BMW R 1250 RT 2019 — Specifications

Imagine ten thousand kilometers stretching before you, a notebook full of winding roads, and the absolute certainty that your mount won’t let you down. That’s exactly the promise kept by the BMW R 1250 RT since its launch in 2019, and it keeps that promise with an almost arrogant conviction. At €19,700 for the base version, one is entitled to expect something well-executed. One isn't disappointed.

The real subject of this generation is the Boxer. Not its size, not its silhouette, which is almost unchanged from the previous 1200, but what beats beneath the cylinder heads. BMW has increased the displacement to 1,254 cc by playing with the bore and stroke, but the operation would have been unremarkable without the addition of a variable valve timing system called ShiftCam. The principle is precise: two camshaft profiles per valve on the intake side, switched electronically according to engine speed. At partial load, the filling is optimized in the low RPM range; at full opening, the 136 horsepower at 7,750 rpm and especially the 143 Nm at 6,500 rpm are released. This massive torque, available over a remarkably wide RPM range, fundamentally changes the way the motorcycle moves forward. One doesn't rush, one impulses. The BMW R 1250 RT doesn't have to scream to overtake; it simply rotates the wrist. Consumption is announced at 4.7 liters per hundred kilometers, which theoretically allows for more than 500 kilometers with the 25-liter tank. On the highway, with a headwind, count a little less, but range remains a real strength for long-distance touring.

Facing the Yamaha FJR 1300 and its lively inline four-cylinder, the Bavarian Boxer plays a different score. Less sonic liveliness, more mechanical roundness. It’s a matter of culture as much as engineering. The FJR remains a serious alternative, cheaper, more compact, but the BMW R 1250 RT crushes the debate in terms of technology and long-term comfort. Other European touring bikes have left the scene long ago; only this duel remains, and Munich clearly has the advantage of the track record. In terms of BMW R 1250 RT reliability, the accumulated record on the Boxer platform speaks for proven solidity, even if some owners point to problems related to the increasing complexity of electronic systems.

What hasn't changed is the frame. Steel tubular frame, Telelever fork at the front, Paralever arm at the rear, cardan drive. A tried-and-tested assembly, without surprises, which absorbs the kilometers with remarkable consistency. The new-generation ESA, inherited from the GS, adjusts damping in real time according to the load and road surface. The dual-disc braking system with ABS Pro and Dynamic Brake Control stabilizes the machine during emergency stops by intelligently redistributing the effort on the rear wheel. The 279 kg all full are forgotten during acceleration, less when maneuvering in a gas station parking lot. The seat height at 690 mm is one of the lowest in the category, a significant point for average-sized riders who hesitate before purchasing. Those looking for a used BMW R 1250 RT will find examples from the 2020, 2021 and 2022 model years in circulation, with significant price differences depending on the equipment.

Who rides this machine? The long-distance traveler, the active retiree who devours the stages without suffering, the couple who loads the side cases for a month-long itinerary. Not for the track rider, not for the hurried urban dweller. The BMW R 1250 RT is a long-distance locomotive disguised as a motorcycle, and it claims this positioning without complex. The list of options is endless, the catalog price quickly rises with the accessories, and that is precisely what its detractors reproach it for. But it is difficult to dispute the coherence of the result: a touring bike whose every component serves the same objective, to swallow the kilometers with the least effort possible for the rider, and the most pleasure.