The Wet Head First Ride: 2015 BMW R1200RS Global Launch
Ontario, Canada
by David Booth
If the hardest test of both motorcycle and motorcyclist is inclement weather, then BMW’s first ever — and possibly last J — global launch held in Canada was as much of a trial as one can get on a summer ride. Ostensibly summer — we are talking late June, after all — the mercury never got over 14 degrees Celsius, was below 10 degrees for much of the day and the rain alternated between a late fall-like freezing drizzle and an early spring, Christ-when-will-it-stop tsunami. Rain gear — winterized preferably — was mandatory, traction control in “Rain” mode almost as necessary.
BMW R1200RS in blue and white livery 2015 Edition
Prettiest in BMW’s traditional blue and white livery, the 2015 R1200RS is the rebirth of BMW’s sport tourer
Worse, of course, was that all that wetness prevented a true evaluation of BMW’s latest Wet Head, the 2015 R1200RS. There will be no tales — at least truthful — of knee-dragging of top speed limiters from this launch. Survival was the order of the day and anyone who thinks that traction control and anti-lock brakes are unnecessary foofoorahs just hasn’t spent a dreary wet day in Ontario’s Haliburtons.
Designed to be sporty, the R1200RS must carve corners as well as it coddles its rider
That said, what we can determine is that, for reasons that are largely unknown, the R1200RS is the smoothest Boxer ever. I thought my evaluation might have been anomaly, but no, other Canadian moto scribes all voiced the same opinion noting that the RS was noticeably less vibey than the RT or the GS’s using the same engine.
The 1170-cc twin, recently revitalized with 125 horsepower, is the smoothest Boxer ever
BMW’s latest R1200RS follows in a long line of historic sport tourers like the R90S and R100RS
What makes this all the more incredible is that BMW swears all its 1170-cc flat twins are mechanically identical, all least for all their interior hard parts. After much prodding — BMW’s p.r. staff were equally perplexed by the difference — the experts did allow that the RS has a slightly smaller airbox and different exhaust tuning. But that seems decidedly inadequate to explain the vast improvement, this latest Boxer exhibiting none of the high-rpm vibes common to the bread and internally combusting as smoothly as a rubber-mounted four at low speeds. Whatever BMW did to make the RS so civil should be replicated across the line.
Thank God for electronic traction control as the R1200’s 125 horsepower would have overwhelmed the wet conditions
It also makes the RS feel faster than it really is. It is powered, as mentioned, by the same 125 horsepower, 1170-cc Boxer that powers BMW’s other R’s, but because it revs so smoothly, one tends to push it harder and higher than other versions. Performance is as much about accessibility as raw horsepower. The RS is, by far, BMW’s best Boxer yet.
The electronically adjustable D-ESA suspension was a godsend on northern Ontario’s bumpy roads.
We may have not tested tire traction — except wet grip — in our day-long test, but Muskoka’s pot-holed highways and byways certainly put the suspension to the test. And here the RS excelled. Unlike the XR whose suspension adjustments range between stiff and stiffer, the RS’s adjustments actually do have an effect. There’s actually some “give” in the RS’s compression damping making it an ideal bumpy road warrior, a traditional BMW strength.
What is surprising, however, is that the RS doesn't use BMW’s vaunted Telelever front suspenders but rather a more traditional upside-down fork, available, as our testers were, with Munich’s ESA electronically adjustable suspension (available as part of a $1,900 Touring Package). BMW says the reason for the conversion is lighter weight and greater simplicity, but I suspect they are trying to butch up the RS‘s sporting bona fides with the superbike crowd that is still suspicious of funny front ends.
The downside to that emphasis on the sporting side of the equation is that the new RS isn’t as comfortable as previous iterations. The seating position is a little more condensed, putting some strain on old knees (the RS is typically an “old guy’s” sportser). Worse yet, the seat is just terrible, too firm and thin for proper support and sharp enough at its forward edges to bite into your inner thighs. I suspect that not many stock seats will survive past the delivery process. One last niggle is a TFT screen that while high-tech is simply too small adequately read out all the information BMW has tried to cram into its tight confines. I had to take my eyes off the road far too long to get a handle of how many revs the big twin was turning.
In storck form, the passenger seat, like the rider’s perch, can be overly firm
That said, there is potential for comfort there. A new softer, thicker seat and perhaps some bar risers to take the weight off the front of your thighs might be enough to rectify the butt pain. And BMW offers a number of differing seat heights to accommodate one and all. The standard perch puts the rider’s posterior 820 millimetres from terra firma, but options from a low of 760-mm to a high of 840-mm are available. The adjustable suspension, as I mentioned, is compliance incarnate and the RS’s version of the Boxer Twin simply delicious. ABS and traction control are welcome high-tech safety additions and, as with most BMWs, there’s a full complement of accessories, including engines guards and some sleek hard luggage, available.
The optional hard cases turn the R1200RS into a serious mile-eater
Too focused for some, the $16,725 the new R1200RS may be, but then if you’re looking for more touring comfort, BMW can always direct you towards the R1200RT. Be forewarned, however, it’ll probably vibrate more.
BMW R1200RS World Launch in Muskoka, Ontario
