BMW R 1200 R 2016 — Specifications

Motorcycle: BMW R 1200 R (2016)

Ask any motorcyclist: in the BMW family, who’s the daddy? The GS, obviously. Who’s the grand touring mom? The RT, without hesitation. But who’s the roadster? Silence in the room. The BMW R 1200 R has long suffered from this paradoxical anonymity, that of a competent motorcycle that no one spontaneously mentions. For this 2016 generation, Munich decided to change the game, not by retouching a few details, but by rethinking the entire proposition.

The first signal is the design. The old R displayed a certain bourgeois dignity, an understated elegance that appealed to its clientele but didn't turn heads in the streets. The 2016 BMW R 1200 R breaks with this heritage. The front headlight abandons the classic round shape in favor of a complex geometric surface, modern to the point of being destabilizing at first glance. The 45 mm inverted telescopic fork, derived directly from the S 1000 RR, takes the place of the historic Telelever. This choice deserves closer examination: the Telelever offered an almost total absence of dive under braking and a very particular feedback, almost surgical. The conventional fork, even of this quality, does not reproduce these sensations. It provides, in exchange, dynamic rigor and sportiness that previous models could not achieve. The sculpted tank, the stepped seat, the refined rear: the entire silhouette pushes forward, towards the road, towards engagement.

The 1170 cm3 liquid-cooled boxer engine, the same one that the R 1200 GS inaugurated in the range, develops 125 horsepower at 7750 rpm and 125 Nm of torque at 6500 rpm. Compared to the previous generation, that's 15 extra horsepower on the scale. Vertical intake and exhaust, the 6-speed gearbox integrated into the block, the wet clutch with anti-dribble function: the whole forms a coherent, reliable propulsion group, the characteristics of which are now well documented by all those looking for a used BMW R 1200 R after years of production. It's not a violent engine in the way that the 4-cylinder of the cousin S 1000 R would be. It's an engine that plays on fullness, on mid-range availability, on that oscillating character typical of flat-twins that gives the impression of pushing the road behind you rather than fleeing from it.

The twin-mass frame with bolted rear section, the wheelbase of 1515 mm, the Paralever monobrach on the right, the double 320 mm discs with radial four-piston calipers at the front: all of this builds a coherent machine, serious in its dynamic intentions. The ergonomics follow the same logic, with four seat heights available around the standard 790 mm, which allows to accommodate very different builds. The BMW R 1200 R LC, as it is called to distinguish this liquid-cooled generation from previous versions, weighs 231 kg fully fueled. That's eight kilos more than its predecessor, an addition that is fully explained by the water-cooled engine specifications and onboard electronics.

On this last point, BMW has built a list of options that can quickly inflate the bill. The new BMW R 1200 R price was set at 13,550 euros in base version, a rate already serious compared to the Ducati Monster 1200 or Triumph Speed Triple. But add the Pro Riding Modes, Dynamic ESA, the shifter, heated grips, an R 1200 R BMW fairing, a top case R 1200 R BMW, and cruise control, and you cheerfully cross 16,000 euros. That's the BMW game: the base motorcycle is well equipped, ABS, ASC and two riding modes being delivered as standard, but the appetite of a premium clientele is nourished à la carte. Those looking today for a 2016 BMW R 1200 R, or comparing with a 2017 or 2018 BMW R 1200 R, know that the level of optional equipment varies considerably from one unit to another and strongly influences the prices observed on the used market.

This R 1200 R is aimed at an experienced motorcyclist who wants a versatile machine, capable of swallowing 400 kilometers in a day without martyrizing the back, but sharp enough to have fun on a winding road. It is not a machine for beginners, nor for track riders. It is for those who have outgrown the phase of pure hysteria and are looking for a motorcycle with which to build a lasting relationship. The fact that the 2015, 2016, 2017 and 2018 BMW R 1200 R model years are still actively traded several years after their production says something about the solidity of this proposition.