2004

24 MOTOR CYCLE NEWS OCTOBER 13, 2004

ROAD TEST

241WHY has BMW withdrawn its K1200S

dealer demonstrators from use, andwhy can’t customers with deposits downget their bikes until the new year?BMW SAYS: Due to the defectivemanufacturing process of a third-partysupplied component (a camshaft), BMWMotorrad will delay customer deliveries ofthe new K1200S. This means customers whohave paid deposits won’t be able to takedelivery before the end of the year.

BMW Motorrad has decided to suspend allK1200S demonstrators until further notice,as wear of the camshaft can cause seriousdamage to the engine. It is important to notethat the quality of performance of thiscomponent is in no way related to the designof the K1200S engine.TREV SAYS: BMW’s continuous testingand evaluation programme picked up that onsome bikes the camshaft lobes were proneto pitting on their working faces. These faces

are surface-hardened and somewhere alongthe line the hardening process has failed.The resulting pits can lead to valves notopening fully. The worst-case scenario iscamshaft debris getting into oilways and theoil filter, or between other lobes causingsevere damage. BMW has no option but toreplace all the offending camshafts. As acompany which prides itself on buildingquality cars and bikes it must be mortified itsreputation is being tarnished this way.

2WHY is it so much heavier than otherbig bikes?

MEASURED WET WEIGHT (FULL TANK, READY TO RIDE)YAMAHA R1 200kg KAWASAKI ZX-12R 228kg HONDA PAN EUROPEAN 340kg (including ABS)BMW K1200S 250kg

TREV SAYS: Pushing it around it feelsheavier than the R1 and so it should, whatwith the shaftdrive weight. It’s easier to pusharound than the obese Pan, and wouldprobably be just as easy to manoeuvre asthe ZX-12R if it wasn’t for the stiff steeringdamper. While riding, the K1200S feelsheaviest of the lot.TAYLOR SAYS: It’s heavy, but I couldget used to it in time, as with any bike.JAMES SAYS: It looks and feels lardyat low speed, which for someone verticallychallenged like me is daunting at first.GREGORY SAYS: It’s lighter than thePan but feels heavier through the steering.Turn the bars when stationary and it feelslike it has a flat front tyre.BMW SAYS: The K1200S is acompletely new bike with no directpredecessor. It has a low centre of gravityand competitive weight against hypersportor sport-tourer bikes – even allowing for theextra weight of the shaftdrive and ABS.

The K1200S is lighter than an ABS-equipped VFR800.

3IS the K1200’s top speedelectronically restricted?

TOP SPEED (MCN TESTED)YAMAHA R1 185.74mphKAWASAKI ZX-12R 185.45mphHONDA PAN EUROPEAN 143.02BMW K1200S 173.34

BMW SAYS: Top speed is not restrictedon the K1200S and neither is the power inindividual gears.

4HOW close are those 167bhp claimsto reality?

REAR WHEEL MEASUREDPOWER (BSD DYNO)

YAMAHA R1 147.9bhpKAWASAKI ZX-12R 152bhpHONDA PAN EUROPEAN 107.3bhpBMW K1200S 143.9bhp

TREV SAYS: Very close. Allmanufacturers’ claimed power figures aremeasured at the crankshaft. If you allow anaverage of 11 per cent power loss throughthe gearbox, clutch, drivetrain and all thebearings in between, the final figure is closerto the rear wheel measurement. In theory,

YOU’LL justhave to waitto ride it

‘I never experienced ahigh-speed weave orthat loose feelingwhen one is about tohappen before or afterthe damper was fitted.Nor did any otherriders I know of’

QUESTIONSEVERYONE’S BEEN ASKING ABOUTBMW’S RADICAL NEW SUPERBIKE

ANSWERED:THE

J BMW K1200S

OCTOBER 13, 2004 MOTOR CYCLE NEWS 25

The launch of the K1200S alsolaunched fierce debate. Here weask BMW, professional rider andpotential buyers to give their verdict

WHEN BMW launchedthe K1200S in July itquickly became oneof the most talkedabout bikes of theyear. Initial

comments were very positive: it’s aradical departure for a manufacturerknown for its solid touring-biasedmachines, it puts the very best ininnovative engineering on a sports bike.

But others weren’t quite so favourable:MCN’s first test of a pre-productionmachine showed up problems including

poorly set-up fuel injection and a veryclunky gearbox. And further problemshave emerged since then.

To answer the question every riderneeds to know the answer to – would Iever trade my bike for one? – we testedthe K1200S against a range of bikes,using a range of riders, plus gave it theusual runs on the dyno, on a high-speedproving circuit and a variety of roads.

Below you’ll find the answers to thebiggest questions about the machinethat not only breaks new ground forBMW, but for superbikes as a class.

the K1200S should make 148.63bhp as theengine loosens up, but that exhaust is sorestrictive we’ll have to wait and see.The R1’s claimed power is 172bhp and theZX-12R’s is 175bhp. BMW SAYS: The 167bhp power figureis measured at the crankshaft.

5HAS all that top end power come atthe cost of usability at lower revs?

TOP GEAR ROLL-ON FROM 40-120MPH (MCN TEST)

SPEED TIME (seconds)(MPH) ZX-12R R1 Pan K1200S

50 1.61 1.92 2.06 1.7060 3.15 3.67 4.21 3.2470 4.70 5.11 6.58 4.6480 6.27 6.36 9.10 6.1790 7.82 7.65 11.74 7.75

100 9.42 9.19 14.50 9.56110 11.11 10.75 17.50 11.43120 12.90 12.30 21.85 13.70

TREV SAYS: No, not that you’d notice.From a rolling start of 40mph the K1200S isquicker than the R1 up to 80mph, it evengets away from the ZX-12R between 70-90mph.

6WHAT aftermarket accessories will beavailable?

TREV SAYS: As the bike is new,

makers of aftermarket screens, exhausts,bodywork and luggage haven’t got to gripswith the bike yet. Exhaust specialists Remusare big into BMW and are reported to beworking on a stainless steel full race exhaust(with removable baffles!).BMW SAYS: Official accessories willinclude unique soft/hard expandable 50-litrepanniers, £431; a choice of two sizes of tankbags (large 20 litre for £150, a smaller 12litre £108.50 for when a Navigator unit is

fitted); centrestand, £135; alarm, £145;heated grips, £175; and Navigator II GPSsystem, £1473.

7 ARE rumours of a high-speed weavetrue?

TREV SAYS: I never experienced ahigh-speed weave or that loose feeling whenone is about to happen before or after thedamper was fitted. Nor did any other riders I

know to have ridden the bike. If the revisedK1200S were to weave now I’d look for afault elsewhere on the bike.BMW SAYS: Not at all with productionbikes.

9 I’D never buy a BMW; should thisbike change my mind?

TREV SAYS: Yes. Despite the

Continues over

THE GUEST TESTERSGARY GREGORYBike: Honda PanEuropeanAge: 40Facts: Gary also ownsa Honda Blackbird, andused to own a FireBlade

STUART JAMESBike: 2004 YamahaYZF R1Age: 40Facts: Stuart owned aKawasaki ZXR750 L1prior to the R1

RICHARD TAYLORBike: 2004 KawasakiZX-12RAge: 41Facts: A big Kawasakifan, owned a ZX-9Rbefore the 12R

BY TREVOR FRANKLIN PICTURES HOWARD BOYLAN

TREV SAYS: On this versionwithout the electronic suspensionadjustment (ESA) the front end feelsremarkably like a normal softly-damped telescopic fork shod bike –you can feel the harshest of bumpsbut the smaller stuff is soaked up.There is a set amount of dive (notdrastic, definitely less than a stock R1)under braking, and this is fine, but I’dprefer even less. The ESA, at an extra£450, allows you to swap betweendifferent suspension set-ups (front andrear) for different types of riding at theflick of a switch and is a realimprovement over fiddly manualadjustment, even allowing you to

adapt the set-up on the move to suitchanging road conditions. The steeringdamper (fitted at the last minute toproduction bikes) has knackered thesharp, quick steering feel felt on thelaunch bikes and needs more riderinput. On fast A-roads the bike nowfeels like a well set-up race bike butwith lazy steering geometry. Stiffeningup the rear shock’s preload to stop therear from sitting so low improves thesteering without affecting thehandling.TAYLOR SAYS: It’s a differentfeel – maybe it’ll be even better thanforks. But based on limited experiencewith them, I prefer the telescopic forks

of my ZX-12R. JAMES SAYS: Feels too vaguefor me – I’d probably shit myself inthe wet although it’s built like anaircraft carrier so it might be moresuited to running through water.GREGORY SAYS: I was a bitworried at first. Just pushing up anddown on the bike the front felt weirdas it went straight down and back up,not like normal bikes where the frontsinks down and forward. After a fewruns I got used to it, but thebike was hard to turninto corners. It’s todo with the stiffsteering damper.

ABS system is a great aid to road riders

8 DOES THATWEIRD FRONT ENDREALLYWORK?

BETTER thanforks? The jury’sout on that one

TREVOR FRANKLINMCN’s chief road tester, Trev has ridden everytype of bike going. He was also one of thefirst people to ride the K1200S back in July.

MCN ROAD TESTER

engine/fuelling problems, dowdy styling andstrange colour scheme it’s a spiritedweapon capable of taking on itscompetitors head on. It is a BMW but not inthe traditional (preconception) sense –144bhp and race-bike-like attitude on openroads is hardly pipe and slipper material.TAYLOR SAYS: No, unless you like amore upright ride.JAMES SAYS: It’s certainly betterthan I’d expected. A lot better. The engine’sgot as much grunt as anyone needs andthe aerodynamics/protection are superb.But no, basically the Germans need to goback to the drawing board.GREGORY SAYS: I’ve never likedBMWs – styling, performance, image – butthat’s me. I’ve had the chance to abuse thisone to see what it can take and I can sayBMW has gone up in my estimations.

11WHAT are the brakes like? Can theABS system beat a skilled rider on a

non-ABS bike?

BRAKING 70-0MPHR1 47.69m PAN 51.93mK1200S 45.20m ZX-12R 50.34m

TREV SAYS: THE brakes are simplysuperb and the figures confirm it. It evenoutbraked our test R1 with a top racer onboard. ABS is so technically advanced nowthat for the vast majority of road riders it isa great aid. And one day it might get to thepoint where race bikes too will have ABS. JAMES SAYS: I didn’t use the brakesto the max. However, hauling the beast upwhile playing on the A-roads the brakesseem very responsive, but could do withmore sensitivity, as I like to use two fingers,not all of them.GREGORY SAYS: Having a similarsystem on my Pan, in my opinion it’s a great

system. I didn’t make use of it on theK1200S but it does need it as the bike’sweight is lower than the Titanic and pushesforward on the brakes.BMW SAYS: In some specificcircumstances, such as dry road conditions,it may be possible for a professional rider tomarginally out-brake an ABS equipped bike– but in the majority of conditions ABS willprovide safety benefits to most riders.

12WILL it hold its value as well asother BMWs?

TREV SAYS: As a rule, BMW ownersdon’t sell their bikes at the end of theseason like the majority of Japanese sportsbike owners. Traditionally, BMWs clock highmileages but hold their secondhand valuewell. There’s no reason to doubt theK1200S will be any different. BMW ownersare also very loyal to the brand, and BMWlooks after its customers – it’s not unusualfor bikes with full service history to havewarranty work undertaken after thewarranty has expired. BMW SAYS: BMW expects residualvalues will be high – and there can be realcash benefits available to owners via lowBMW Insurance rates on offer. Ourspecialist solus dealer network has beenundergoing a major upgrading programmeto offer even better customer support.

13HOW is it most different to otherBMWs?

TREV SAYS: It virtually destroys allpreconceptions of BMW bikes. It handlesand goes like a good one at all angles butretains touches BMW is famed for –comfort with mileage, reliability, etc.BMW SAYS: BMW Motorrad has neverpreviously built such a high performancemotorcycle – and by entering the sportsbike market with a motorcycle of uniquecharacteristics, we have a BMW which canappeal to many more riders in the UK.

14WHAT choice of tyres is there forthe bike?

TREV SAYS: The stock MetzelerSportec M1 tyres have been specificallydesigned for the K1200S – with extrareinforcement on the front tyre andchanges to the compound’s extraingredients. The other BMW-approved tyrespresently available are Bridgestone BT014F-spec, again with differering constructionfrom the off-the-shelf replacement BT014s.Both makes are top of the rangereplacement fast road/sports bike tyres. Mileage is an issue as everyone’s throttlehand moves differently but you’re likely tosee in the region of 2500-4000 miles.Avon, Pirelli, Dunlop and Michelin expect tohave recommended fitments soon.

15ARE there any special servicingneeds related to the bike’s

technology? BMW SAYS: The K1200S requiresroutine-type maintenance only.

16WHY has BMW stuck with ashaftdrive on a sports bike?

BMW SAYS: BMW has developed andrefined our shaftdrive system over manyyears. In its latest lightweight EVO Paraleverversion there is minimal detrimental effecton performance and significant gains interms of low maintenance requirements.

17DOES this new engine and chassismean all the current other K-series

bikes will be phased out?

BMW SAYS: No, not in the foreseeablefuture, as certain models such as theK1200LT luxury tourer will retain thecurrent K-series engine.

18WILL they make an even sportierM version next?

BMW SAYS: The next model variant ofthe K1200 will be the K1200R, the naked160bhp-plus bike MCN revealed inSeptember. This bike is scheduled forlaunch in mid-2005.

19IS it the most versatile motorcycleever built?

TREV SAYS: It can travel distancewith the rider in comfort, but so can a PanEuropean and that has a bigger tank rangeand greater luggage capability. But then aPan can’t be hustled at speed. Honda’sVFR800 is generally known as the best all-rounder, and as the K1200S is morepowerful than that and has lowmaintenance shaftdrive then it’d be fair tosay the K1200S could be the most versatilebike ever. I say could – BMW has to iron outthe bike’s teething troubles first.

26 MOTOR CYCLE NEWS OCTOBER 13, 2004

ROAD TEST

TREV SAYS: IT’S an improvement– but still not perfect. The fuelling isfluffy below 4500rpm. Partial throttleopenings around the 4000rpm markdeliver either violently instant drive or astutter. It cleans up after 4500rpm.

The gearbox is notchy in the lowergears – a typical BMW shaftdrivesymptom – and the actual shift action(clutch actuation lever movement andgear selection) is very slow. The clutchlever action is heavy – it ranksalongside Ducati for finger strain – andbecomes painful in slow traffic andstop-start town use. When our test bikearrived with 660 miles thegearbox/clutch was as quiet as a

sleeping mouse. With 800 miles rackedup it sounded like a mouse with clogsdancing on a wooden box – just like onthe original launch. Tingling vibrationwas starting to creep through the bikeon the overrun at high rpm, stemmingfrom the back of the motor.GREGORY SAYS: The clutch hurtsin town; first it was my hand and thenmy lower arm.TAYLOR SAYS: The gearbox is arevelation over older models, but it stillneeds a firm foot when changing gear.JAMES SAYS: The gearbox startlessmall dogs and children riding roundtown. After 10 minutes you pray for anopen road to appear, because the

clutch is so heavy.BMW SAYS: The motorcycles at theinitial press launch were pre-productionmodels and refinements to the gearbox,clutch and fuel injection systems havebeen made to the bikes which will besupplied to customers. We do not havespecific details at this time.DYNO SHOP BSD SAYS: Thebike runs very weak at low revs underacceleration. Under load and on asteady throttle the closed-loop fuellingsystem can correct the air-fuel ratio butit seems to stay weak. This could be aresult of BMW complying with soon-to-appear EU emissions regulations to theletter.

‘Riding around townthe gearbox startlessmall dogs andchildren . After 10 minutes you pray for an open road to appear’

THE BMW gets a full data examination

20 HAS BMW SORTED THE PROBLEMS WITH THE FUELLING AND GEARBOX?

10 IS IT BETTER THAN MY BIKE?

J YAMAHA R1TREV SAYS: THE R1 is top ofthe superbike class in looks, handling,and performance and cheaper, too.But it isn’t as is comfortable overdistance, a bit flighty on most A andB-road road surfaces and the riderneeds to have his chin piece on thetank to get out of the windblast. Ifballs-out performance with a bikestyled to thrill is your bag (like me)then the R1 should be your choice.

JAMES SAYS: I wouldn’t swapmy R1 for a K1200S. It felt ‘wallowy’ tome. I need more feedback from thefront, which I found vague – it didn’tinstil any confidence in me throughBruntingthorpe’s high speed bends.Still, it did give moments of pureenjoyment on fast twisty A-roads –stacks of grunt when required.

TEST DATA K1200S: 0-160mph in16.21s, Standing 1/4 mile in 10.80s@ 136.25mphR1: 0-160mph in 13.16s, Standing 1/4 mile in 10.50s @145.72mph

J PAN EUROPEANTREV SAYS: THE Pan is secondonly to BMW’s own K1200LT in theluxury tourer stakes. It’s also aworkhorse through its reliability andspeed with good luggage capability.Police forces and other servicesworldwide have fleets of the buggers.But I’d sooner have the K1200S, eventhough it doesn’t come with anydecent luggage carrying capability asthe Pan does. I could carry a pilliontoo and there’d be no complaints.

GREGORY SAYS: There’s noway I’d swap – the K1200S is a mileaway from the Pan – the Pan’s weight,size and riding position makes it morelike a comfortable armchair. The buildquality of the BMW is suspect – poprivets holding the rear master cylinderbracket!

TEST DATA K1200S: Tank size: 19litres. Fuel consumption 43.3mpg @70mph. Tank range: 180 miles.PAN: Tank size: 29 litres. Fuelconsumption 46.3mpg @ 70mph.Tank range: 295 miles.

J ZX-12RTREV SAYS: THE ZX-12R is theclosest rival to the K1200S as a truesports-tourer – Suzuki’s Hayabusadoesn’t scratch as well. The ZX-12Rhas fully adjustable suspension to suitany rider and road conditions, and aseriously powerful but tractable1199cc engine. Until BMW sorts outthe K1200S engine shortfalls, thiswould be my choice.

TAYLOR SAYS: The K1200Swas a pleasant surprise considering it’sa BMW, but the engine’s not assmooth (bit woolly between 2000-3500rpm) as my ZX-12R and thestyling’s not to my liking. It’s comfy butthe bars are too upright for my six-feet plus height.

TEST DATA K1200S: 0-100mph in5.87s, SS 1/4 mile in 10.80s @136.25mph, Tank size: 19 litres.Economy: 43.3mpg @ 70mph.ZX-12R: 0-100mph in 5.75s, SS 1/4mile in 10.65s @ 140.31mph, Tanksize: 18 litres, Economy: 38.4mpg @70mph.

K1200S R1Handling 7 6 8 9Engine 7 8 9 8Brakes 9 8 8 8Chassis 6 5 8 9Suspension 7 6 8 8Steering 7 6 8 9TREV’S TOTAL 43 49JAMES’S TOTAL 39 51

K1200S PANComfort 8 9 7 10Slow town 6 7 8 9High speed 9 10 5 9Weather protect 7 7 9 10Pillion comfort 7 8 8 10Instruments 8 7 9 10TREV’S TOTAL 45 46GREGORY’S TOTAL 48 58

K1200S ZX-12Comfort 8 9 7 9Slow town 6 6 8 8High speed 9 8 10 9Handling 8 8 8 8Engine 8 8 9 9Value 7 9 9 7TREV’S TOTAL 46 51TAYLOR’S TOTAL 48 50

SLIM rear with gorgeous wheel

From previous page

Rated out of 10 Rated out of 10 Rated out of 10

23WHY did BMW choose thoseweird colour schemes?

TREV SAYS: Only the designer knowsthe answer. What most people think is itlooks bloody awful, and the yellow is worse.”BMW SAYS: The styling of the twomulti-coloured models has been generallywell received by potential purchasers,though some will no doubt opt for thesingle colour versions (granite grey andindigo blue) with the silver frame availablein the New Year.

24WHEN can I buy or test one?What’s the waiting list like? How

much is it?BMW SAYS: All BMW dealers will havedemo bikes available for customers to testride when the camshaft problem isresolved. We expect the first customers totake delivery of their bikes at the end of theyear. The order situation will vary betweendealers as they all have an individualallocation of bikes based on theiranticipated local demand. It costs £9750(standard), £10,545 (with ABS). ESA is a£450 option on the ABS bike only.

OCTOBER 13, 2004 MOTOR CYCLE NEWS 27

TREV SAYS: Neither of the twoversions available (one with electronicactivated suspension and one without)which MCN rode at the launch sufferedfrom headshakes or the like. Not evenwith the EAS model set in sports(firmer) mode. Since then a steeringdamper has been fitted which hasstiffened the steering no end. Pushing itabout can be hard work, unlike an R1say, and small changes of directionneed more input through the bars. Forexample, when following a car at50mph and you spot a manhole cover,you can’t just zip around it.

BMW SAYS: The launch bikes werepre-production models, only some ofwhich were fitted with steeringdampers, which is why some bikes mayhave exhibited different characteristics.A steering damper is now fitted asstandard to ensure high speed stabilityespecially when alternative tyres maybe fitted by customers. The machine’swarranty would be unaffected if thesteering damper was removed, unlessthere was a related fault caused by itsremoval. In the event of an accident,the insurance company may take anychange to a standard bike into account.

22 WHAT’S IT LIKE CLOSE UP?

CLOCKS glow orange at night

REMOTE oil tank lives under seat

REAR shock remote preload adjuster

EXHAUST meets every regulation

EASY-ACCESS spoke-mounted tyre valve

MIRRORS are best in the business

LIGHTWEIGHT shaft drive handles 144bhp

THE wasp-like blackand yellow version

21 DOES IT NEED THE STEERING DAMPER?

‘It would be fair to say theK1200S could be the most

versatile bike ever. I saycould – BMW has to iron

out the bike’s teethingtroubles first’