BMW R 1200 C Montauk 2005 — Specifications

Montauk. The name conjures up a lighthouse standing at the tip of Long Island, a New York seaside resort battered by Atlantic winds. Nothing to do with Bavaria, yet it was indeed BMW that chose this name for its custom released in 2004-2005. The BMW R 1200 C Montauk slots into the range between the standard R 1200 C and the oversized R 1200 CL, borrowing the best from each. The chassis and instrumentation come from the CL, but without the saddlebags or the fork-mounted fairing. The styling remains true to the original C, with a small additional headlight to set it apart. The result is a stripped-down cruiser, almost bare, dressed only in a clear windscreen that lets the flat-twin express itself visually. For anyone looking for a used or gebraucht BMW R 1200 C Montauk on the European market, this is the purest of the lineage.

Beneath that boulevard silhouette, the 1170 cc four-valve-per-cylinder boxer twin delivers 61 hp at 5000 rpm and, more importantly, 98 Nm of torque available from just 3000 rpm. Not enough to worry a Harley Sportster 1200 on a quarter mile, but the philosophy lies elsewhere. The dual ignition, carried over from other boxer models in the range, refines combustion and smooths out engine operation. Fuel consumption drops to 4.6 liters per 100 km, providing decent range from the 17.5-liter tank. The five-speed gearbox and shaft drive complete a package designed to eat up miles without getting your hands dirty. The BMW R 1200 C Montauk spec sheet doesn't lie: this is a smooth, low-maintenance engine calibrated for easy-going pleasure.

On the chassis side, the three-piece composite frame uses the engine as a stressed member. The Telelever front suspension, a BMW signature, works with a 150 mm wide tire mounted on a 16-inch rim. It looks great, it's imposing, but maneuverability suffers. In town or on tight, winding roads, the 265 kg wet weight makes itself felt through your wrists. The rear relies on a Monolever single-sided swingarm with a shock whose damping rate progressively stiffens as travel increases. A clever system that partly compensates for the limited 100 mm of travel. Braking, handled by dual discs up front and a single disc at the rear, proves adequate for a machine whose top speed caps out at 168 km/h.

The seat, perched at 790 mm, accommodates most rider sizes without difficulty, and the overall ergonomics encourage cruising rather than hard riding. That's the natural playground for this machine: coastal roads, shaded national highways, Sunday rides with no stopwatch. Up against a Yamaha XV 1600 Wild Star or a Honda VTX 1300, the Montauk plays the card of German build quality and boxer mechanical reliability. The price, set at 14,190 euros in 2005, confirms this premium positioning. For a full test of the BMW R 1200 C Montauk, you have to accept its true nature: it doesn't chase performance but refinement. Reviews of the BMW R 1200 C Montauk consistently agree on this point. It's aimed at easy-going tourers, enthusiasts of fine engineering who prefer the purr of a flat-twin to the rumble of an American V-twin, and who want to ride far without complicated maintenance. A niche, certainly, but a niche where BMW had no real competitor.