Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

(Below) The R1200C has a fairly wide stance. (Right) Beefy brakes haul the R1200C In nicely ABS will be' offered as an option. (Bottom right) A long, 64-inch wheelbase helps give the R1200C excellent straight-line and lowspeed stability. BMW went with traditional footpegs rather than floorboards. What BMW did know was that they didn't want to "be like the rest," meaning they weren't going to build another Harley-Davidson clone. That would just not be BMW's style. No, BMW's cruiser would be distinctively different, yet still convey that sexy, a-little-rough-on-theedges, nostalgic, bad-boy image that so many cruiser riders demand; but it would have to achieve this its own way - BMW's way. BMW also knew that cruiser bikes must follow certain criteria in order to be just that - cruiser bikes: It must have a torquey motor, a low seat height, forward-mounted footpegs, high-rise handlebars, and a long wheelbase, and it must exhibit very few plastic but lots of chrome parts. The R1200C has all of these things and more. When the question came as to what would power BMW's new cruiser, they knew it would have to have two cylinders, but a V configuration was simply out of the question. However, a flat-twin would do just fine, and BMW had just the thing: its new-generation Boxer motor, of course. BMW simply took the same fuel"injected, eight-valve, air/ oilcooled Boxer motor that propels the RllOORS and the RllOORT, and detuned it substantially so it would be more cruiser-compa tible. This was accomplished by enlarging the bore from 99mm to 101mm, and extending the stroke from 70.5mm to 73mm, with the resulting capacity increase that sees the twin go from 1085cc to 1170cc. The size of the intake and exhaust valves were also slightly downsized by a couple of millimeters, and a new camshaft configuration features all-around shorter valve timing and valve stroke. The diameter of the intake system has been significantly reduced as well, from 50mm to 38rnm, and the Motronic engine-management system takes on new programming to match all these alterations. The net result of all these changes is a motor that produces mOre torque at fewer revs. BMW claims the new cruiser develops peak torque (72 ft.-lb.) at 3000 rpm, plus maintaining about 60 ft.-lb. from 2500 to 4500 rpm at the crack of the throttle. Redline starts at about 6500 rpm. Unfortunately, there was a big price to pay for all this torque, as peak horsepower dropped drastically, which becomes shockingly evident when you compare the horsepower figures of the cruiser to the more sport-oriented, higher-revving model BMWs using the same basic powerplant. According to BMW's stats, the RllOORS, for example, pumps out 90 bhp at 7250 rpm, and the new RI200C dishes out 61 bhp at 5000 rpm. In a move of convenience, like the recently introduced K1200R sport tourer, the BMW cruiser has an automatic choke control, so the first ·time you ride the bike, you'll search all over the place for a choke knob or lever but won't find one. Of course, exhaust note was of high importance when designing the R1200C's exhaust system. Two separate chrome pipes are used, and are at one point connected underneath the bike by a pre-muffler and two silencers at the sides. We'll tell you right now, the BMW cruiser does sound pretty good - yes, it rumbles, though quietly at just 80 decibels. And the environmentally conscious cruisers will be happy to know that the R1200C does come with a fully controlled catalytic converter. A five-speed gearbox transfers power to the rear wheel with a hydraulically operated, single-plate, dry clutch and a driveshaft, which runs in the hollow, single-sided and long swingarm of the Monolever. The R1200C breaks one of BMW's newer traditions by not using BMW's Paralever system, for reasons of "function and design." In BMW's words, "Since a long swinging arm is just as efficient in balancing the reaction of the shaft drive as a short, but more complex, dou ble-joint single swinging arm, the BMW Paralever, BMW's suspension and running-gear experts have chosen a longer version of the original single swingarm arm." Also, BMW would not have been able to fit the exhaust system they have now on the bike if they had gone with the bulkier Pa ralever design. You might notice, however, that the shaft drive still has two universal joints (and a torsion damper that you can't see), but BMW says that this was necessary, since the swingarm now mounts to the frame and not to the transmission case, which is now more compact than before, One big advantage of the new (old?) shaft-drive system is that service intervals are up from 12,400 miles to 24,800 miles. In the chassis department, BMW had no intentions of cutting any comers just because the R1200C is a cruiser, as the bike overflows with modern technology, from its single-shock Telelever A-arm front suspension, to its single-shock Monolever rear suspension, to its antilock, heavy-duty, front-and-rear discbrake system. You might be asking yourself, "Why does a cruiser bike need ABS?" Because BMW feels the cruiser-bike rider is entitled to good brakes - just like anyone else. ABS, however, will only be offered as an option. The R120OC's frame is basically made up of two front and rear sections - the front frame section made of cast-aluminum alloy and the rear made up of steel tubing - with the engine and transmission serving as a load-bearing element in between. The massive, polished-aluminum swingarm of the Telelever front suspension is featured prominently, as is the single, gas-pressured damper and coil-spring shock, which hangs out there for everyone to see. BMW made no effort to hide the single-shqck at the rear, either, which is centrally mounted in the frame. The top of the shock mount is actually located further forward of where the rider sits. The shock features only preload adjusta: bility. Unlike many cruiser bike on the scene today, BMW chose to mount a rather slender 100/90 tire to the 18 x 2.50-inch, spoked front rim to its cruiser, but made up for that with a massive 170/80 tire wrapped around a wide 4 x IS-inch spoked rear rim. The painfully small-looking passenger seat doubles as a backrest when riding the bike solo. It can be flipped up vertically and then manually adjusted to anyone of three different angle settings. In addition, when the passenger seat is in the up position, you have access to a chrome-plated, cast-aluminum luggage rack. 33

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