market trends. The marque known for attracting forty-something is sending out to dealers a bike that was completely unexpected. A villainous four cylinder machine that is completely irrational.
Esthetique: A DESIGN APART
This is far from being a mild copy of an Italian or Japanese design. G+BMW is once again setting itself apart through its unique sense of style.
It is difficult to know how to describe it really. The K1200R is huge and distorted. It has a number of surprising features like the lights, the stepped saddle and the brake light built in to the rear end.
It’s a feeling that is heightened by the design of the body panels. BMW is typically timid and afraid of showing its inner working, but in this case all is exposed. There are even two different colour choices for the engine!
Motorization: Performance and efficiency
This is the first four-cylinder sports engine from BMW. Borrowed from the K1200S, it lacks nothing on the road up against its Japanese counterparts. 11.2mkg of torque at 8250rpm. The K1200R can accelerate from 0-60mph in 2.8 seconds. The four cylinder engine is at its best at around 8000rpm, and unrestricted, it can unleash a total of 163hp, which could just be very dangerous for your license!
On the road: A roadster unlike any other
In its advertising campaign, BMW is playing the macho card. And that is certainly a feeling that is reinforced in the first few miles of riding. The sporty riding position, and the pressure it puts on the wrists, soon becomes tiring for the forearms. Although the mini wind-deflector is actually surprisingly effective.
But more than the riding position, it is the power that brings out the machismo in this bike.
The dry weight of the 1200R is 211kg, so it takes some stopping. It features the classic Brembo combination: two 320mm discs stopped by four piston callipers.Supplemented by the sport ABS, we found it to be more effective than previous versions and we can safely say that it is a braking system fit for a bike of this kind.
Because BMW always has to be different, we find its duolever and paralever suspension on this bike. It doesn’t dip and the handling through fast bends is exemplary, even on very bumpy surfaces.
With a roadster that is both sporty and full of character, BMW is already hot on the heels of the Japanese manufacturers. This is an attack on the likes of the KTM Superduke and the Benelli TNT. And it has the added benefit of BMW features and technology. The price is also very BMW-esque, at just under £10,000. We like the sheer brutality the K1200R, and its simple efficacy. The raw power of this bike makes it a beast of a machine. Its style, on the other hand, makes it something of a beauty.
International
