All Trials – There’s fun in R! – Used BMW

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There is fun in the R !

All Trials - There's fun in R! - Used BMW

Few motorcycles can boast of gaining 22 hp while losing 15 kg in a new evolution … Yet this is what the latest of the famous BMW R series, the R 1200 R roadster, claims. And it causes !

Replacing the wise R 1150 R, the new R 1200 R inherits the engine and chassis improvements introduced in 2004 on the trail R 1200 GS (read) and subsequently declined on the ST and RT road cars as well as on the sporty S (read ).

Aesthetically, the new roadster is content to evolve smoothly: it sports lines a little more fluid and tense which make it more aggressive. Impossible to miss the big flat-twin boxer, with its cylinders which protrude happily on each side: some love it while others hate, but we have to admit that it constitutes the visual identity of this bike !

The big novelty of this BMW lies in its engine that we find transfigured. First of all, the Boxer did not really go from 1150 to 1200 cm3 but from 1130 to 1170. And despite this modest increase in displacement of 40 cm3, the flat-twin is truly metamorphosed..

Forgotten the 85 Percherons of the R 1150 R: the 1200 now claims 107 thoroughbreds and gains 11 Nm of torque! On the handlebars, this translates into a lot more power, more flexibility but also more reach. !

However, this engine is not a monster of character and sensations either: it is content to be extremely efficient and unadorned. The sound of the exhaust, rather bland and muffled, can disappoint but still resonates better than the noise of 2 CV of the R 1200 GS !

The flat rebels, the chassis sharpens

The cycle part is not left out: BMW engineers have also fine-tuned it with little onions. The R 1200 R therefore loses 15 kg compared to its predecessor – even dropping below the 200 kg mark when dry – but progresses above all in rigidity … and therefore in efficiency !

When we know that the R 1200 GS and R 1200 RT, however much heavier, are already praised for their ease and their handling, it is a safe bet that there is "fun" in perspective with this news R1200R, not to mention a wheelbase shortened by 60 mm which should provide a substantial gain in liveliness … But no worries: a steering damper mounted on the Telelever keeps watch !

The Bavarian is welcoming

You are immediately at home on this BMW: the position is very natural and the seat height of 800 mm will suit most bikers. The roadster is however available with a low (770 mm) or high (830 mm) seat as a free option..

The legs are not too bent and the handlebars fall perfectly to the hand. We just blame it for being a little too high and wide in sporty driving. The controls are particularly smooth, thanks in particular to the hydraulic clutch.

The only downside in this picture: these sacrosanct commodos dear to the German brand! Unnatural and anti-ergonomic for the novice, they are already complicated to use in normal driving but are frankly tricky to operate in an emergency situation … It takes a lot to blow the horn or call the headlight very quickly to save your life. habit !

Finally, as always with BMW motorcycles, the center and side stands are well designed and very easy to use..

Over-equipped … with options !

With its many expensive options, the R 1200 R offers exceptional driving pleasure. And fortunately, considering its price !

The new BMW roadster is in fact offered at a base price of 12,000 euros: an already high price that sets it against the flower of high-tech roadsters … But our test model "fully equipped "(with no less than nine options!) is displayed at the dizzying price of – are you seated? – 14,720 euros…

For this little nest egg, you therefore benefit from ABS, electronically controlled suspensions (ESA), an on-board computer, heated grips, a windscreen, an alarm, a central stand, ” a chrome exhaust and white indicators !

Admittedly, all these options are not necessary but it remains difficult, as long as one sticks to the ABS (posted at 1,080 €), not to get away with less than 13,500 € approximately…

Luxury, comfort and pleasure

Thus equipped, the R 1200 R offers real driving pleasure, even in this season when a good number of bikers have already stored their machines in the garage for a few months. We feel good and safe.

ABS is reassuring on dead leaves and wet paving stones. The heated grips make it possible to lengthen the taxiing times and the screen, modest in appearance, very honestly protects the pilot. The on-board computer, complete and easy to use thanks to an "INFO" button on the left stalk, provides information in particular on the gear engaged, the outside temperature, the average consumption, the remaining range, etc..

Only the electronically controlled ESA suspensions – sold € 680 – did not seem essential to us, but we will come back to this later..

Recognizable among a thousand

For those who have never ridden on a motorcycle equipped with the flat-twin and the famous Telelever / Paralever suspensions dear to BMW, it is possible to be somewhat disconcerted during the first meters.

At first glance, we can indeed be surprised by the ramming of the engine laterally when accelerating at low speed: the stroke of the cylinders being perpendicular to the axis of circulation, we feel them very clearly..

Each gas shot while stationary will cause you to swerve slightly to the left. It’s unusual and exotic, but by no means unpleasant or dangerous and you get used to it very quickly.

The front suspension equipped with Telelever also requires a little round of observation: it engages a little at very low speed and above all, it does not dive under braking! If the first characteristic is a little confusing, the second immediately gives the pilot confidence by avoiding large mass transfers.

On the way

Low center of gravity + high and wide handlebars = bike handling! Whether it is during maneuvers with the engine off or when moving at walking pace between cars, the R 1200 R is a real bike !

The general balance of the cycle part is stunning and the engine is also a precious ally in town. It shows a flexibility and a softness rare for a twin, accepting to resume without knocking from 1300 rpm.

The gearbox and the cardan transmission are free from any reproach and are totally forgotten. The large bowls protruding from either side in no way hamper the R 1200 R’s ability to squeeze through mouse holes. It’s simple: just think that if the handlebars pass, the engine will pass !

Room for the flat

This new version of the flat-twin accommodates all uses, from the wisest to the most sassy … And when the horizon emerges, the R 1200 R makes the powder speak! It no longer has anything to envy, in acceleration as in times, to the best Japanese and Italian roadsters !

When called upon, the twin cylinder literally tears your arms off from 1,500 to over 8,000 rpm in a thrust that is certainly linear but very pleasant. Suitably protected by the windscreen, it is possible to maintain a cruising speed as interesting as it is illegal !

As for the cylinders, they honorably protect the pilot’s legs from the wind … and from the bitumen in the event of a fall. !

Easy and safe for arson

Such ease of driving combined with such a pleasant engine: inevitably, it titillates! And the R 1200 R does not disappoint in the arsenal register either. The BMW roadster has real sporting potential and its suspensions work wonders by being efficient, safe and comfortable … !

The piloted suspension allows you to choose between three positions – comfort, normal or sport – but its interest did not seem obvious to us: the bike remains very comfortable in sport mode and just as effective in comfort mode. Very good, that will always save 680 € !

Braking is also incredibly efficient. If in addition it is assisted by the ABS, it allows to tax absolutely everything that rolls under braking. We just blame the electronic system for triggering a little too quickly on the rear wheel.

The Telelever’s anti-dive system also reinforces the feeling of safety. Suddenly, we come to regret that the bike is not delivered with a sportier fit than the wise Michelin Pilot Road. There is no doubt that an R 1200 R simply shod with very soft tires and entrusted to a talented rider would be very, very surprising on the Moto Tour….

Versatile but not practical !

Too bad that a motorcycle that performs so brilliantly for all kinds of uses is so sorely lacking in practicalities….

First, given its smoothness and overall comfort, the R 1200 R offers good conditions for carrying a passenger. Unfortunately, it does not have handles on the back !

In addition, it does not allow you to take any anti-theft device, the space under the saddle being devoted to the electronics and the alarm box … Finally, it is not easy to secure a bag in the back because anchor points are rare.

The price of excellence

The new R 1200 R therefore combines a large number of qualities which give it rare versatility and uniformity. She will take you peacefully to work every day, will take you across France with a passenger, suitcases and top box in the comfort of a pasha and once there, you will tax almost everything that rolls in the winding. !

The only real problem is that the BMW charges dearly for its undeniable qualities. But as the Tontons Flingueurs say: "the price is forgotten, the quality remains"…

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