Tweet
R1200R.
Name a naked bike that goes fast, really fast, has enough torque that leaves Volvo trucks gasping for breath and if it drives past you, it has the unmistakable rumble of a twin. I can see the names coming in thick and fast. I will narrow the choices for you… it sports the longest-surviving engine type in motorcycling history and the most robust in motorcycling manufacturing. When one uses attributes like “longest-surviving” and robust, most thought processes of bikers become unidirectional and the mind wanders towards a mythical region called Bavaria!
Yes we are talking about BMW motorcycles. We have already reviewed several BMW motorcycles prior to this one in India and in the Indian context, notably the S1000RR, the K1300R and the K1300S. We have also ridden the GS Adventure in the Alps during the BMW Motorrad Days in 2011. But this time we are talking not about inline fours or inline six. We are talking about the BMW legendary Boxer twin that we find in their GS models. And this time we are talking about the Boxer twin in a naked street Roadster, the R1200R.
The Conception.
This bike first saw the light of day some 6 years ago. And by the time it matured over international markets, it’s more powerful elder sister was gradually phased out, unfortunately; the HP2 Sport, which was an exercise by BMW to showcase the world that given a free reign, they can make a traditional Boxer engine an outright track monster, producing 130Bhp a decade ago! But then attention and focus shifted to this newer baby. It evolved over time and became a winning tourer for the not so tall guys who wanted a more sporty feel and were not quite at ease with the GS but wanted a BMW nonetheless. The R1200R fitted the profile perfectly. The HP never really fitted. It was a brilliant motorcycle, but it was the equivalent of an “R” bike.
And by the time R1200R landed on Indian shores recently, it has had one makeover; both cosmetic and in the combustion area. I had ridden one of these last year in 2011 once in France, in quite chilly conditions. And I had always wondered what would it be like to ride this bike in India, in the heart of New Delhi, in the middle of summer, in the midst of honking choked up streets? And I was experiencing just that!
The Ride.
I was stuck in a massive traffic bottleneck at South-Extension, inching forward for over half an hour in chock-a-bloc traffic. Yes, I was sweating under the lid. But not as much as I expected. This is the fun of air-cooled engines. Under normal conditions, had I been on a liquid-cooled “R” bike, by now, I would looked like marinated and roasted broiler chicken. However the temperature gauge showed normal heating. The heat emanating from the bike felt as normal as my single-mill Bajaj Pulsar 220! And I was just sweating from the sun. I believe I would have been feeling as hot had I been walking on the footpath!
I kept the bike for a couple of days and I did a good 200kms with the machine and some as pillion and some with a pillion to get an all around experience. Early in the morning I went for a spin out on the highway. As expected from the Boxer engine, the bike is quite punchy and is a lot of fun to ride in the city. And since this bike does not sport a fairing, not even a bikini, from a distance it may look nondescript to the non-discerning eye. And when I rushed past your regular Bajaj Discover or Karizma rider, he gets miffed at being jumped. Though, that was not at all my intention. And when I stop at a red light, the curious Karizma rider draws up close and suddenly the R1200R starts to loom large. It is not that nondescript after all. The tank sits twice as large. So does the seat. The tyres are massive too, 180/55 at the rear and 120/70 in front. The console looks pretty impressive too with two large round dials each for the speed and the tach and a central console for various computer aided data like gear indicator, Real TimeMileage, Fuel Range, Pressure, rear shock preload and a host of other calculations that would take the user a week to learn and master, let alone someone peeping from the side at a red light! And then the eyes of the voyeur rover around those engine heads that protrude laterally out of the motorcycle, causing a major curiosity in our country. Damn! He has a motorcycle that has an engine lying down… on either side! And then the light turns green. And the rest is history etched in dust and tarmac!
And as I streaked across the freshly laid tarmac and totally empty roads, the bike shot past the 200kmph mark with effortless ease on 5th and I still had a gear left! I did not want to push any further taking into consideration safety hazards of riding fast in our country. Surprisingly, despite the total lack of fairing, I could not feel much of a wind blast till about 200kmph. I was crouching for sure. But it still made me wonder at the kind of aerodynamics that has gone into the making of this particular machine. More importantly, what was BMW thinking when they were going about on the drawing boards to design the R1200R. However, while I sat behind, as pillion, I started feeling the blast of air just as the bike went beyond 170kmph, which is totally understandable.
The Suspension.
The BMW proprietary telelever suspension with the engine hung from the front telelever and the rear weight saving steel tubing subframe and the single sided swingarm cum main shaft drive make for an excellently nimble vehicle, be it through traffic or around the corners. And I could feel the bike hugging around the 140kmph corner that I took with metal screeching against tarmac. I could never believe that a Roadster with a Boxer twin could corner the way the R1200R did. Or even find its winding way through traffic like a regular 125cc commuter. And the rear suspension preload is adjustable electronically on the fly! Were you to pick up a hot hitchhiker (unlikely in India) you could adjust the preload at the touch of a button.
Seating
Is the seating comfortable? What an embarrassing question. It has a seat that would take you from here to the moon and back without getting sore bums! Just short of sofa like comfort, the seat design moulds around the rear end of the rider like memory foam and you wouldn’t want to get off even while the bike is stationary and resting on its central stand!
And the pillion seat is actually one size fits all! And since pillions come in all sizes and shapes, the R1200R takes care of all of them. Even my pillion did not want to get off! The rear grab rail is aesthetic and highly functional, effectively keeping the pillion in place during Torque testing!
The Heart.
The R1200R growls out a meaty 120Nm of torque 6000rpm, that is more than my R1 and at nearly half the revs which accounts for the robust start off the blocks and a very sporty 110bhp at 8000 going red at 500 more. All of this has been part of the makeover since the original model introduced 6 years ago. A substantial increase in power and torque. There is enough power to the rider to keep going through the day cruising at relatively high speeds at no engine or rider fatigue. For people who say the R1200R does not have enough acceleration, they are wrong. If you whack open the throttle, the Boxer pulls at your arms and will melt your beer belly if keep at it all day! And what is fun with the power delivery, you can barely make out the difference whether you are riding solo or with luggage and pillion behind. It pulls equally hard. There is enough torque churning out from the machine to keep that smile going till way beyond sunset!
Usability.
And riding at night, this bike has headlights powerful enough to put most Indian cars to shame! That unassuming headlight that you see perched at the end of your handlebars, yes those are handlebars and not clip-ons, throw a beam of light bright enough and far enough taking ample care of the safety of the rider both in terms of riding visibility and biker presence on the road visibility. In a country like India, it is important to have powerful headlamps to announce to other users of the road that you also exist! If you see a really powerful headlight approaching really fast in your Rear View Mirror with the grunting sound of deep throated flat twin, expect the BMW R1200R to rush past you.
The R1200R comes with a lot of add-on options; partial integral ABS, the “partial integral” part is a BMW proprietary feature that is best explained hands-on, if you come, I can show it to you how it works, the ASC, Automatic Stability Control, a feature that can be quite useful in rain, mud, slush, black ice, gravel, sand, etc… Electronic Suspension Adjust on the fly at the rear. For a Lac extra, I personally believe that all these extras make a better package deal greatly enhancing rider and passenger safety which is always something that BMW puts great emphasis on.
Verdict.
I do not need to tell you that R1200R is not an outright sports track bike. BMW did not design it to be one. But it can surely behave like one if you want it to. You may decide one fine day to take it out to track and I am convinced that you would not be disappointed. The Metzeler tyres, despite being fresh (and cold) did excellent duty, equally on straights when I twisted the throttle open as well as around the bends. And when you are finished with the track, you can actually go around the whole country, we have quite a large one with lots of places to visit, and the R1200R will be only too glad to munch 1000kms a day on Indian roads, that is saying a lot, and it can do that forever… for a million kms maybe, give or take a few thousand! Coming to the eternal Indian question; fuel efficiency… I have noticed that BMW motorcycles have quite stunning fuel economy. I did over 200 kms of mixed riding, city and highways, during the two days that I had the bike with me and it consumed less than 10 litres of gas to do that!
So is this a touring bike? The bike comes with touring options; BMW touring panniers and topcase. It can be a very comfortable and ideal long distance tourer. The Boxer twin reliability is legendary. It will start even after a million kms, no matter the altitude, the atmospheric conditions, the road conditions, poor fuel quality, be it at sea level or at 6000mts. It has been proven. The final drive shaft needs servicing only every 100,000kms. That is more than what most cars in India last! This bike delivers more than enough torque that one would ever require for any given circumstances in real life for the kind of purpose it is designed. It has ample power, for all purposes; for street, for regular commuting and for highway cruising. And at 15L INR, I think it is a fairly good deal. After all it is a BMW. That name stands for reliability and we are familiar with their high standards and quality. As they say, “The Ultimate Riding Machine!”
Photo by Kunal Rajput
Text and Photos: Ken (Krishnendu Kes), unless otherwise mentioned.
Special thanks to Deutsche Motoren.
Tech Specs
Engine:
Type: Air & Oil Cooled, Flat twin (Boxer), 4st, Single Cam, 4V/Cyl.
Capacity: 1170CC, Bore x stroke 101 mm x 73 mm
Power: 110Bhp @ 7750 (Red line @ 8500)
Torque: 120Nm @ 6000
Compression ratio: 12.0:1
Emission control Closed-loop 3-way catalytic converter, emission standard EU-3
Mixture control / engine management Electronic intake pipe injection/BMS-K digital engine management with overrun fuel cut-off, twin-spark ignition
Transmission:
Clutch Single dry plate clutch, hydraulically operated
Gearbox Constant mesh 6-speed gearbox with helical gear teeth
Shaft drive
Dimensions:
Length: 2145mm Width: 872mm Height: 1285mm
Seat height: High: 830mm. Low: 770mm
Dry Weight: 198Kgs.
Payload: 227Kgs (With Equipment)
Usable tank volume: 18Litres.
Text and Photos: Ken (Krishnendu Kes)
Name a naked bike that goes fast, really fast, has enough torque that leaves Volvo trucks gasping for breath and if it drives past you, it has the unmistakable rumble of a twin. I can see the names coming in thick and fast. I will narrow the choices for you… it sports the longest-surviving engine type in motorcycling history and the most robust in motorcycling manufacturing. When one uses attributes like “longest-surviving” and robust, most thought processes of bikers become unidirectional and the mind wanders towards a mythical region called Bavaria!
Yes we are talking about BMW motorcycles. We have already reviewed several BMW motorcycles prior to this one in India and in the Indian context, notably the S1000RR, the K1300R and the K1300S. We have also ridden the GS Adventure in the Alps during the BMW Motorrad Days in 2011. But this time we are talking not about inline fours or inline six. We are talking about the BMW legendary Boxer twin that we find in their GS models. And this time we are talking about the Boxer twin in a naked street Roadster, the R1200R.
The Conception.
This bike first saw the light of day some 6 years ago. And by the time it matured over international markets, it’s more powerful elder sister was gradually phased out, unfortunately; the HP2 Sport, which was an exercise by BMW to showcase the world that given a free reign, they can make a traditional Boxer engine an outright track monster, producing 130Bhp a decade ago! But then attention and focus shifted to this newer baby. It evolved over time and became a winning tourer for the not so tall guys who wanted a more sporty feel and were not quite at ease with the GS but wanted a BMW nonetheless. The R1200R fitted the profile perfectly. The HP never really fitted. It was a brilliant motorcycle, but it was the equivalent of an “R” bike.
And by the time R1200R landed on Indian shores recently, it has had one makeover; both cosmetic and in the combustion area. I had ridden one of these last year in 2011 once in France, in quite chilly conditions. And I had always wondered what would it be like to ride this bike in India, in the heart of New Delhi, in the middle of summer, in the midst of honking choked up streets? And I was experiencing just that!
The Ride.
I was stuck in a massive traffic bottleneck at South-Extension, inching forward for over half an hour in chock-a-bloc traffic. Yes, I was sweating under the lid. But not as much as I expected. This is the fun of air-cooled engines. Under normal conditions, had I been on a liquid-cooled “R” bike, by now, I would looked like marinated and roasted broiler chicken. However the temperature gauge showed normal heating. The heat emanating from the bike felt as normal as my single-mill Bajaj Pulsar 220! And I was just sweating from the sun. I believe I would have been feeling as hot had I been walking on the footpath!
I kept the bike for a couple of days and I did a good 200kms with the machine and some as pillion and some with a pillion to get an all around experience. Early in the morning I went for a spin out on the highway. As expected from the Boxer engine, the bike is quite punchy and is a lot of fun to ride in the city. And since this bike does not sport a fairing, not even a bikini, from a distance it may look nondescript to the non-discerning eye. And when I rushed past your regular Bajaj Discover or Karizma rider, he gets miffed at being jumped. Though, that was not at all my intention. And when I stop at a red light, the curious Karizma rider draws up close and suddenly the R1200R starts to loom large. It is not that nondescript after all. The tank sits twice as large. So does the seat. The tyres are massive too, 180/55 at the rear and 120/70 in front. The console looks pretty impressive too with two large round dials each for the speed and the tach and a central console for various computer aided data like gear indicator, Real TimeMileage, Fuel Range, Pressure, rear shock preload and a host of other calculations that would take the user a week to learn and master, let alone someone peeping from the side at a red light! And then the eyes of the voyeur rover around those engine heads that protrude laterally out of the motorcycle, causing a major curiosity in our country. Damn! He has a motorcycle that has an engine lying down… on either side! And then the light turns green. And the rest is history etched in dust and tarmac!
And as I streaked across the freshly laid tarmac and totally empty roads, the bike shot past the 200kmph mark with effortless ease on 5th and I still had a gear left! I did not want to push any further taking into consideration safety hazards of riding fast in our country. Surprisingly, despite the total lack of fairing, I could not feel much of a wind blast till about 200kmph. I was crouching for sure. But it still made me wonder at the kind of aerodynamics that has gone into the making of this particular machine. More importantly, what was BMW thinking when they were going about on the drawing boards to design the R1200R. However, while I sat behind, as pillion, I started feeling the blast of air just as the bike went beyond 170kmph, which is totally understandable.
The Suspension.
The BMW proprietary telelever suspension with the engine hung from the front telelever and the rear weight saving steel tubing subframe and the single sided swingarm cum main shaft drive make for an excellently nimble vehicle, be it through traffic or around the corners. And I could feel the bike hugging around the 140kmph corner that I took with metal screeching against tarmac. I could never believe that a Roadster with a Boxer twin could corner the way the R1200R did. Or even find its winding way through traffic like a regular 125cc commuter. And the rear suspension preload is adjustable electronically on the fly! Were you to pick up a hot hitchhiker (unlikely in India) you could adjust the preload at the touch of a button.
Seating
Is the seating comfortable? What an embarrassing question. It has a seat that would take you from here to the moon and back without getting sore bums! Just short of sofa like comfort, the seat design moulds around the rear end of the rider like memory foam and you wouldn’t want to get off even while the bike is stationary and resting on its central stand!
And the pillion seat is actually one size fits all! And since pillions come in all sizes and shapes, the R1200R takes care of all of them. Even my pillion did not want to get off! The rear grab rail is aesthetic and highly functional, effectively keeping the pillion in place during Torque testing!
The Heart.
The R1200R growls out a meaty 120Nm of torque 6000rpm, that is more than my R1 and at nearly half the revs which accounts for the robust start off the blocks and a very sporty 110bhp at 8000 going red at 500 more. All of this has been part of the makeover since the original model introduced 6 years ago. A substantial increase in power and torque. There is enough power to the rider to keep going through the day cruising at relatively high speeds at no engine or rider fatigue. For people who say the R1200R does not have enough acceleration, they are wrong. If you whack open the throttle, the Boxer pulls at your arms and will melt your beer belly if keep at it all day! And what is fun with the power delivery, you can barely make out the difference whether you are riding solo or with luggage and pillion behind. It pulls equally hard. There is enough torque churning out from the machine to keep that smile going till way beyond sunset!
Usability.
And riding at night, this bike has headlights powerful enough to put most Indian cars to shame! That unassuming headlight that you see perched at the end of your handlebars, yes those are handlebars and not clip-ons, throw a beam of light bright enough and far enough taking ample care of the safety of the rider both in terms of riding visibility and biker presence on the road visibility. In a country like India, it is important to have powerful headlamps to announce to other users of the road that you also exist! If you see a really powerful headlight approaching really fast in your Rear View Mirror with the grunting sound of deep throated flat twin, expect the BMW R1200R to rush past you.
The R1200R comes with a lot of add-on options; partial integral ABS, the “partial integral” part is a BMW proprietary feature that is best explained hands-on, if you come, I can show it to you how it works, the ASC, Automatic Stability Control, a feature that can be quite useful in rain, mud, slush, black ice, gravel, sand, etc… Electronic Suspension Adjust on the fly at the rear. For a Lac extra, I personally believe that all these extras make a better package deal greatly enhancing rider and passenger safety which is always something that BMW puts great emphasis on.
Verdict.
I do not need to tell you that R1200R is not an outright sports track bike. BMW did not design it to be one. But it can surely behave like one if you want it to. You may decide one fine day to take it out to track and I am convinced that you would not be disappointed. The Metzeler tyres, despite being fresh (and cold) did excellent duty, equally on straights when I twisted the throttle open as well as around the bends. And when you are finished with the track, you can actually go around the whole country, we have quite a large one with lots of places to visit, and the R1200R will be only too glad to munch 1000kms a day on Indian roads, that is saying a lot, and it can do that forever… for a million kms maybe, give or take a few thousand! Coming to the eternal Indian question; fuel efficiency… I have noticed that BMW motorcycles have quite stunning fuel economy. I did over 200 kms of mixed riding, city and highways, during the two days that I had the bike with me and it consumed less than 10 litres of gas to do that!
So is this a touring bike? The bike comes with touring options; BMW touring panniers and topcase. It can be a very comfortable and ideal long distance tourer. The Boxer twin reliability is legendary. It will start even after a million kms, no matter the altitude, the atmospheric conditions, the road conditions, poor fuel quality, be it at sea level or at 6000mts. It has been proven. The final drive shaft needs servicing only every 100,000kms. That is more than what most cars in India last! This bike delivers more than enough torque that one would ever require for any given circumstances in real life for the kind of purpose it is designed. It has ample power, for all purposes; for street, for regular commuting and for highway cruising. And at 15L INR, I think it is a fairly good deal. After all it is a BMW. That name stands for reliability and we are familiar with their high standards and quality. As they say, “The Ultimate Riding Machine!”
Photo by Kunal Rajput
Text and Photos: Ken (Krishnendu Kes), unless otherwise mentioned.
Special thanks to Deutsche Motoren.
Tech Specs
Engine:
Type: Air & Oil Cooled, Flat twin (Boxer), 4st, Single Cam, 4V/Cyl.
Capacity: 1170CC, Bore x stroke 101 mm x 73 mm
Power: 110Bhp @ 7750 (Red line @ 8500)
Torque: 120Nm @ 6000
Compression ratio: 12.0:1
Emission control Closed-loop 3-way catalytic converter, emission standard EU-3
Mixture control / engine management Electronic intake pipe injection/BMS-K digital engine management with overrun fuel cut-off, twin-spark ignition
Transmission:
Clutch Single dry plate clutch, hydraulically operated
Gearbox Constant mesh 6-speed gearbox with helical gear teeth
Shaft drive
Dimensions:
Length: 2145mm Width: 872mm Height: 1285mm
Seat height: High: 830mm. Low: 770mm
Dry Weight: 198Kgs.
Payload: 227Kgs (With Equipment)
Usable tank volume: 18Litres.
Text and Photos: Ken (Krishnendu Kes)
ASADHARON!!!
justice to this.
Comment