Top test BMW R 1200 S

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Top test BMW R 1200 S

The news

The R 90 S and R 100 S tried to establish the S as the epitome of sport in the BMW range. But only the R 1100 S, which has been built for eight years, really succeeded. Now she has got a worthy successor.

It was most beautiful afterwards. Of course, the new BMW had R. 1200 S during race training on the grand circuit in
Hockenheim surprised so many? not least their driver? and one
brisk lines on the grippy parquet. Swept through the Parabolica with the never-before-known power of real 120 hp, braced against the contact pressure in the excessive Sachskurve and precisely developed the complex changes in the radius of the following curves. And yet at the same time made it clear how little she has to do with the slim and flattened efficiency of modern super sports cars?
Just because of its sideways boxer engine, which is positioned in the wind.
That’s why it turned out to be the most beautiful afterwards, and it wasn’t until the drive home that it became a real treat. About the lush green
Hills of the Kraichgau and the Zabergaus, in mild, moist air, but on dry, winding, sometimes narrow roads ?? there the R 1200 S could fully develop its qualities. Down-to-earth, robust driving characteristics with all handiness and steering precision as well as a high degree of com-
away. She is sporty, no doubt about it, but
it remains primarily a motorcycle for
the country road, where balance and stability are more important than the capricious handling of a short, super-light tenth of a second file, which can easily be irritated by bumps. Anyone who ever has to circle a tight downhill left-hand bend on the very outside with the new S, not half a meter from the scarred right edge of the road, so that their own body does not hit
gets stuck on an oncoming bus will understand what is meant.
To confirm this, she also waved through the top test course at high speed and impeccable lap times, with the results in the slow slalom being particularly impressive. And even with the excellent adhesive Michelin Pilot Power, the high-mounted boxer kept its cylinder heads away from the road.
This safety and serenity in the dynamics remains the outstanding, ever-present characteristic of the R 1200 S. In contrast, the new, considerably more powerful engine can only play a brief role in the foreground. In a negative sense, when he is accelerating-
nigen above 4500 rpm too
begins to vibrate, and positively when it calms down again above 5500 rpm and starts to crack properly. It stands to reason that this is included-
to interpret the phenomena together with a sometimes not entirely clean response to throttle commands as an expression of one and the same problem: The boxer is apparently short
before the limit of what is feasible. In order to generate high performance despite the unfavorable, but not bypassed because of the construction principle, curvature of the intake ducts, the designers had to choose wide cross-sections and huge 52 throttle valves. This decreases at low and medium rotation-
count the flow rate of the sucked in mixture. Torque and response behavior deteriorate, the transition to the area of ​​optimal flow conditions is very pronounced. You can see it in the power and torque curve (see page 66) and feel it even more clearly when driving.
Regardless of this, the R 1200 S is triumphant in terms of both acceleration and passage
depends. That is partly because of the clever
selected overall translation. Because the new boxer is allowed to turn a proud 8800 rpm and apparently has no problem with the noise regulations, it could be very short. It speaks for the efficiency of the combustion chamber with double ignition that the R 1200 S with ge-
At a moderate speed on country roads only 4.8 liters, at a constant 130 km / h on the motorway 5.3 liters per 100 kilometers.
The required super nobler fuel is quite expensive, currently around 1.45 euros per liter.
Those who are disciplined can therefore cover 354 kilometers with one tank of fuel, and those who chase the boxer through the (Hockenheim) Ring have already 200 kilometers
Low tide in the tank. Thanks to a reliable display of the remaining range, the Fah-
rer not un-pleasantly surprised by fluctuating consumption values ​​with different driving operations. She always shows
fewer kilometers than would actually be possible with the last drop, and quickly converts if you count-
in the face of the emptiness in the tank, lapses into fuel-efficient driving. Gold willfully burned the reserve.
The 1200 sports boxer owes around 7.5 of its total 22 kilograms of weight saving compared to the previous model to its new ABS, which is available for an extra charge of 890 euros. Further development here also means simplification, dispensing with partially integrated brake actuation and brake strength distribution between the front and rear that is adapted to the load condition. Thus, the new ABS works without a brake booster. An understand-
lean reaction in view of the weaknesses that the old ABS had revealed and the sometimes exaggerated criticism that it made-
regarding got. In terms of delay, however, no real progress.
During the braking measurements, the
R 1200 S consistently performs worse than that
R 1100 S. The reason for this lies in the emphasis on protection against unintentional stoppies or rollover forward. This danger arises in particular after ABS control processes when the driver does not modulate the brake pressure himself, but is surprised by the renewed increase in deceleration. Which makes a decisive difference to the stoppy tendency of ABS-free super athletes, where the pilot has everything in hand and knows it. Therefore reduced
the ABS of the R 1200 S does not only apply the brake pressure to the front wheel when locking, but when there is a danger
insists that the rear wheel rises. And because the new ABS, like all others, does not have a gyro sensor, it can only assume, based on other parameters, that this could be the case. For example, when the vehicle decelerates rapidly and the speed of the rear wheel drops rapidly at the same time.
The safety reserve, i.e. the renouncement of Maxi, must be correspondingly large-
be time delay. The difference between braking on a level and an undulating road shows the dilemma; in the first case the system is still far from the limit, in the second it is already hard. Because more pronounced through the impulses
It lifts the rear of the R 1200 S suddenly by a good 30 centimeters before the ABS intervenes. It is not understandable why it gradually reduced the deceleration over the course of several braking attempts. Overheating cannot do this
can be explained because the tester immediately achieved average decelerations of almost ten m / s2 with the ABS switched off ?? with an impeccably stable pressure point.
All in all, MOTORRAD recommends using the ABS on the R 1200 S on public roads, but switching it off when going out on the racetrack. That corresponds to the
respective requirements, and the strict separation helps to avoid confusion.
Because the test motorcycle, like almost every BMW delivered, was not ordered in the basic configuration, there is a lack of knowledge about how the R 1200 S.
with the standard suspension elements as well as a 5.5 inch wide rear wheel and 180 mm-
Tire drives. The driving impressions, mess-
values ​​and recommended settings, including the rating, of course, relate to a chassis with Ohlins struts front and rear and a six-inch wheel with 190 mm tires. Together with the ABS, the heated grips and a chic, but 210 euros expensive seat cover instead of the standard pillion seat, the price adds up to a proud 14,490 euros. Who, as usual with the R 1100 S, still likes
would have spent quite a few euros more on a case system, the 1200 is limited to a tank bag and a bag for the pillion seat. That may help keep the machine off
To dispose of her many touring sisters, it is still a shame. Because so super sporty that they aren’t too
could go on tour occasionally, the new S has not become.

Top test BMW R 1200 S

The news

Was there anything else? – BMW R 1200 S.

more
Excellent standard tires
(Michelin Pilot Power)

Trip meter from the handlebar
from operable

Minor maintenance work such as checking the oil
and topping up oil or removing and installing the
Battery are very easy to do

Drawn valve on the front wheel despite large
Brake discs easily accessible because in one
Recessed spoke
minus
When parking with a full tank, petrol will run out of the overflow, even if refueling is stopped when the fuel nozzle first blows

The space for carrying bags on
the pillion seat is very tight

Plastic castle nut on the rear Ohlins-
The shock absorber breaks quickly when adjusting
Suspension settings
for sporty country road driving (Ohlins suspension elements, six-inch wheel, 190 mm rear tire)

Front: spring preloaded eleven threads, rebound stage twelve clicks open

Rear: spring preloaded with 26 threads, rebound nine clicks open, compression six clicks open

MOTORCYCLE measurements – BMW R 1200 S

Performance
Top speed * 243 km / h

acceleration
0 100 km / h 3.5 sec
0 ?? 140 km / h 5.4 sec
0 200 km / h 10.6 sec

Draft
60 ?? 100 km / h 4.4 sec
100 ?? 140 km / h 4.0 sec
140 180 km / h 4.8 sec

Speedometer deviation
Effective (display 50/100) 47/97 km / h

Tachometer deviation
Display red area 9000 / min
Effective 8800 rpm

Consumption in the test
at 130 km / h 5.3 l / 100 km
Country road 4.8 l / 100 km
Theor. Range 354 km
Fuel type Super Plus

mass and weight
L / W / H 2140/890/1160 mm
Seat height 840 mm
Handlebar height 925 mm
Turning circle 6320 mm
Weight with a full tank 220 kg
Load 190 kg
Wheel load distribution f / r 51/49%
Driving dynamics 1
Brake measurement

Braking distance from 100 km / h 43.3 m
Average deceleration 8.9 m / s2
Comments: The ABS regulates at large intervals. If the brakes are applied several times in a row, the system gradually reduces the deceleration. Without ABS, an average deceleration of 9.7 m / s2 was achieved immediately afterwards.

Handling course I (fast slalom)
Lap time 20.2 sec
vmax at the measuring point 102.5 km / h
Comments: The BMW achieved respectable times and speeds. At the turning point, it turns precisely. The limits are set by the front wheel, which lifts off when changing lean angles.

Handling course II (slow slalom)
Lap time 27.8 sec
vmax at the measuring point 56.4 km / h
Comments: stable driving behavior with excellent feedback. Tight radius at the turning point, therefore good speed and lap time.

Orbit Ø 46 meters
Lap time 10.6 sec
vmax at the measuring point 55.2 km / h
Comments: Adjusting the spring preload resulted in a balanced driving behavior. The putting on of the footrests heralds the limit.

Technical data – BMW R 1200 S.

engine
Air / oil-cooled two-cylinder four-stroke–
Boxer engine, one balancer shaft, one overhead, chain-driven camshaft, four valves per cylinder, bucket tappets, bumpers, rocker arms, wet sump lubrication, injection, Ø 52 mm, regulated catalytic converter, 600 W alternator, 12 V / 14 Ah battery, hydraulically operated single-plate dry clutch, Six-speed gearbox , gimbal.

Bore x stroke 101.0 x 73.0 mm

Cubic capacity 1170 cm3

Compression ratio 12.5: 1
rated capacity
90.0 kW (122 hp) at 8250 rpm

Max. Torque 112 Nm at 6800 rpm

Pollutant values (Homologation) in g / km
Euro 3 CO 0.928 / HC 0.185 / NOx 0.090

landing gear
Load-bearing motor-gear unit, telescopic fork guided by trailing arm, Ø 41 mm (adjustable spring base and rebound damping with sports suspension), two-joint single-sided swing arm made of aluminum, central spring strut, directly hinged, adjustable spring base and rebound damping (spring base adjustable with sports suspension, compression and rebound damping), double disc brake front, Ø 320 mm, oven-piston fixed calipers, rear disc brake, Ø 265 mm, double-piston floating caliper.
Cast aluminum wheels 3.50 x 17; 5.50 x 17
(Special equipment 6.00 x 17)

Tires 120/70 ZR 17; 180/55 ZR 17
(Special equipment 190/50 ZR 17)

Tires in the Michelin Pilot Power test

mass and weight
Wheelbase 1487 mm, steering head angle 66.0 degrees, caster 87 mm, spring travel f / h 110 /
120 mm, permissible total weight 410 kg, tank capacity / reserve 17.0 / 4.0 liters.
Service data
Service intervals every 10000 km

Oil and filter change every 10000 km / 4.0 l

Engine oil 20 W 50

Front fork oil YR5LDE

Idle speed 1100 ± 50 / min

Tire pressure solo (with pillion passenger)

front / rear 2.2 / 2.5 (2.5 / 2.9) bar

Warranty two years

Colors yellow, red / silver, silver

Price 12,500 euros

Price test motorcycle ** 14,490 euros

Additional costs 262 euros

Performance chart

Progress is just more pressure. Even lasts 1000 revolutions after the maximum output
the 1200 an impressive
high level. The high performance characteristics are also expressed
in the torque curve,
their maximum only 500 / min
occurs earlier than the highest
Power. In the gear diagram
there is the S-typical wide spread between third and fourth gear, which however
in practice, even on the
Racetrack, not noticeable.

Delay diagram

After reducing the braking power several times and increasing it again
The ABS regulates up to almost 10.0 m / s2 despite the homogeneous road surface
drastically back (1) and only slowly increases the brake pressure.

Scoring: engine – BMW R 1200 S.

Driving dynamics points supplier: Before
Thanks to its good acceleration and pulling power, the S can square itself in the engine section on the level of a Honda CBF 1000. The successful gear ratio and overall ratio are closely related to this. As with most BMWs is the switch shop
a noisy business. In addition, weakly locking gears are irritating.

Scoring: Chassis – BMW R 1200 S.

The outstanding characteristic of the BMW can be found here in thin numerical values: you
Safe, manageable and precise driving behavior that is not so easily affected by bad roads. Your drivers will feel comfortable spontaneously.

Scoring: Safety – BMW R 1200 S.

Traditionally a strong point of BMW, especially through the
high rate of equipment with ABS.
The brake deserves a lot
good marks in terms of dosage,
Delay and fading behavior, but the control behavior of the new system leaves something to be desired. Not entirely uncritical worm-
does the S hold up in terms of handlebar flapping? Despite the standard steering damper, smaller deflections are sometimes recorded.

Scoring: Everyday Life – BMW R 1200 S.

Compared to the R 1100 S, the everyday usability of the 1200 S has suffered somewhat. Given the scarce
dimensioned storage options for luggage, 190 kilograms payload are okay.

Scoring: Comfort – BMW R 1200 S.

Enjoy comfort on the R 1200 S.
especially the driver. Passengers miss proper handholds. The smooth running of the engine was not significantly improved by the balance shaft either.

Scoring: costs / environment – BMW R 1200 S

Generous warranty, a two-year mobility guarantee and low pollutant levels give BMW many points here. Due to the high purchase price
the price-performance ratio suffers. The maintenance and inspection costs as well as the consumption are good average.

Conclusion – BMW R 1200 S.

Like its predecessor, the R 1200 S distinguishes itself
as a country road athlete. A thoroughly honest motorcycle
with an excellent chassis that just misses the 700 point limit. Thanks to their 120 hp it is
the 1200s for a trip to the racetrack are better equipped than any other boxer, the performance ent-
however, folding takes some getting used to.

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