| BMW K1200S |
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| Wednesday, 01 February 2006 | ||
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by Steve Bond http://www.motorcyclemojo.com
Let me get this straight - I can take this motorcycle on those public roads and ride as fast as I want?
The motorcycle is a technological showpiece. Not only does it incorporate trick bits derived from BMW's Formula 1 experience, but the 1200S also has a fancy Duolever twin wishbone front end and suspension that's electrically adjustable from the handlebar with a touch of a button. I set it at "comfort" and left it there - it was fine for everything I encountered."If traffic conditions allow - but..." I knew there had to be a catch. "Please, use your mirrors." Not to check for Polizei mind you, just to make we didn't get run over by any Porsches or 7-series BMWs cruising at Warp 9. With this in mind, I hit the starter button and headed for Germany's fabled autobahn on BMW's revolutionary high performance motorcycle, the K1200S. Five years in development, the K1200S was introduced to the world press during the last week of July in Munich, Germany. In a complete engineering about-face, BMW developed the first high-revving, powerful (a claimed 167 horsepower), transverse mounted inline four-cylinder engine in its history. To get the center of gravity, weight distribution and intake port configuration they wanted, BMW engineers mounted the engine low in the frame and tilted the cylinder bank forward at a radical 55-degree angle. This permitted the aluminum frame rails to curve over (rather than around) the cylinder head, keeping the center of gravity low and the motorcycle narrow. Weight reduction was also a priority and the 1200S weighs only 248kg (545 pounds) complete with oil in the sump and a full tank of fuel. The motorcycle's front suspension is based on the Hossack (I always thought a Hossack was a Russian cavalryman) design. The twin wishbone, girder type suspension has a single shock, is very rigid and offers several advantages over standard telescopic forks. There is absolutely no stiction and damping, spring rates and steering geometry remain constant throughout the wheel travel. The steering was a touch heavy at slow speeds and had only a slight tendency to "stand up" in the middle of a turn while braking (granted a bit later and harder than I should have - ahem). This generation of BMW's servo-assisted, linked ABS system is the best yet by far. The servo boost (which I normally don't like) is not as blatant on the 1200S as other models and the brakes even function with the key in the "off" position - reassuring when just moving the bike around. The 320mm front discs provide incredible stopping power, even at triple-digit speeds, while giving the rider excellent feedback and feel. The riding position is very comfortable and even my stork-like 36-inch inseam was easily accommodated. With a 1571mm (61.8 inch) wheelbase, the motorcycle is fairly long, but on several occasions I easily pulled feet-up, U-turns on narrow two lane roads. The minute my group hit the autobahn, they initiated top speed testing and I lost contact with them in traffic. I really should have consulted my maps beforehand but foolishly thought we were going to stay together. I ended up about 40 kilometers past the first scheduled turn and had to double back. The silver lining in this cloud was that I got an extra 80 klicks of high-speed autobahn motoring with Kraftwerk's "Fun, fun, fun on the Autobahn" playing through my head. In the K1200S' natural habitat, (i.e. speeds that are incredibly illegal in Ontario), the thousands of development hours in the windtunnel paid huge dividends. Even at 240kmh, the 1200S was rock solid and the roomy cockpit was shrouded in relatively still air with very little buffeting around my helmet. Our route was mostly two-lane roads through the German countryside southeast of Munich. If it weren't for the fact that the roads were twisty, hilly and in excellent condition, the farms, bushlots and countryside reminded me very much of southern Ontario. In the twisty stuff, the front end was very responsive and held whatever line I chose. Even in decreasing radius bends, the BMW was so confidence inspiring, I had no problem laying it down farther to tighten the corner. I hooked up with a couple of Swiss journalists and, with judicious interpretation of maps, hand signals and English to German to French translation, we successfully navigated the 250 kilometers to the lunch stop. My bike developed a low-speed throttle glitch that caused rough running under 3000 rpm and random stalling. From 3,500 and up, the thing ran like a fine watch with excellent throttle response and very good power. BMW officials explained that the bikes were pre-production models and they were aware that some examples had an injection mapping problem. Production has been delayed for a month while engineers work out the bugs. The K1200S should be in BMW dealers showrooms by October and, with a suggested list of $22,500 (including ABS but not the remote adjustable suspension), it's several thousand less than I anticipated and certainly in the ballpark for such a capable, high-speed, sport tourer. MMM "Steve Bond is the motorcycle columnist for the Saturday Toronto Star Wheels section and freelances for a number of other publications." Related Articles:Motorcycle Helmet SafetyThe new BMW R 1200 S and information about the K1200 GT and F800 ST Exhaust Sampling Tool K 1200 R Named 2005 Motorcycle of the Year 2006 Aprilia Lara Croft Does Monster Deal With Ducati How to Improve the Ride and Suspension Performance of Cruiser Motorcycles |
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| Last Updated ( Saturday, 29 March 2008 ) | ||
