Wringing a fine-handling motorcycle’s neck around Kyalami is usually fun. Flogging 167 horses (123kW) around the racetrack in the rain, however, is a different matter, so the five-lap track session that served as my introduction to the new BMW K1200S was more than enough for me. In that time, however, I discovered two things: that the big Beemer is very quick on a straight line and that ABS (anti-lock braking system) can be a blessing on a fast motorcycle.
The new BMW is by far the most exciting motorcycle ever from the Berlin factory, but to compete with the Japanese on even terms the Germans had to toss away years of tradition and develop a high-output four cylinder mounted across the frame rather than longitudinally, as has been the case with their previous fours.
Other traditional BMW trademark features, however, remain firmly in place — a shaft drive, servo-assisted partially-linked ABS brakes, heated handgrips and very unconventional front and rear suspension are all standard on this, BMW’s first real superbike.
Phase two of the launch took place in the real world, which was just as wet and miserable as the racetrack. We rode the 300-odd kilometres from Kyalami to Dullstroom without learning anything new about the motor-cycle’s ability to get around corners rapidly, but I soon grew to appreciate the heated handgrips that seem so unnecessary at home in Durban.
Our route the next day covered some of the best motorcycling territory in the world, taking us via Lydenburg, Pilgrims Rest, Sabie and Long Tom Pass back to Dullstroom, and we gave the Beemers a healthy gallop along the way. The bike really is a superb sports machine that can carry two people along just as quickly as sanity would allow on a cutting-edge sports machine.
Rev it to 7 500rpm and it dishes up huge dollops of torque, so there’s never any need to wander into the territory north of that in the normal course of events. Above the 7 500rpm mark, however, the bike slips into Mr Hyde mode, with a gorgeous induction howl that seems to climax through the top of your head.
Although the red-line is at 11 000rpm, gear-changes at about a thousand short of that deliver the engine smack back into the middle of its torque band again.
BMW has thankfully elected to fit its partially integrated braking system to its superbike rather than the fully integrated setup that causes the response to be exactly the same, whether you squeeze the handlebar lever or stamp on the foot pedal. The partially integrated system applies the rear-brake along with the front when the handlebar lever is squeezed, but leaves the front clamps alone when the rear brake pedal is depressed. I habitually use a fair amount of back brake to stabilise things when riding hard, and deeply resent any external interference with the front stoppers at such times.
BMW claims that its newest bike can hit 100kph in just 2,8 seconds after launching, which is very believable, and carefully states the top speed to be ‘over 200kph.†I found that 260kph comes up quickly on the speedo, and reckon a true 280kph would be easily attainable. There are a couple of Japanese hyperbikes that are marginally quicker in a straight line, but I don’t think they’re going to get around corners any quicker than the German offering. The BMW feels remarkably nimble, despite its 226kg dry mass, and never puts a foot wrong, no matter how demanding the road surface.
One complaint, albeit a small one, about the BMW is that there’s a fair amount of vibration through the footpegs and handlebars between 5 000 and 7 000rpm. This is felt only on the over-run or when running under a light throttle and disappears completely when the engine’s being worked hard. It’s not too serious, but seems out of place in a machine that’s otherwise so well designed and put together.
The BMW K1200S is extremely comfortable for both rider and passenger over long distances, yet it goes and handles like a true superbike. At R132 000, with ABS and heated hand grips, it offers a very worthwhile alternative to the current Japanese litre-plus class leaders.