BMW R1200R R1150R/T F800 K1200R R1100R/T R1250R RnineT Message Board

I got my copy of MCN yesterday and the R12R was the featured bike.

It obviously was a honest, informative & accurate evaluation of the bike---it mirrored my opinion!

The negatives:

They felt the shocks were harsh over rough pavement and wished Ohlins were an option like the S.

They thought the seat wasn't all day comfortable. Personally, it's always taken me a month or so to get used to a new seat (except on my ADV). But this is an easy fix for long distance tourers.

The positives:

Everthing else. Brakes, handling, engine, ergos, protection, stability, acceleration, quality, gauges, looks, etc.

They commented in the conclusion, that depending on how you set it up, it could be a comfortable sport bike, sport - tourer or touring bike.

I have a 12 GS ADV, which suits my purposes best. Wifey owns the R12R. IMO the R12R is the best allround streetbike I have ever ridden. Period. The Tuono is as good a comfy twisty sports tool but loses out once you consider the other roles the R can play better.

MCN in the recent past has been slightly down on BMW's probably 'cause of the servo's. Not with the R. Course, no servo's.

I'm becoming an advocate for this bike. People should take the damn thing out for a demo. Bring a check book.

I would agree that the first impression of the bike is that the shocks are stiff. I turned down the rear preload to the "standard" calibration mark and that helped the ride on the rear. The shocks also seem to wear in a bit. I am just at 1000 miles and the ride is not bad for me now. I drive a Chevy Tahoe 4x4 diesel with the heavy duty suspension, so stiff rides are not really a problem. Ohlins will probably be on the upgrade list so things can be adjusted.

Seat fits me fine and I have no gripes compared to some bikes I have ridden over the years.

This is still one fine bike.

If you ride one be prepared to write a deposit check ASAP when you get back. You WILL be purchasing it!

Doug