Bmw R1200c
CW RIDING IMPRESSION
BMW R1200C
THE BOXER GOES CRUISING
MATTHEW MILES
BMW THAT STALWART of function, innovation and reliability, is broadening its model range to include-hold on to your spinning-propeller roundels, Beemephiles-cruisers. That’s right. Citing an ongoing cruiser sales swell in Europe and the U.S., the company has conjured up its own boulevard bruiser, the Boxer-engined R1200C.
Spearheading this departure is Dr. Michael Genal, the aggressive, impassioned head of BMW’s motorcycle division. Genal purports that BMW has 45 percent of the bike market covered. It’s the other half, the repli-racer and cruiser segments, that needs attention. So, while a hotted-up RI 100RS remains a ways off, the time is now for a BMW cruiser.
Phil Capossela, vice president of U.S. motorcycle operations, agrees. “You can't be serious, at least in the eyes of the consumers, unless you have entries in virtually all the market segments,” he contends. “If BMW really wants to be a player, it has to enter a market that’s growing, not just in the States, but all over the world.”
American-born designer David Robb was charged with the bike’s styling. He says cruisers should be sexy and relaxed with lots of chrome and a badboy image. Virility aside, the R12 certainly has plenty of chrome. In fact, everything that could have been dipped or polished was. Relatively inconspicuous on other models, the Telelever Aarm, for instance, is a real eye-catcher; ditto the cylinder heads and air-intake shrouds. Robb specified “top-quality” materials throughout, from a steel gas tank and fenders to moisture-resistant leather handgrips and bucket seat. “Our priority was to develop a bike with unmistakable character, something that would be recognized immediately, something innovative, transparent and pure,” he says.
Whether the buying public accepts the sensational styling is yet to be seen (see sidebar, page 60), but the R12 is very much a BMW at heart, retaining many of the innovations found on other models. For instance, the bike borrows its electronic engine-management system, automatic choke and smooth-shifting transmission (minus sixth gear) from the new K1200RS sport-tourer. Other crossover components include the triple-disc Brembo brakes, aforementioned Telelever front suspension, four-way-adjustable brake and clutch levers, and revised switchgear. The subframes jutting from the front and rear of the engine are all-new, and consist of a twin-spar aluminum casting up front and conventional steel tubing at the rear. Besides being neatly integrated, the former effectively hides the dual oil coolers.
Engine displacement has grown 85cc to 1170cc, courtesy of a slightly larger bore and longer stroke. Additional changes include smaller intake and exhaust valves, camshafts with less lift and overlap, and a 25 percent smaller air-intake runner. Lastly, smallerdiameter throttle butterflies allow room for the auto choke. Peak horsepower has dropped to a claimed 61 blip at 5000 rpm, but there’s a grunty 72 footpounds of torque on tap at 3000 rpm.
(Comparatively, the RllOORS sporttouring Twin makes 79 horsepower at 7000 rpm and 67 foot-pounds of torque at 5500 rpm.) So while the Rl2 doesn’t tread in Honda Valkyrie territory, its powerband is broad and flat-between 2500 and 4500 rpm, torque never dips below 66 foot-pounds.
On the road, the retuned powerplant is a pleasant performer. Roll open the throttle, and the claimed 565-pound bike accelerates briskly from intersections and past slower traffic. Spin the engine higher, in the direction of its 6500-rpm redline, however, and you’re greeted with increasing levels of vibration. BMW claims added flywheel weight gave the flat-Twin superior refinement and smoothness, but hand-numbing vibes are nonetheless omnipresent at speeds above an indicated 60 mph. Munich-based head of PR Hans Sautter simply shrugs when asked about this shortcoming. “More displacement, more vibration,” he says.
No concerns about the brakes, which are fantastic. In fact, these are easily the bike’s greatest attributes. Fadefree, the combination of four-piston Brembos and floating rotors provides excellent feel and impressive stopping power. The Telelever front end is also quite good, even if the system is a smidge less compliant than previous iterations, and the raked-out geometry slows steering response.
In a surprise move, BMW chose not to fit the bike with its proven Paralever rear end, instead opting for a lesssophisticated shaft-drive design dubbed Monolever. The most striking visual variance is length; the singlesided swingarm is 3.5 inches longer than the RllOORS’s Paralever, which VP of R&D Wolfgang Diirheimer says compensates for forces acting on the suspension. Regardless, it works. Aided by 3.9 inches of firmly damped shock travel, the shaft transmits smooth, progressive acceleration; no chassis-jacking bugaboos here.
Ergonomically, the R12 is like no other BMW we’ve ridden, what with its Easy Rider-issue buckhorn handlebar (a flatter, drag-style bar is optional), dished saddle and moderately forward footpegs. The riding position is not adjustable and quite formal, like sitting in a straight-backed chair, and without the benefit of a windscreen, it’s blustery at speed. If it wasn’t for the novel flip-up backrest (which effectively doubles as a short-hop passenger pillion), Rl2 riders might spend most of their time grasping for the oversize grips.
On to price. Less BMW’s outstanding anti-lock braking system, the R12 retails for $12,990 (with ABS, add
$1300). “We were very sensitive to pricing, especially being the new boy on the block,” says Capossela. “We think we’re right where we should be.” It’s ironic that after nearly 75 years of bike-making, BMW should see itself as a newcomer. Inspired by HarleyDavidson’s success and seconded by Europe’s unabashed acceptance of custom-style bikes, the R1200C gives cruiser buyers another reason to count their lucky stars-or more appropriate here, their spinning propellers. U
