BMW K 1200S

                                                         BMW K 1200S

Hyper-sports touring motorcycle. One of the latest BMWs and that means it’s a seriously sorted motorcycle. The BMW K1200S has Suzuki GSX-1300R Hayabusa rivalling power but comfort and practicality too. Some radical engineering and plenty of proven technology. The latest Japanese hyper motorcycles are edging again on power – but the BMW K1200S is never short of shove.

Ride Quality & Brakes4 out of 5

Never one to shy away from innovation, the BMW K1200S uses another new system for front suspension. A single shock does the work which linkages transfer the forces. The theory is it separates braking and cornering forces – which is does. It’s brilliant everywhere except a racetrack and the motorcycle is still acceptable there.

Engine4 out of 5

After decades of obstinance, the BMW K1200S has BMW’s first across-the-frame four motorcycle engine – the layout the Japanese motorcycle manufacturers have used to dominate motorcycling. And it works. Low down torque is plentiful, midrange and top end power are excessive in the BMW K1200S. You’ll need an autobahn and big balls to get the BMW K1200S' throttle on the stop. The motorcycle's gearbox is awkward when hot.

Build Quality & Reliability4 out of 5

Few motorcycles shrug off winter better than a BMW motorcycle. That said a BMW K1200S will still need regular attention to keep it looking shiny. Shaft drive means less maintenance and expense.  A few used motorcycles seemed to have suffered from vibration and quite high oil consumption. Thoughtful ownership of the BMW K1200S and to-the-book servicing may prevent this.

Well designed and striking in yellow and black colour scheme

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Making a bike go fast though is a relatively easy engineering task. Making it stop safely is a trickier matter. Thankfully the BMW has some of the best brakes ever fitted to a bike. The combination of servo assisted brakes linked front to back with the revolutionary Telelever suspension fills the rider with immense confidence. Riding the next day through the twisties of mountainous Wales, even in the wet, the bike never felt anything less than 100% planted. The brakes and suspension are so good that I found myself braking deeper and deeper into corners. The bike always held its line without a twitch from either end

Excellent headlights and vibration free mirrors

BMW market the bike as a true sports bike, capable of hustling the best of the Japanese opposition. The truth is that it’s a bit compromised to really give the R1’s, Gixers and Fireblade’s a true run for their money. The riding position, while sporty, does not lend itself naturally to knee down track days and it’s hard to see this BMW tempting significant numbers of sports bike mad Brits away from the big three Japanese manufacturers. But for older riders who want exhilarating performance, with a dash of practicality and comfort then this bike makes a good case for test riding alongside its more obvious competition, the Suzuki Hayabusa, Honda Super Blackbird and Kawasaki ZX12R.

Totally planted front end instils rider confidence

Ever since picking up the Beemer I feared that at some point I might have a conversation with an officer of the Queen’s highway. With 170 bhp on tap, rock solid stability at high speeds and good wind protection this big bike has never made travelling well in excess of the national speed limit so enticing or so easy. And so it comes to pass that while travelling on the M5 South West to Cornwall I spend some time on the hard shoulder receiving an instructive, if not particularly welcome, lecture on the perils of high speed motorway riding on a busy Friday evening. 20 minutes later, with three points added to my licence and sixty quid the lighter I resume my journey towards the coast at a more sedate pace. 70mph, 100mph shy of the bike's top end, has never felt so slow.

BMW bike review would be complete without some reference to the idiosyncratic nature of the brand. They do things differently. Take the indicators, rather than being on a toggle switch, they have their own switches, one for left, one for right and a third to cancel. But after 1000 miles it felt natural and I started to wonder why all bikes don’t do this.

Excellent clocks, plus trick dash including a tank range and gear indicator

The duo lever front suspension throws traditional fork compression systems out of the window. The result is a poised and stable front end, even under heavy loading. Many BMWs, including this one, are shaft driven, doing away with all the hassle of lubricating chains and replacing them every 15,000 miles. Reviews tend to point these out as negatives, but an alternative view is that these innovations are pushing motorcycle safety, design, and engineering forward. The only real niggle with the bike was the recalcitrant gearbox, which became aggravatingly notchy when hot.

The sexiest thing on Polzeath beach?

First off the BMW is expensive. Over £10,800 on the road, and that’s before the cost of options such as Electronic Suspension and bespoke panniers – the very things that mark the bike out from the competition. And there’s another problem too. The bike is so competent, so refined, so easy to ride that it suffers a bit from being, well, slightly dull. It’s a little bit like driving a car - safe, solid, reliable. There’s precious little charisma. Sure the bike’s engine has oodles of power, but it just lacks character.

London, Doncaster, Wales, Bristol, Cornwall. 1500 miles over 5 days. With ease

Then there’s the vexed question of styling and design. I liked its looks, especially in the attractive black, grey and yellow paint job, and with its matching wheels it attracted plenty of attention on the beach down in Cornwall, albeit from slightly older riders. But to some it looked slab sided and typically Teutonic. But for well heeled bikers looking for a hugely competent motorcycle that does most things extremely well, then the big BM is well worth a closer look at.

Take a look at our test routes

We planned our journey using Windows Live Local and here we've included details of the demanding roads we used to put the BMW through its paces.

Buxton to Macclesfield

Welshpool to Brecon, Wales

Polzeath (Cornwall) to Camelford 

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