Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

1998 BMW K1200RS K1200RS gives you, riding on crowded city streets at little better than walklng pace while taxis attempt to ambush you and scooters commit suicide before you. Making U-turns in narrow cow1try lanes can be done without touching a fODt down, so well-balanced does the bike feel. Just ride the clutch and work that so-responsive throttle in unison with it, while the steering falls lightly and contro.llably over dead center, usualIya sign of lots of trail, which indeed the K-12 has at 124mm. This combines with the kicked-out 27.5-degree head angle of the Telelever front end and the low center of gravity delivered by the lay-down engine to produce impressive stability around long, sweeping turns, where even hitting bumps Dr junior pDthDles cranked Dver in midturn dDesn't deflect the BMW from the CDurse yDu chDse fDr it. Weight has its advantages as well, too. The IDng, 61.2-inch wheelbase is a factDr in this, alsD - but in additiDn this helps prDduce SDme understeer, especially at high speeds Dn a winding freeway, where the BMW is reluctant tD hDld .its line without your backing Dff the th.rDttle tD pull it back Dn track. But that's the Dnly time you're aware Df the bulk Df the bike. At all Dther times it feels as light and easy-handling as a 750 - but with the sDlid, stable feeling Df a big tDurer. AlmDst the best Df bDth wDrlds. This is especially nDticeable at the very high cruisi.ng speeds the understressed, easy-revving, smDoth Dperator of an engine will let you run cruising at 120 mph at 6800 rpm seems ILke 80 mph on anDther bike, the BMW just wafting along effortlessly at a.n easy gait, totally planted on the road. with not a trace of a weave Dr a wDbble at any speed. One hundred forty per was as fast as I saw Dn the speedo Df this British-spec bike before running out of space, but wh:ile BMW ad.rnits to a top speed of 152 mph, and the soft rev-limiter kicks in at 9400 rpm in the gears, if it'll pull nine grand in top the real peak is nearer 160 mph. Acceleration is impressive for such a heavy bike, thanks partly to the wellchosen gear ratios, partly to the ultra-flat torque curve - more of a horizontal line, really - and partly to the undeniably potent power delivery. This has such a broad spread that it doesn't much matter what gear you're in or how many revs you use when you twist .it wide open, though at TOO rpm the engine comes on strong. From 6500 rpm Dn there's even more pull. But even at higher revs, though, the BMW is as smooth as the proverbial sewing machine beloved of the cliche writers, while at its 1000 rpm idle there's no trace of vibration from the lengthwise crank. It will plll1 cleanly in top gear from as low as 1500 rpm with no transmission backlash, even if perhaps there isn't quite as much gTLint low dDwn as you'd expect frDm a 1200cc engine. But if you dD decide to speed t"ings up a little by using the gearbDx, you'll enjoy doing so. From little things like the distance from the gear lever to the fODtpeg (in any case eccentrically adjustable to suit YDur taste) to important stuff like the crisp, easy gearshift with its shortthrow lever, the K12's Getrag six-speeder sets a new BMW benchmark for precision and smoothness. Nothing this gODd has ever been fitted to a bike built .in Germany. Clutchless upward shifts are a matter of COllfse. neutral is straightforward to find every time. and the telltale on the excellent, well laid-out dash with its bank of 14 warning lights is clearly visible, quite apart from the digital gear- selection indicator, which when you have such a smooth, tDrgLley engine, is not to be scorned at. And apart frDm a slightly clunky change from bottDm to second, you never remember YOll're riding a shaftie - there's no torque reaction, the K12 doesn't ride Lip and down on its suspensiDn like non-Para lever Boxers of Did did. and even at rest at a traffic light, yOLi can't feel the rotation of the lengthwise crank, either. The ratios of the six-speeder a.re well chosen, with progressively less space between them as speed mOllnts - 1500 rpm from second to third gear, 1200 revs from third to fourth, 800 rpm for fourth to fifth, then 400 revs from fifth to top. This is a properly engineered all-new gearbox, not jLlst the old five-speeder with an overdrive tacked on. With the BMW's weight, length and steering geometry, yDu can't expect it to rip around corners like a 916 Ducati - but then you wouldn't want to ride from Paris to Milan on the desmo V-twin superbike, either. Within those limitatiDns the K12 hustles around turns guite acceptably, with l.ight, guick steering for such a big bike that is guite precise, and adequate feedback from the Telelever front end, whose ability to soak up bwnps and road shock.is quite good. Beca use Df the zero deflection of the front suspension, you not only get a constant wheelbase even under heavy braking (so more predictable, constant handling which two seasons of racing the Saxon Triumph taught me to appreciate), BMW could also place the engine further forward in the wheelbase relative to the axles, in turn increasing frontend weight bias statically, without forcing the rider to do so by means of an extreme riding position. This in turn adds to the enjoyment and pleasure from riding a SaxTrak/Telelever bike on the road, quite apart from the enl1anced safety margin you get from beLng able to brake deep into turns Dn the angle. without the suspension freezing or once agaLn - the steering geometry altering. With this in mind, the K12 can be made to motor surprisingly quickly along a high, winding mountain pass. the light handling and deft steering belying its bulk. The lack of adjustment on the front shock didn't seem to be a problem, but I can't say I cared for the way BMW has upped the ratio of anti-dive under braking from 70 percent on the Telelever-equipped Boxers to 90 percent on the K-model. Reta.ining iust 10 percent of the front-end dive filters out much of the sensation of braking for the rider, and when I raced the Saxon I purposely dialed more dive into the geometry, so as to retain that feel. Mainly psychological. I know - but I reckon BMW has gone too far in the other direction on this bike. quite apart from the reduced weight transfer under braking to load up the front wheel. Actual stopping power is excellent, with Dne-finger hard stops an option using the front discs only - for panic stops in Barcelona traffic. use the rear as well! The ABS has been set to kick in later than Dn the K11 and Boxers. which in practice means that 99.9 percent of the K'I2's riders won't ever encounter it in normal use. But at least you know that it's there for real emergencies. even at the cost of a 22-pound weight penalty. But I can't say I cared for the rear suspension. though perhaps the culprit was the 170/60 Metzeler ME-Z4 rear tire. which as on the Ducati ST2 seems designed more for mileage than for grip - it slid a bit too easily under moderately enthusiastic cornering for my taste, and (Left) As on many other BMW models, the windscreen is adjustable. The fairing works very well in protecting the rider. even at triple-digit speeds, There are, however, no storage compartments. (Above) To lower unsprung weight, the Brembo discs are run without carriers, rather bolting to the aluminum wheels directly. 1998 BMW K1200RS Specifications Engine ... Liquid-cooled in-line four-cylinder four-stroke with DOHC and four valves per cylinder Bore x stroke ........ . 70.5 x 75mm Horsepower/torque (claimed) 130 bhp/86.3 ft.-lb. Compression ratio .11 .5: 1 Carburetion/ignition Bosch Motronic MA 2.4 with fuel cutoff when coasting .6-speed. shaft final dnve Transmission Clutch Chassis Suspension Front Rear. Rake/trail. Wheelbase. Weight Brakes Front Rear Wheels/tires Front. Rear _. . _. . .single plate. dry Cast aluminum .....Telelever leading link centrally pivoted on frame with single Showa shock .. Paralever Single-sided sWingarm with single rebound- and preload-adjustable Showa shock ...................27.5'/124mm ...... _. . . 61.2 inches ....627 Ibs. with fuel .Dual 305mm stainless-steel discs with antilock Brembo four-piston calipers .. .single 285mm stainless-steel disc with anti-lock Brembo two-piston caliper ... 120170ZR17 Metzeler ME Z4 radial on five-spoke alloy wheel ... 170/60ZR17 Metzeler ME Z4 radial on five-spoke alloy wheel perhaps the DW110p Sportmax 205 fitted to the bike in some other countries would be better suited to more-forceful riding. But there's also a strange feeling from the back end when you ride over a bump or ridge 111 the road, like a rain groove in the freeway, in the form of a metallic feeling from the rear shock that you feel through the seat of your pants and the footrests. It seems to be a fLmction of the fact the shock is directly linked between the swingarm and the frame, with no linkage, and while I can't say it seemed to make any difference to the handling, it feels funny and I wasn't the only one to notice this. rut it down to character. The detail touches you expect from BMW all work pretty well, though L have to say that after the Ducati ST2's designed-in mirrors and luggage bags, the ones on the BMW look pretty much like part-store accessories. rather than designed-in components tailored to the bike. But the handlebar-mounted mirrors work okay and are quite steady at speed, even if they don't show as much of the road behind as the Ducati's innovative design. Also, you can't help wondering if the nicely integrated turn-signal pods on the front of the fairing weren't supposed to have had the mirrors incorporated in them. till it became apparent you'd only get a view of your legs - the side facing the rider is blank. Allegedly, they deflect the slipstream over your hands. One item that works particularly well at deflecting the breeze is the manually adjustable screen, which you can oi'asily raise to give add.ed protection at speeds of 80 mph or more, though at the penalty of sharply increased wind noise. The passenger will benefit mDst from this, though - with the screen in its lower position, the airflow is directed at your upper body, and I found this actually more relaxing than having the screen in its more upright position - guite apart from the 5 mph or so you lose by having it there. "My" bike had optional heated handlebars fitted, which worked pretty well on a crisp Catalan morning till the sun burned off the chill, w"ile the sidestand and easy-on/off centerstand are a model for others to aim at. Are you listening, Bologna? One surprising oversight on the BMW, however, is the absence of any readily accessible receptacle to stick maps or loose change in: a real omission. Really, though. BMW has set a new benchmark for the sport touriJ1g class with the K1200RS - refined, smooth, long-Jegged and light-handling, with good ride quality, a real turn of speed. precise controls and near-faultless dynamics. You get the feeling when you ride it that this bike may have been designed by half-mad scien.tists work.ing i:n a bunker in Berlin - but that the people who brought it to the marketplace ride bikes themselves and know what the customer needs and wants. The K1200RS is a good bike, a mile-eater par excellence that won't be disgraced along Racer Road: Anyone with 12 grand sterling to spend on a street bike he (or she) plan.ned to cover serious mileage aboard, should look no further. 4'~

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