VOL. 52 ISSUE 30 JULY 28, 2015 P51
is this new RS? A sportbike? A
tourer? A commuter? A sport
tourer? Truth is, it's all three,
and despite these sub-genres
becoming ever more special-
ized, the R 1200 RS success-
fully mushes them all together
to create a caramel/chocolate/
marshmallow-tasty motorcycle.
Let us not forget the RS is
basically an R 1200 R with a
fairing. The two machines were
developed alongside each
other and share the same basic
hardware in terms of chassis
and engine, which is now the
ALL IN THE
DISPLAY
The TFT-display on the R 1200
RS holds an incredible amount
of information in a view that's
different than BMWs of the past.
It's also light sensitive, meaning it
will change color as the ambient
light alters from day to night.
The TFT-display can be shown
in three different display op-
tions—Full Mode (odo, rpm, riding
mode, gear position), Sports Mode
(reduces info to revs, riding mode
and gear position) and Tour Style
(swaps rev display for digital
speed with a larger fuel gauge).
finest flat-twin, feeding a
STANDARD MODE
SPORTS MODE
TOUR MODE
water/air-cooled boxer twin found
originally on the 2013 R 1200 GS.
Subtle changes to the air intakes,
airbox and silencer mean you get
a little more poke off the bottom-
end than a GS, but that's about
where the differences end.
So you have 1170cc of BMW's
TO RIDE
A BOXER
IS TO
SUCCUMB TO
A MINDSET. ITS
ACOUSTICS DO
NOT INDUCE
VISIONS OF TT
LAP RECORDS,
NOR DO THEY
TRANSLATE
TO A MIDDLE
FINGER TO
THE LAW.
