 When it was hinted early in 2005 that BMW also had developed a naked streetfighter version of the high speed K1200S with almost the same engine configuration it truly amazed us. But it also brought memory back to Honda's failed Blackbird based X11 model that was withdrawn from the market. BMW claims to be in it for the long run and BMW has never had the habit of withdrawing models from the market. So the K 1200 R is here to stay. One thing has to be said and that is that even before riding the K1200R it was easily the most exciting bike BMW has ever made. More than 160bhp on tap in a naked chassis from BMW is nothing short of a revolution. Still we find most of the technology people love and hate about the Beemers also on the K1200R. Telelever, Duolever, BMW controls, ABS brakes, big and solid build quality, ESA and heated grips. ESA (Electronic Suspension adjustment) and heated grips are extra's on our test bike. The bigger fly-fairing is also an extra. We picked up the bike in late November and the temperature was below freezing so those heated grips were a blessing straight away. They have three levels but only the warmest would do in November. The first trip we did were some suitable motorway miles. The engine is overpowering the first impressions since that is all this bike is about. BMW set out to create the most powerful naked roadster in the world and we have to say they have succeeded in that mission. Our only concern on this test were the grip levels on the cold tarmac, but on the motorway the tyres heated up quickly enough and I leaned forward towards the fly screen and let all those horses loose. The power is instant, but specially from 6.000rpm and above it is noticeable and the acceleration is hard all the way to the red-line at 12.000rpm. The engine really roars to life and it's hard to believe I'm riding a BMW. BMW's latest in-line four has  got a fair bit more character and power than other big in-line fours like Suzuki GSX1400 and Yamaha FJR1300. Even when short-shifting all the way up to sixth gear there is plenty of useable power on tap. After trying out the acceleration we just stick to top gear on the motorway as there is plenty of power available for overtaking. I found the bike to have plenty of high speed stability even without a full fairing. At one point we also rode the K1200R with an aggressive and cold side wind. The cars in front were struggling to hold their line whilst the BMW were cutting through. The higher the speed the more directional stability despite the strong wind. We reckon the K1200R in these conditions with the side wind can match the stability of its faired brother K1200S.
 These days it gets dark around 4 o'clock and I had n ot had time to adjust to the Beemer controls yet. They are fine, but I would prefer to be able to cancel the blinkers on the buttons rather than a separate button that has to be operated by your right thumb. I usually ride with two fingers on the front brake and when accelerating out of a roundabout it is just awkward to cancel the blinkers. The buttons we do like is the one marked ESA and TRIP on the left side of the handlebar. The trip counter is one of the first functions I need to sort out on a test bike so that I can reset it and mea sure fuel consumption. BMW has made this very easy by putting a big button marked TRIP that can easily be operated whilst riding if need be. The ESA button allows you to adjust the suspension pre sets between comfy, normal and sport. The good thing is that you can use the button whilst riding and the handling will change in seconds. It wasn't easy to test the sport function on our test as most of the really twi sty roads we ride on are now turning wintry. What I did when riding on those roads were to switch between comfy and normal to get as much feedback from the wheels on the slippery roads as possible. Comfortable did not work very well for me even at the slowest of bends as I could not work out the feedback properly. It's rather difficult actually to judge the amount of feedback when riding the K1200R slowly. Everything works much better when on really fast roads where that strong initial bite on the servo assisted ABS brakes comes to its right and the suspension and wheel feedback makes more sense. For these reasons I stuck the ESA to normal most of the time and put a little question mark on whether the £400 extra is worth it for ESA on the K1200R.
 For heavy traffic I find the K1200R to be slightly too big and the handlebars are to o wide. It is not in the league of Ducati Monster or Cagiva Raptor when tackling inner city traffic and tight filtering. Motorway filtering is fine on the K1200R and those ABS brakes gives you an extra life like a cat for when that car turns in front of you without blinking. So if your main commute to work involves quite a bit of motorway work the K1200R fits the bill. Top marks for safety features. All in all the K1200R is a very exciting new bike from BMW and it deserves all the attention it gets for that. What I'd love to do with the K1200R is to take it to the German Nurburgring in the summer and really test that sport function on the ESA. Before that there's loads of turkey to eat and logs to burn. TS
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