All Tests – R1200RS Test: BMW’s big comeback in Sport GT – R1200RS: very “ ST-tick ” road BMW

Posted on by admin

R1200RS test: BMW’s big comeback in Sport GT

All Tests - R1200RS Test: BMW's big comeback in Sport GT - R1200RS: very '' ST-tick '' road BMW

BMW had deserted the sporty road bike segment for nearly ten years, mainly because of the commercial failure of its odd R1200ST. In 2015, the German brand goes back to the niche with a R1200RS … more successful ? Test !

R1200RS: very ” ST-tick ” road BMW

Since the beginning of the 2000s, road motorcycles have lost their appeal in the face of increasingly road and sporty trails, ever more stylish and hairy roadsters, even customs that are better and better equipped and easy to handle..

R1200RS: availability, colors and prices

  • Availability: May 16 in the

  • Colors: blue and gray, or gray and black (+200 €)

  • Price: 14 105 €

Also, the demand for and supply of true not-too-GT-anyway road bikes gradually and proportionately declined, while sales of Grand Touring motorcycles – lead R1200RT and Goldwing – continued to perform wonderfully. well, thank you for them !

Nevertheless, there is still an irreducible portion of motorcyclists eager for machines that are at the same time efficient, aesthetic, comfortable and practical … And it is precisely to this population that BMW is addressing in 2015 with this brand new R1200RS that Site was able to discover at BMW Motorrad France headquarters.

It has been almost ten years since the propeller brand no longer offered such a machine: a powerful and not too heavy motorcycle, quite sporty in appearance but with clearly road skills. In the BMW range until now, customers only had the choice between the "kleine" F800GT and the "gross" R1200RT.

And among the competition, the list of motorcycles that could match their desires was not very long: let us mention mainly the VFR800F and the Z1000SX that MNC had opposed last year in the company of the CBF1000F (read our) and which have passed. around 700 copies each in 2014.

To tackle the small but strong niche of Sport GT motorcycles, BMW has used a well-known recipe: like the Akashi firm in particular, the Berlin plant has decided to dress its maxi-roadster. In this case, the all new R1200R, tested at the very end of last year by the Journal moto du Net (read our).

In short, the head of the communication department who receives us at the headquarters of BMW France prefers to remind us of the points that differentiate the R from "our" RS of the day (read our). From a mechanical point of view, only one modification is notable: "the front wheel axle is slightly advanced on the RS in order to modify the caster and the wheelbase", remarks Sebastien Lorentz.

Thus, the distance between the two wheels increases by 15 mm on the "Reise Sport" (1530 mm) while the caster (whose angle of 27.7 ° is retained) is reduced by 10.8 mm, or 114, 8 mm on the road against 125.6 on the roadster. "The RS is less lively than the R, but it remains manoeuvrable", translated our host.

If at the other end of the fork the handlebars also change, the engine, transmission, brakes, suspensions, frame, reservoir and rear buckle of the R1200R are renewed identically on the R1200RS (see technical sheet on page 3).

To face the road and the elements, the German engineers naturally endowed their RS with a much more successful half-fairing – sporty, convincing, versatile – than the last Sport GT model to date at BMW: the nice one. …

Site doesn’t like to speak ill of motorcycles, but the ST was actually nice! Only two years in the catalog, it is moreover at the origin of the hole today filled by the RS in the BMW range, even though "our customers appreciate this type of machine", analyzes the responsible BMW comm ‘.

In order not to lose face this time, the Germans brought out the heavy artillery, largely inspired by their new generation of Superbikes. As an option – ex works only -, the LED daytime running light housed between the two slightly asymmetrical headlights nevertheless allows the R1200RS to stand out "clearly" from the S1000RR.

For this first 2015 livery, BMW’s new sporty roadster is offered in two colors, or "two variants", even qualifies BMW: that of"Based"supposed to be more sporty is painted in blue and white, its frame and brake calipers are black and its central tank cover is in plastic painted in" Granite "gray. We note in passing that whatever the color chosen, the golden hue of the fork betrays the presence of the electronic system ESA.

In its variant "Style 2", the R1200RS wants to be more classic and discreet by associating two dark shades (black and gray). The frame is then painted in gray and, more curiously, the calipers are anodized gold, the tank cover becomes stainless steel … and a shoe appears under the engine !

The basic version is therefore displayed 240 euros cheaper than the second version on the official BMW Motorrad website: 14,105 €, or only 705 euros more than the "straightforward" R1200R without fairing. The gap is the same with the Z1000SX (€ 13,399), but larger with the Sport GT preferred by French bikers last year: the "small" VFR800F offered at € 12,599 (€ 11,999 currently).

And the price difference increases even more when you want to benefit from traction control on the BMW (standard on the two Japanese), heated grips (original on the Honda) or even the quickshifter (also optional on the VFR).

"The models at your disposal are "full options" but limited to 100 horses of course.", warns us the communication manager and" opener "of convoys of journalists at his leisure. The value of the motorbike that MNC rides on this cool spring morning (10 ° C on the dashboard) therefore reaches 17,455 €.

"Our" white and blue RS indeed integrates the three Comfort, Dynamic and Touring packs, as well as the Keyless ride system – which also controls the fuel cap, unlike the Ducati system -, the pro shifter – operating when climbing and at downshifting – and the anti-theft alarm.

Extremely expensive, this 2015 BMW R1200RS had better be extremely good on the road! This is what BMW invites us to discover during a beautiful 330 km loop – which is particularly good for trying out a "Sport GT" motorcycle -, with the pretty region of Perche and its winding roads in focus….

Related articles

Leave a Reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *