Three section
composite frame consisting of front &
rear section, load bearing engine
Front Suspension
Motorrad Telelever, stanchion
∅35mm, central strut
Front Wheel Travel
145 mm / 5.7 in
Rear Suspension
Die cast aluminium single sided swinging arm
with BMW Motorrad Monolever, WAD strut (travel related damping), spring
preload adjustable to continuously variable levels by means of hydraulic
handwheel.
Rear Wheel Travel
110 mm / 4.3 in
Front Brakes
2 x ∅305mm discs, 4 piston calipers
Rear Brakes
Single ∅285mm disc, 2 piston caliper
Front wheel
2.50 x 18 cross spoke
Rear wheel
4.00 x 15 cross spoke
Front Tyre
100/90-18
Rear Tyre
170/80-15
Trail
86mm / 3.4
in
Dimensions
Length 2340 mm / 92.1 in
Width 1050 mm / 44.3 in
Height 1130 mm / 44.4 in
Wheelbase
1650mm /
64.9 in
Seat Height
740 mm / 29.1 in
Ground Clearance
172 mm / 6.77 in
Dry Weight
236 kg / 482 lbs
Wet Weight
255 kg / 565 lbs
Fuel Capacity
17.5 Litres / 4.5 gal
Consumption Average
5.9 L/100 km / 17.0 km/l / 40 US mpg
Braking 60 km/h - 0
13.2 m / 43.3 ft
Braking 100 km/h - 0
40.1 m / 131.6 ft
Standing
¼ Mile
13.8 sec / 151.5 km/h / 94.1 mph
Top Speed
178.1 km/h / 110.7 mph
This curious-looking bike was intended to
marry the high-tech design principles of BMW's bike range with
the chrome-clad styling of a traditional cruiser bike. Based
around a 1170cc version of the firm's well-proven flat-twin
Boxer engine, the R1200C's unconventional looks bely its modern performance.
The air/oil-cooled engine
provides plenty of grunty power, delivered through a Paralever single-sided
shaft-drive swingarm to the fat, spoked rear-wheel. A Bosch fuel-injection
system ensures smooth, economical running and a catalytic converter in the
stainless steel exhaust cuts harmful pollution. The R1200C has a five-speed
gearbox, driven through a car-type dry plate clutch.
The front end is typically BMW:
the firm's wishbone-type Telelever suspension uses a single shock absorber
system to give stiff yet compliant feedback from the 46cm (18in) front
wheel. The suspension is proudly displayed on the R1200C, rather than hidden
behind a fairing as on BMW's touring and sport-touring models. An advanced
ABSII system is an option, giving an extra safety margin to the Brembo front
calipers.
But it is the styling that
dominates the bike. Chrome plate abounds, and details like the single seat
with fold-down backrest/pillion pad and chrome sideplates show a bold, retro
style, not dissimilar to the firm's Z3 sports car range. Long pullback
handlebars give a traditional cruiser riding position, and aftermarket
accessories
BMW including leather saddlebags
and different handlebars allow owners to customize the Rl 200C to their own
tastes.
On the move, the low seat,
forward footpegs and 'apehanger' handlebars make for an unusual riding
position, and the R1200C really needs an aftermarket screen for comfort on
longer journeys.
It was the Rl 200C that saved
James Bond from certain death in the action movie 'Tomorrow Never Dies' in
1997, performing a number of unlikely stunts in the process.
Many of our readers and staff have been
wondering when the grill at the Cruiser Café is going to cool down. Not for
a while. There are so many new cooks heading for the kitchen that someone
must still be in there shoveling coals onto the fire.
The menu there is amazingly varied. Starting
with the 250 Virago, you can work your way through the Japanese
manufacturers' tasty treats up to the full-sized meal of a Valkyrie or Royal
Star. Some folks live a faster paced life-style and just swing by for a
quick V-Max or Magna. A large percentage of diners skip the appetizers and
go for the Harley-Davidson platter, while a few patient souls sit at the bar
quietly sipping drinks until a Victory or Super X emerge from the
slow-cooker.
Today's plat du jour is a brand new recipe,
the BMW R1200C, served to M.M.M. by Leo's South.
The R1200C is BMWs first foray into the
cruiser kitchen. That they are stirring these pots at all is a surprise to
many, but any manufacturer looking at the business cruisers are doing is apt
to start digging out the "Americana Classics" recipe book.
This bike is a solid design exercise in
cruiser styling, yet the engineering is uncompromisingly modern. It points
to the future of cruisers with its telelever front end and R1100-type "oilhead"
engine. (Oil is circulated around the exhaust valves and through an oil
cooler reducing cylinder head temperature by a claimed 158û. The Polaris
Victory will circulate oil through "water" jackets in the cylinder heads.
Both elegantly get around the "water cooled cruiser?" dilemma).
The engine is basically a bored and stroked
R1100 power plant displacing 1170cc and with a completely new intake system,
which provides more torque and less horsepower than the R1100 mill. It
utilizes fuel injection and an automatic choke. Just turn the key, push the
button and ride away.
The front frame is a unique cast aluminum
unit that includes air passages for the dual oil-coolers that are nestled
inside. The front suspension is a telelever unit kicked out farther than
that on the rest of the beemers to stay with cruiser tradition. For cosmetic
reasons BMW ditched the paralever rear end and went back to the monolever.
They lengthened it quite a bit for shaft-drive engineering reasons and it
now behaves similarly to the paralever.
The seat and hand-grips are leather. The rear
seat doubles as an adjustable back rest. The R1200C has none of the plastic
bolt-on doo-dads commonly found on off-shore cruisers. The list of plastic
parts reads like this; rear-light support, instrument cover, mirrors.
Everything on the R1200C serves a function.
Everything is at or near the front of motorcycle technology. Everything
blends together seamlessly. This is one good-looking motorcycle. When idling
at stop lights in south Minneapolis, people stopped in cross-walks to take a
look and ask about it. Car drivers hollered out their windows "how much is
it?". This happens every time this bike stops.
The BMW cruiser has excellent handling
manners to go along with its good looks. You do not have to wrestle it into
or out of a full lean. During "spirited" rides on some twisty river roads it
stayed firmly planted on course and never got a case of the jitters. The
cruiser version of BMW's telelever front end works just as marvelously as
its sportier relatives.
The engine makes gobs and gobs of torque. My
guess is that first gear is designed for pulling U-Haul trailers so R1200
owners do not have to park their bikes on moving day. (At one point early in
the ride I was under the impression that this five-speed transmission was a
four-speed. I must have been using second as first.) The power starts way
down low in the revs and doesn't seem to quit. The engine pulls hard all the
way up the gear box and smoothly propels the bike forward with more than a
hint of authority.
The riding position is of course feet
forward, back straight, arms stretched out chest-high. The leather
hand-grips are a little slippery when mated with my well-worn favorite
gloves. Putting the back-rest up removes the fear of twisting the throttle
open and getting blown off the back of the bike. The foot-pegs and
handlebars are positioned well and the saddle is wide and firm making the
R1200C a comfortable place to spend an afternoon.
The R1200C is a well thought out, well
engineered and stunningly good looking machine. The money it takes to get
your hands on one is no more than what it takes for any other top-shelf
cruiser. It is a welcome addition to the chrome-plated corner of the
motorcycling world.