MotorBikes: BMW K1200R SportBMW's latest in the K Series range had, reports Conor Twomey, the power and comfort to inspire confidence
Having collected the BMW K1200R Sport on Friday evening, I thought I had a long weekend of fun stretching out before me, but it wasn't until Monday afternoon, a few hours before the bike was due to go back, that I actually managed to take it out for a proper spin.
The K1200R Sport isn't the kind of bike you get to know on slippery roads during a downpour, so I elected to wait for a break in the weather before unleashing the beast. Big mistake.
The respite was so long coming, I almost didn't get to cover my test route, so I'm currently burning the midnight oil to file my review on time. If you're reading this, then I guess I made it.
To be honest, if I was back again I wouldn't do things any differently. The K1200R is the fourth model in the popular K Series range, and is basically the naked K1200R fitted with a bikini fairing, so it's not really a machine to be trifled with.
It's powered by the same water-cooled, four-valve 1,157cc in-line four-cylinder engine and produces an identical 163hp and 127Nm of torque, so we know it's got serious pace in the right conditions. Speed builds in a significant way from as little as 3,000rpm and, after a little breather between 6,000rpm and 7,000rpm, continues right the way up to the 10,500rpm redline, gear after gear, so a top speed approaching 270km/h seems very plausible indeed.
More significantly, the engine has an extremely fat torque band and is uncannily flexible for a sporty bike, chugging along happily in traffic in fourth gear, and overtaking lumbering lorries in top gear, with little more than a flick of the wrist.
It also makes a fantastic noise, a kind of hard-edged howl combined with a curious whine, that makes it sound a bit like a Messerschmidt in a dive. The sensation isn't dissimilar either, an assault on the senses and real kick in the adrenal glands at full throttle.
But as fast as the K1200R Sport is, it's not a scary bike (in the dry at least). The long wheelbase means it stays fantastically stable over the worst of bumps and undulations, while the Duolever front suspension does an incredible job of isolating the front of the bike from the worst Irish road surfaces.
The rear suspension was wound up to its hardest setting when I got it, which did make the back end a little skittish through damp, bumpy corners but when softened up a little bit, it was a much better companion for the super-refined front end.
On the motorway or along flowing secondary roads, the K1200R Sport is exceptional, and the ergonomics are fantastic for such a focused machine - this is a bike you could ride hard all day long and not get tired or cramped up.
Despite its undoubted competence, though, the K1200R Sport left me a little cold. With its R1200S headlamps it lacks the visual drama of the naked K1200R and, to ride, it's almost too slick for its own good.
The front suspension isolates you from the roughness to such an extent, you've really no idea how the front tyre and road are really getting along.
The brakes are savagely powerful, and with ABS, you can brake so late it almost defies the laws of physics. It almost never gets twitchy, even when hard on the anchors, and it's also terribly forgiving of poor gear choices or mid-corner corrections.
It's robotic competence means big speeds are required to generate excitement, and that's not really a good thing, unless you intend to take it to the track or have no desire to possess a licence anymore.
I also found the gearbox a little clunky, the fairing looks unfinished (you can see the indicator wires inside the faring from a distance) and it's very expensive - €16,300 without the must-have ABS, which is an additional €1,230.
So, while I was initially quite apprehensive of the K1200R Sport, by the end of my afternoon, I felt quite at home atop the beast. It's just one of those bikes that inspires confidence, flatters the rider and makes short work of long, hard rides. It's a great piece of engineering, don't get me wrong. I just like to work a little harder for my kicks.
Factfile BMW K1200R Sport
ENGINE:1,157cc liquid-cooled, 4-valve, four-stroke, in-line fourcylinder
OUTPUT:163hp @ 10,250rpm, 127Nm @ 8,250rpm
PERFORMANCE:268km/h top speed
TRANSMISSION:6-speed gearbox, wet clutch
FRAME:Cast aluminium "bridge-type" frame with load-bearing engine
DIMENSIONS:Length: 2,228mm, Width: 856mm,Wheelbase: 1,455mm Seat Height: 820mm
WEIGHT:215kg dry
FRONT SUSPENSION:BMW Duolever, central strut
REAR SUSPENSION:Cast aluminium single-sided swingarm, BMW paralever, fully adjustable monoshock.
WHEELS:10-spoke alloy wheels, 17-inch
TYRES:Front 120/70 ZR17, Rear 180/55 ZR 17
BRAKES:Four-piston calipers, double 320 mm front discs; two-piston caliper 645 mm rear disc.
PRICE:€16,300