BMW R 1250 RT

Built:2019-24201920202021202220232024

The new BMW R 1250 RT is one of the little remaining real touring motorcycles. Unlike GS & Co., it relies more on the luxurious motorway stage than on stick and stone. The latest model from 2021 has been upgraded by BMW with a lot of technology, including a huge display. It is precisely this model that motorradtest.de has examined.

This is how it stands

Boy, boy, what a ship! This is the first sentence that Markus slips away as if by himself, when we are standing in front of the test machine. You can literally see how she's going to drive herself. A glance at the data sheet, however, catches the eye: Only 1.48 m wheelbase? You can be curious how this will feel in curves - but more on that later. First of all, we circle the newly renovated RT and enjoy the newly drawn lamp mask. This is where LED technology and sleeklines now reign. In principle, however, the front view is still just as impressive as the previous model. Our test bike has a surcharge-based cornering light, whereby the main headlight is mechanically swivelled like a Citroen DS.

 

A 10.25-inch TFT colour display now rules in the cockpit. It is the biggest display we have ever been able to admire on a motorcycle. It is anti-reflective, easy to read and also masters a split-screen mode, in which the normal displays on the left are supplemented by a right column, on which e.B. the on-board computer can be displayed or the arrow navigation transmitted via smartphone. Super is the electronically adjustable windshield. With our test machine in the "Style Sport" variant, this sign is slightly smaller, but nevertheless ensures a very good wind protection even on the highway. Nevertheless, with a tourer like RT, we would always choose the larger standard disc to make it even quieter.

Well, then we swing ourselves on the mopped. The seat height can be varied from 760 to 850 mm depending on the bench. You sit surprisingly well integrated in the machine. And you immediately notice when manoeuvring: it's hard. 279 kg ready to drive, to be precise. This is not for the faint-hearted or people. It may be that this no longer plays a role during the journey, but unfortunately you have to stop sometimes.

Then let's start the engine. Pleasant and familiar, the boxer blubbers in front of him. Beautifully dry, fits well with RT. Do we still feel a little bit about swinging from left to right at the gas? Yes, but not as it used to be - a pity. The machine glides from Dannen, drives itself. The cruise control works perfectly, even the new ACC has no puzzles. Display and operation are intuitive and everything works as you imagine: If the front man delays, the front man gets faster again, accelerates the machine again to the preset cruiser speed. Such an ACC is already a chic thing and makes sense especially at long motorway stages. However, it should not cause the driver to become inattentive, i.e. be careful.

The new RT also makes a good impression when anchoring. Brake good, all good. The machine can be brought to a standstill quickly with little hand power. However, almost 280 kg plus the driver and luggage and possibly the passenger still want to be braked with foresight. Even the excellent full-integral braking system of RT cannot wipe away the limits of physics. This can also be seen during the corner: Although the RT is quite manoeuvrable, the many kilograms have to be around the corner first. This is a bit different than with a 190 kg Naked bike.

 

Nevertheless, as a driver, one is surprised how nimble the RT is around the corners. This is mainly due to the clever chassis geometry with the short wheelbase and the low centre of gravity of the boxer engine. It just feels classy: stable, confident and yet agile. By the way, it reminds us more of the adventure than the normal GS - and less of the RS, which wants to drive straight.

The positive acceleration feels really impressive if the pounds here. The ShiftCam Boxer pushes and pushes and pushes. Especially when overtaking with the passenger and luggage, it is reassuring to know so much strength among the very best. The engine is also unchanged compared to GS, RS and R. So that means 136 hp and especially 143 Nm at 6,250 rpm!