BMW R 1250 R

Built:2019-24201920202021202220232024

Photos: Motorradtest.de

The BMW R 1250 R is something like the ideal image of all Naked bikes. Together with the Ducati Monster 1200 and others, it embodies the sheer power and is always faster than you want to ride with a bike of this type. So it is sufficiently unreasonable what else it can do, the test clarifies.

Full equipment is expensive

First of all, the author of these lines is not an outspoken BMW fan, but rather unemotional towards the Bavarians. And I think boxer engines are especially great when they are installed in the butt of a Porsche 911.

In any case, this was the case until I was part of the test team of the then new GS 1250. But I don't want to pre-empt my mission, let's look at the standing bike first. BMW's GS series has been the king of registration statistics for years. The simple R, on the other hand, is not even in the top 20, 13 times more GS than R are sold. The R is a Naked Bike as from the picture book, it was not to be expected otherwise. Without a single extra, the fast-paced car costs 13,850 euros, but you can forget this info right away. The BMW driver loves it with all his drums, and BMW shareholders love him for that. If the customer gives in to his urge to fully equip - and very, very many do - 18,095 euros are on the bill.

Of course you don't need to do the whole thing, the wonderful TFT display as well as the connection to the smartphone are series. However, the whole driving modes, the cornering light as well as the different mappings are quite nice in practice.

Dream engine

The pressure on the starter button and the following first meters make it happen: Even if you prefer the bös bollering V2, you have to enviously acknowledge that BMW has designed a dreamlike engine with the Shift-Cam-Boxer. The imperceptibly adjusting inlet valves characterize this engine, which BMW actually attests to only 136 hp. And felt? No joke, even 170 hp I would believe at any time. From only 1,000 tours, the BMW masters the acceleration, from 2,000 tours the fun begins, from 3,000 revolutions you should hold firm. The vehicle goes off as if there was no tomorrow, the engine always shovels too much power on to the road.

The 125 Nm maximum torque of the old 1200 engine has become 143 Newton meters in the 1250. These push the 240 kilos of live weight confidently forward. Despite the rather high weight, the R 1250 R is by no means cumbersome. She can do the cornering and hardly sets herself up even when braking hard, but she doesn't encourage it. However, this is not so much due to the kilos, but to the comfortable basic tuning of the motorcycle. Thus, even in the dynamic position of the chassis, the biker does not rattle his teeth, the BMW can not be carried away to undue shocks even on bad roads.

On the other hand, the Quickshifter is rather dispensed. Especially when switching down, it does not work as confidently as the rest of the engine, whereby the gearbox gradation has succeeded in itself.