We literally rode through a hurricane to ride the new BMW K 1200 R Sport. Hurricane Kyrill had killed 11 people in Germany by the time we landed for our mission in Munich. The K 1200 R Sport is BMW’s latest addition to the sports tourer segment and with 163hp the emphasis is on Sport.
Words: Tor Sagen/Photography: Gary Freeman/Redeye
After an extremely bumpy flight to Germany we finally arrived at BMW’s pick up centre. It reminded me more of the CTU headquarters in adrenaline TV series 24 than your usual press centre. Walking through the modern concrete based corridors with automatic doors would either lead me into Jack Bauer’s interrogation room or to the latest addition to the powerful K series.
Luckily for me there was a blue K 1200 R Sport at the end of the corridors. The Sport is based on the K 1200 R which is the naked more comfortable version of the fully faired high speed K 1200 S. I had arranged with BMW so that I had access to all three bikes for our shoot.
This location in Munich is ideal for these mile munching powerful motorcycles. We had easy access to the autobahn, town and B-roads just outside the door from BMW. The new half fairing complements the more relaxed ergonomics of the R version. K 1200 R Sport is a compromise between the exposed R and the fully faired S. The best thing about the bikes ergonomics is that BMW have kept the upright seating position from the R. The seat height is a sporty 820mm in standard, but with BMW there are always options and the Sport can be fitted with a 790mm seat. Our test bike was fitted with ESA (Electronic suspension adjustment), integral ABS and heated grips. In the high winds the front cowling provided welcome protection on the motorway.
Riding slowly the winds grabbed hold of the front and I had to lean into the wind. So I upped the pace a little and with the momentum gained stability improved. I have noticed this before on the K 1200 R how stable the chassis is at high speed. The new Sport is no different and you get the extra pleasure of some more wind protection. Sitting upright you are more exposed to the winds than on the S... only excerpts of the full length article.
