User Review of R 1200 RS by P.Maruthi Rao

Drive is through a six-speed gearbox with a wet, anti-hopping, magic clutch, hooked up to a maintenance-free cardan shaft positioned on the left-hand side, as per bmw’s long history.

Unique to the r1200r’s structure is the engine serving as a stressed member, in concert with a new, tubular steel “bridge” frame. The telelever front suspension is unconventionally replaced, for bmw boxers, by a conventional upside-down fork with telescopic 45mm tubes, a la the s1000r. Two versions are available: un-adjustable marzocchi fork legs and a sachs shock with a knob for manual preload adjustability (plus a rebound adjuster), or optional electronic suspension adjustment. With esa, both gold sachs fork tubes have springs, while only the left side has damping and the esa adjustor (but no preload adjuster). The rear has a marzocchi shock with esa preload and damping adjustments. Whether these mixed suspension choices are technical or political, we don’t know.

About the Reviewer

Drive is through a six-speed gearbox with a wet, anti-hopping, magic clutch, hooked up to a maintenance-free cardan shaft positioned on the left-hand side, as per bmw’s long history.

Unique to the r1200r’s structure is the engine serving as a stressed member, in concert with a new, tubular steel “bridge” frame. The telelever front suspension is unconventionally replaced, for bmw boxers, by a conventional upside-down fork with telescopic 45mm tubes, a la the s1000r. Two versions are available: un-adjustable marzocchi fork legs and a sachs shock with a knob for manual preload adjustability (plus a rebound adjuster), or optional electronic suspension adjustment. With esa, both gold sachs fork tubes have springs, while only the left side has damping and the esa adjustor (but no preload adjuster). The rear has a marzocchi shock with esa preload and damping adjustments. Whether these mixed suspension choices are technical or political, we don’t know.

About the Reviewer