R1200R Being Discontinued

[Mollygrubber]

Ah, it's just a blip fellas. Keep the faith. My dealer's been pretty good, and BMW NA has been responsive enough when I had financing issues. I suspect it's like turning an oil tanker, takes a while for the noise from the faithful to reach the ears of the captain.

Peter

[lewellen]

If true, I'm actually surprised it hasn't happened more quickly. :-/

Since, oh, the late 80's or early '90's, standard-style motorcycles don't have a very good sales track record in the US. While many people *say* they want bikes like, oh, the '93-'95 Honda CB1000, not many people actually buy them when they are released.

Often this is because the "naked" bike is a stripped, "cheaper"-ed version of a sportbike: use a tube frame, take off the bodywork, detune the engine, replace the good shocks & springs with bargain-bin non-adjustable units and call it a standard.

Then they wonder why it doesn't sell.

Not that BMW did this with the R1200R, necessarily. But I suspect it's also because bikes have both become more expensive, and more of a recreational purchase than a basic form of transportation. A standard's a great all-around choice but not necessarily what most people would buy if they're going to be riding 99% of the time for pleasure only, and don't have to do a lot of "utility" riding like going to work, grocery shopping, etc. In that case, what you probably want is a rapier, or a saber saw, or a Snap-On screwdriver ... not a Swiss army knife.

Good roads,

- Lewellen

[ff73148]

Hey I own a 1994 Honda CB1000. Great bike!

[TT RDHS]

Hey I own a 1994 Honda CB1000. Great bike!

I had one too!

[LumpyCam]

Don't forget there's also a roadster-ish concept bike that will doubtless see the light of day under some guise. I doubt it will replace what we like about the R1200R, but BMW may see it as an opportunity to capture the market looking for more sentimentality than function.

[celticus]

That bike would be totally impractical for me but I like the way it looks. It’s hoodlumesque front end.

Mark

[Mollygrubber]

That's pretty.

But my luggage would catch fire...

And my pillion would sue my ass off (after theirs grew back).

[ka5ysy]

Now we know what a Harley Sportster looks like with a Boxer engine

[Mollygrubber]

pShhh... sportsters WISH they looked anything like that...

[Talon Six]

I posted my story over on the BMWMOA forum, so I apologize for the repost if you've already read my tale.

Last summer CINCHOME authorized me to upgrade my 2006 F650GS; not an easy feat given that she's a nurse and has the typical medical aversion to risky activity - we've agreed to disagree since riding makes me happy, and me happy makes her happy. The GS was my first bike and my skills have finally gotten to the point where I felt I could handle a larger motorcycle. So as I was prepping my F650 for sale, I fell in love at first sight with the Granitgrau Metallic R1200R that Alamo BMW had in the window during one trip down there to the dealership. I made an appointment for the next weekend to test ride the R1200R and of course the damn nanovirus infected me like everyone else. What an amazing ride that was! It took about three days for the smile to come off my face. Convinced I'd found my next new motorcycle, I put the GS on sale and sold it off of Craigslist a mere three days after initially posting the sale. I went motorcycleless for the next five weeks before I deployed, content in the knowledge that there'd be a sweet R12R on the other end waiting for me.

Fast forward to January 2010. I'd been poring over the internet during my off duty time here at Bagram and had composed my list of most wanted options for the R12R. I sent out a feeler to a couple of dealers in Texas and my old dealership in SATX came back with the best offer on a custom built 2010 R12R. I plopped a down payment on them, signed the purchase order, and began the waiting game. This was 21 Jan 10.

About two weeks later I first saw the rumor that the R12Rs would no longer be produced over on BMWMOA forums. I sent a panicked email to my dealer and asked the status of my order. My dealer reported that BMW had accepted the order and he was just waiting for a production date. About two weeks after that I checked again to find out what the deal was and my dealer reported that the rumor was apparently true; no more R12Rs would be produced for 2010.

He did some looking around and found a couple of options for me. The only R12Rs he could find with ABS was a 2010 blue R12R up in Dallas and a 2009 white one that was still in the crate up in Joisey. Neither had all the options I originally specced out since I had everything but the low suspension, the chrome exhaust and the tail-mounted cappucino machine on the bike. While I wasn't crazy about the Alpinweiss color, the difference in price would have made me pretty dang stupid to not accept the deal offered to me on the 2009 R12R - with the February promotion, the dealer's discount, and my military discount, the bike wound up being a little over 20% off MSRP.

So I've been scrambling the last few days getting paperwork signed, DHL'd, and scanned with a zillion emails to my dealer, but I'll have a very nicely equipped Alpinweiss R12R waiting for me in three weeks-ish when I get back from Afghanistan. All in all it's been a purchasing adventure (okay maybe a drama).

[cwrose]

...Granitgrau Metallic ... Alpinweiss ... Alpinweiss R12R...

Lol, I think all of us who chose the fastest color are going to have to start calling it Nachtschwarz instead of black. More true to it's roots perhaps.

But more to the point, congrats on your steal of a deal. After reading your options, it would have been hard to pass up the beautiful and seductive Biarritz Blue, but nabbing almost 20% off MSRP on a brand new bike isn't too bad either. Any planned modifications once you return from Afghanistan?

More on topic, as well, I think they'll always be a place in everyone's garage for a naked bike. They emit an aura of rowdiness and have such an exuberant personality.

[Talon Six]

Biarritz blue was actually among my first choices, but like I mentioned, the 2009 offer was phenominal.

Any planned modifications once you return from Afghanistan?

Doh! How could I have forgotten the farkle plans??

- Topcase & mount (aka the Baggage Porter)
- BMW Nav IV
- Tall windshield
- Comfort seat
- Leo Vince SDK titanium exhaust
- LED turn signals
- LED taillight
- Requisite "Bitte ein Bit" sticker (just need to find a good location for it)

The dealer's installing the Nav IV and the windshield, but I'll get to install everything else, which I am seriously looking forward to. My 5 y/o son loves helping me "fix the motorcycle" on Saturday afternoons - this usually entails him sticking screwdrivers in every orafice on the motorcycle (had to fish one out of the F650's exhaust pipe once), but it's always fun for both of us. He's a great little helper.

The delicate balance I'm going to have to strike is when will be the appropriate time after I get back to ask my wife to drive me over to the BMW place to pick up my new bike? I miss her and the little guy like crazy, but she knows I miss riding too and have a new motorrad waiting for me. This will be an interesting exercise in patience for me...

Edited for spelling - brain works faster than my fingers from time to time

[cwrose]

Any planned modifications once you return from Afghanistan?

The dealer's installing the Nav IV and the windshield, but I'll get to install everything else, which I am seriously looking forward to. My 5 y/o son loves helping me "fix the motorcycle" on Saturday afternoons - this usually entails him sticking screwdrivers in every orafice on the motorcycle (had to fish one out of the F650's exhaust pipe once), but it's always fun for both of us. He's a great little helper.

I won't keep this off topic for too long, but is your dealer charging for the windscreen installation? If so, I would highly recommend nixing that and installing it yourself. It's a breeze, only takes about 5 minutes, maybe a few more the first time around.

[Talon Six]

Dealer's not charging for the installation of any of that stuff.

[xcell1600]

Great bike, great buy and thank you for your service to our country!!!!!

[Mollygrubber]

Have fun Matt, you'll love it.

Peter

[Talon Six]

UPDATE: My new motorrad is in and paid for (I think I'll call it "Heike die Weissrakete"). The dealership sent me pics and now time passage has come to a screeching halt since I won't be able to pick it up until the 29th.

Can anyone host a picture for me? The gubbermint has all the photosharing sites blocked for fear that we may show the world what a lovely vacation spot Afghanistan makes.

[cwrose]

UPDATE: My new motorrad is in and paid for (I think I'll call it "Heike die Weissrakete"). The dealership sent me pics and now time passage has come to a screeching halt since I won't be able to pick it up until the 29th.

Can anyone host a picture for me? The gubbermint has all the photosharing sites blocked for fear that we may show the world what a lovely vacation spot Afghanistan makes.

PM sent.

[Talon Six]

Thanks Chris. Unfarkled photos posted in the Photo Gallery...

[deilenberger]

Just a quick update - I have it on good authority (some people know why I say it that way..) that the R1200R will be available in a 2011 model. One might expect to see the new OHC engine on it.

And that's all I can say about that.