Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1990's

1999 BMW K1200LT Comfy ergonomics aside, the K1200LT is one plush motorcycle, offering the rider amenities from an adjustable on the Standard madelto heated handgrips on the Icon and heated seats on the Custom. All cockpit controls are easy to reach and easy to operate. switm, the headlight high/low/passing The center console features buttons switch, electric windscreen adjuster, and to control the stereo and casette functions as well as the six-disc CD manger the volume/station select and interrupt buttons for the stereo system. The right and intercom system (found on upperhandlebar features the aforementioned range models). Just below it is a s~all trip computer control, starter switm and storage bin, which also houses the the two-stage heated-handgrip button. casette player. The CD player is actually And in the right-side cove is a nifty located in the lower right trunk, usurpmanual headlamp-angle adjuster knob ing a fair amount of cargo space. . that can be rotated to keep the headlight Bump the big Beemer to life, and you beam in perfect contact with the road I' i1.re greeted with a muted but under various cargo t. tllAt"" familiar K-motor purr. Warmup loads. \u.:,t-t"J'" ./ . , -" / time is nil, thanks to the bike's automatic choke system, so it is time to head down the road. Our first experience aboard the LT came during the bike's U.s. press introduction on the winding country twolimes outside of San Antonio, Texas, giving us the opportunity to stretm the LT's legs during sustained, 65-plus-mph cruising. We - --.... .......... L-L.' have since also logged several miles on the congested Southern California streets that surround our editorial offices. The verdict? This BMW is one classy machine. Despite a wet weight of just over 830 pounds, the BMW treats the rider with a very balanced feel. Oh, you'll notice the weight from time to time - particularly just before you put your feet down at a stop sign - but the machine feels very solid nonetheless. It is more a case of the LT exuding a long, low feel than a highcentered tippy sensation that is so often the case when you're aboard other'bikes from the class. But the point is to be moving anyway, isn't it? And you can get moving with the LT's reconfigured four. Power starts down low and affords a linear pull all the way through the rev range before gradually signing off just before the LT's redline. It's pretty impressive, allowing ycm to either short-shift or rev it up for spirited riding, whichever you ·choose. At speed is where the LT is qui te at home, thank you. With the 80mmlonger wheelbase, straight-line stability is - as it should be - without question. The mammoth K will run down the road arrow-straight, unlike any touring rig we've ever ridden, even at tripledigit speeds. And yet, despite its limousine length, the LT's steering is surprisingly precise; throw the LT into a sweeping turn, and it can rail around a comer as well as any &eight train, anyway. It's no K1200RS, but the LT does its darnedest to try to convince you that it could keep up with its more sport-oriented sibling in the twisties. And in faster sweepers, we believe that it could. There's just a certain flow that you fall into when riding the LT through corners. It's like it's almost too easy to believe that you're on a full-up touring rig. That feeling is definitely aided by the suspension, the 5 incl,es of Paralever and 4 inches of Telelever isolating all of the road irregularities on your route, and yet offering more than enough of a "sporting feel" to keep the LT froru feel-. ing wallowy when pushed hard. The ABS-equipped Brembos do their job nicely when the time comes to haul the LT down &om speed as well. Minimal effort invested at the lever yields big dividends in power and feel. Like we said before: precision. 1999 BMW740i 7 series heaven M J::. l:! ... ~ 16 When we came up with the idea of shooting the new BMW K1200LT with one of BMW' 7 series automobiles for our cover, we never dreamed that we would actually be given the opportunity to keep the car for a whole week. But that turned out to be the case, as bad weather and deadline hassles kept us from nailing the cover until one day before the car was to be returned. Sure didn't bother us a bit, as the 740i gave us one more mance to dip into the lap of luxury BMW-style. While our loaner is considered to be one rung below the top-ofthe-line 75Oi, that's okay for two reasons: 1) Our LT was an Icon model, one rung below the top-notm LT Custom, and 2) the 740i featured the new-for-'99 sport-package option, making for a worthy comparison with the motorcycle. During our short time with the 74Oi, we quickly came to appreciate its aggressive looks, with its low-profile tires mounted on 18-inch Motorsport-issue parallel-spoke wheels. And we loved its performance. Stomping on the throttle unleashed the EFI 4.4-liter V-8. The VANOS variable valve-timing technology utilized in the motor definitely aided in producing excellent torque - 24 ft.-lbs. more than last year's 310 ftAbs. - and propelled the car forward with authority. For the lazy man, the BMW's steptronic five-speed automatic transmission shifted precisely without assistance, but we couldn't resist slipping the shifter into sport mode and banging a few gears ourself. Handling was razorlike for a 4300-pound vel1icle. The 740i's ability to run flat through high-G curves constantly impressed. On the road or in town, the 740's civility was equally admirable, with its endless supply of gadgets and power amenities never ceasing to amaze us (you mean it will do tfwt, too?). We especially loved the Alpine GPS receiver, which could literally tell you where you were, where you wanted to go, and provide you with a digitized map of your route. Of course, as you might have guessed, all of this cOmes at a high price. A 740i such as our loaner carries a price tag of $69,070, making the LT the more affordable, if not more practical, choice. But even if you will never own one, you should take a closer look at BMW's automobiles. They did, and it brought us the K1200LT. And even if you're not a car buff, one ride in the 740i ought to convince you that BMW's best motorcycles are yet to come.

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