BMW K1200R

[jeantarrou]

Hey all,

So my old man is looking into the BMW K1200R and I was wondering if anyone here has any experience with one? It seems like a monster, with all of the BMW creature comforts, but I wanted to see if anyone had any first hand knowledge.

Matt

[number9]

No first-hand experience, but I think it has around double (well, not really, but almost!) the horsepower of a Monster.

[DucDave]

Nice bike. Nothing like a 'Ducati Monster' but you could still describe it as a Monster if you like! I guess the question I would ask is what kind of rider is he...and what kind of riding does he want to do? Local twisties, group rides, day trips....all good! If he is interested in touring or longer rides there are probably better choices!

I like it though...

Dave

[tls25rs]

They seem to be a really nice bike from what owners of them have told me.

Also, from seeing it first hand they crash amazingly well. Twice on one day as a matter of fact, well one crash and one fall over, and he still rode it home.

If I had some extra money laying around this bike would definitely be on the short list.

Joel

[Nix]

Wow. I don't know how I missed this nekkid bike but I'm in love...especially with that headlight config. Methinks I may have to look into that setup for my Z vs. the Speed Triple setup I've been dreamin' of.

Dude, how can that thing suck? You probably get to take it in for service and they'll send your pop out to a spa or something...give him a loaner bike!

[spicy]

i think he meant monster as in ridiculous performance, not Ducati Monster

[jeantarrou]

Yea, I was meaning "a monster of a bike" 160ish hp!! Although a Monster is on my pop's short list. I think the beemer is a GREAT looking bike, and its nice to hear that it lays down well.

My old man is looking to hit the twisties, but probably wouldn't get close to a 200 mile day very often. He's got a 45 minute commute and I think he's looking to liven that up too.

So, which BMW dealers would you guys recommend? I live in RI and I love Razee's so we'll check them out, and my old man lives in Thompson, CT. Any credible BMW dealers near him? I remember a few dealers in the Northampton, MA area too, but I didn't have much experience with them.

Thanks for the info guys.
Matt

[KillBill]

PM - Brad (BMRider) he has one. He loves it!

[jeantarrou]

Cool! Thanks!!

[Shortermemory]

Cliff's in Brookfield is a great dealership. Alot of BMW enthusiasts go to Cliffs. They have BMW and Ducati franchise there.

[slowrider]

I've got a K1200S which is pretty close to that bike.

From a seating/ergos standpoint, its very comfortable. It sits more upright than my S, as it has handlebars vs the clip ons. It is missing wind protection, so I'm not sure how that comfort is after a long day's ride. Depends on the speed you're going too

The wheelbase is long, and I do notice it on really tight stuff (sections of the App Gap). For fast sweepers though, no problems.

The front end feels different. Some people say it doesnt have much feedback, I might agree with that (I'm still on the fence on that issue). But you can get hard on the brakes and not dive at all, which I really like.

There were some close/open throttle fueling issues related to early ECU revisions. I had the problem on my bike, but the latest revisions 9+ fixed the problem for me.

When the bike first came out, its crazy looks did nothing for me. Three years later, I love it and wish there was a way to justify adding it to my stable. But I can't get rid of the K1200S, I need the fairing.

I like the K1200R Sport as well. It has a half fairing similar to the R1200S, which I think looks good and is probably sufficient wind protection for longer rides.

I love my K bike, the slant/4's are a fun engine.

[bmrider]

Also, from seeing it first hand they crash amazingly well. Twice on one day as a matter of fact, well one crash and one fall over, and he still rode it home.

With a broken thumb...

Man, didn't I feel like an idiot that day...

Anyhow, I lOVE my K 1200R. More than enough power, great riding position and Sexy as Hell...

The first year I had it, I rode it down to Virginia and back for work. On the ride back, I did 983 miles in one day, and felt great (Well, ok, as good as can be after almost 1,000 miles in a day)

--Brad

[jeantarrou]

Sounds like a great all around motorcycle. Can't wait to fill in my dad with all this info... I mean tell him to get one so I can take it for a spin!

Matt

[KB]

160 HP how can you go wrong?

Plus it's a Bimmer!

KB

[tls25rs]

With a broken thumb...

Man, didn't I feel like an idiot that day...

--Brad

Brad,

I figured you would wind up posting in here and I wasn't going to tell anyone who it was I was refering to! I also had no idea you had broken your thumb that day. Glad you could give this guy some insight into the bike though. Hopefully catch up with you this summer and go for a rip.

Joel

[bmrider]

I figured you would wind up posting in here and I wasn't going to tell anyone who it was I was refering to! I also had no idea you had broken your thumb that day. Glad you could give this guy some insight into the bike though. Hopefully catch up with you this summer and go for a rip.

No worries Joel...
As far as I know, I'm the only one who has a K 1200R on the forum, so I'm sure it was easy for most people to figure out who the moron was that dropped his bike twice in one day...

I didn't find out my thumb was broken till about a week later when it was still swollen and sore as hell...

Definitely looking to go out and rip up some twisties this year... Got my new (new to me) trackbike this year and I'm looking to spend some quality time there as well...

--Brad

[Not Sure]

The K1200R is a nice bike, especially with the ESA option. I've ridden it a couple of times. For me, the wheelbase is a bit long if you really want to hammer the tight twisties in NH or VT. I personally would go with the Sport version due to the fairing & looks. Also, with decent sized risers the K1200S becomes pretty comfortable and is a better all around bike (and the best looking of the three options) IMO.

[jeantarrou]

Mid-Life-T, or whoever else,

This is probably a stupid question, but is the "Sport" K1200R actually a K1200S? Or is the "Sport" a slightly modified K1200R? And what is the ESO?

I'm actually happy to hear people speak of the longer wheelbase because I don't see my old man diving into the corners too hard, but he'll appreciate the straight line stability. That's an appropriate comprimise for him, I think.

Matt

[KillBill]

K1200S =


R = NAKED

[Not Sure]

Mid-Life-T, or whoever else,

This is probably a stupid question, but is the "Sport" K1200R actually a K1200S? Or is the "Sport" a slightly modified K1200R? And what is the ESO?

I'm actually happy to hear people speak of the longer wheelbase because I don't see my old man diving into the corners too hard, but he'll appreciate the straight line stability. That's an appropriate comprimise for him, I think.

Matt

The R is a few ponies (4 hp I believe) shy of the S, and the R Sport is simply the R with a small fairing. Outside of the fairing, I don't believe anything else is different between the R and the R Sport.

The ESA is Electronic Suspension Adjustment. It is BMW's on the fly capability to go from a sport to a non-sport setting. Very cool, and works well. Not all K bikes have it, so I'd suggest you look for it.

[slowrider]

I have ESA on my K1200S, and its a great feature. Three settings Comfort, Normal and Sport each have distinct feels. I used to only ride around on Sport when I first got the bike, but I realized that Normal and Comfort have some value in spirited riding as well. If the roads are crap (as is often the case in NH), Normal and Comfort are slightly softer but deal better with the road imperfections.

There are also 3 preload settings (single rider, single w/luggage, and 2 up w/luggage) that work in combination with the above giving 9 different settings.

The downside to ESA is that its really expensive ($3K) to replace the factory shocks "when the time comes". Some people buy the ESA with the intention of replacing with Ohlins instead of servicing the factory shocks. I've heard there are issues with the diagnostics program when you have BMW service the bike if you go that route.

I've read that useful life of the ESA shocks is on the order of 50K miles though, so that may not be a huge issue.

[jeantarrou]

Thanks on the clarification on the different models!

That ESA sounds very cool, actually it seems pretty incredible. A true hybrid bike.

All this info is really eye opening, thank you all!

Matt