However, no-one knows who Pete Conrad is because he was only the third man on the moon. Who cares who was third?
When the K1200S came out it was a revalation. The technology in the machine and the huge performance received rave reviews. Shortly thereafter the K1200R appeared, and everyone gasped in awe at the looks, and the insane design brief. They are amazing modern bikes, and BMW seemed to have pulled a neat trick by building two very different bikes out of one chasiss and engine, which seemed to cover both bases fine. Great.
Then the K1200R Sport skulked up, and indifference was the reaction. What is this bike for, all the journalists asked. Where is the point of a half-arsed concoction which sits most awkwardly between the two earlier stars. Forget about it, its not pioneering, its not interesting. Its most definately third. Like Pete Conrad.
But Pete Conrad was actually the coolest. By far.
What role do model history and stable mates have when actually considering the technical merits of the machine? If the K1200R Sport had been the first of the K1200s to appear, it would have been lauded as incredible, so why can't we think of it that way now?
Jump aboard and you are immediately aware of the size of the machine. It extends forward into the distance like the bow of a canoe, and you can feel the weight of the thing beneath you. However, the tank is very narrow, and you feel at home really quickly. This bike pulls that neat trick of making you feel like you are "in" the bike rather than "on" it, which I like.
On the move the engine is initially very smooth, and very well natured. Not what I was quite expecting. Due to its enormous potential, this machine is so easy to use at low, urban speeds, as it is so within itself. I went through the middle of Guildford on purpose to test its inner city skills, and it passed with flying colours. The slow speed manouverability is excellent. I don't think this bike is boring because it is too competant, as some seem to think. I really enjoyed riding it slowly, and I didn't get that impression.
Right, time to see what all the fuss is about. There were two things I was looking forward to, the power, and the suspension. There is most certainly power, but it is caged. The throttle has an eccentric cam, so when you open it up at first, the bike doesn't seem to respond. Only when you nail it, does the thing come to life. I found this rather odd at first, but you do get the hang of it. Rather than being irritating, it actually allows very smooth riding. So on the back roads, the power was not intimidating, and the torque available was satisfying, if not earth shattering. I liked it alot, as the engine seems to want to work with a smooth rider, rather than against him. The throttle set up is a bit like a manual version of the GSXR engine mapping system. Use the throttle gently and the bike is a lamb, use it more aggressively and it turns into a lion. You can ride the thing like a nutter if you want, but you can also ride it like a gent. The choise is yours.
However, I was beginning to wander if I would ever find the beast, but then I took to the motorway, and tried to summon it. I was in the fast lane doing 80 in top, and openning and closing the throttle didn't seem to impress. So I dropped to third and wacked it open. Mein Gott! Proper Fuck Me moment. The bike leapt forward and blasted down the motorway with me clinging on for dear life. I repeated this little test several times. Only when I remembered I was riding a bike with less than 100 miles on the clock, did I think it might be a good idea to stop.
I had the adjustable suspenion on the bike I tested, and it is amazingly good. In "Normal" mode the bike feels quite big, quite stable, but not really "nimble". However, switch it to "sport" and everything miraculously changes. It becomes taught, tight, excitable, and ready to turn. Excellent. On the motorway, both Sport and Normal were fine, but switch to Comfort and the bike seems to kick off its shoes and relax. It dampens out bumps and ripples in the road, and just floats along. I don't think I would ever tire of that feature, and it really makes the bike one I would consider buying.
When I test rode the R1200ST the other week, I had a bit of a problem with the handling, as I wanted something quite dynamic. In the end I thought the ST was good enough, but not perfect. The K1200R Sport with its adjustable suspension simply eliminates that problem. If I want to commute in comfrot I simply use the soft setting, and if I feel like a blitz around the back roads, I switch to sport. I simply can't get over how brilliant electronic suspension adjustment is. It is not just the mere fact of what it does technically speaking, it is the fact that is solves the age-old problem of choosing the right bike to buy, which for me is such a problem. This bike felt like two in one, it really did.
The Hossak front end is also very very good. I felt that it gave more feedback than the Paralever (duolever?) system, and it also kept the bike so stable in the corner. It was wet and greasy on my test ride, and I had no problems at all at a rapid pace. I was very impressed.
The riding position is just what I am looking for, a little more upright than my VFR, so easier on the neck and back, but not a sit up and beg like a Fazer or a Multistrada, which I find uncomfortable. There is no doubt that this bike benefits from the exceptional rider ergonomics typical of most BMWs, despite their hooligan or sporting pretence.
There are some things on this bike that were inexcusably rubbish though. The mirrors for example are small, and in a terrible position. They are mounted on the bars, which are flat and fairly close to the rider, such that in use the mirrors are situated somewhere between your wirsts and your shoulders. You have to move your head to the side to look in them. I mean why? Why not put them on the fairing, like with the "S".
The saddle is also not quite right, when it could so easily have been. It is too squishy in the middle, and too hard at the front. As a result I got slightly sore thighs after a two hour ride, and whenever I accelerated hard I squashed back into the seat. You only have to sit on a VFR for 10 seconds to descover that it is perfectly possible to make a saddle which doesn't have anything wrong with it.
I also have a bit of a problem with the design of the bike. It is quite obviously a mongrel, which has been created from something else. On premium models the indicators are designed into the body work, the exhausts are sometimes under the seat, and the whole bike has a finished feel to it. However, the R Sport has parts bin indicators, a face which has been torn from another bike and is slightly to small for the overall dimensions of the machine, and a general unfinished feel to the cock pit, where nothing is filled in. You can see al the plastic body work behind the instruments.
If only this was a standard colour!
This bike looks far better with the BMW belly pan, which is a real work of art. However, much to my
, this belly pan is incompatable with the optional (why optional?) centre stand. I mean what the hell is all that about. All bikes should have centre stands.I also wonder about the running lean thing the engine does on a closed throttle. Cruising at 80 on the motorway it is quite alarming how rough the engine feels. But blip the throttle ever so slightly and its all cotton wool again. The rough running also changed depending on how you got to 80. Blasting out of a petrol station back onto the A3 I went straight up to 80, and the engine was smooth. At other times, dropping down from 90, it would feel like it was gurggling gravel. I think I would probably get used to the engine's characteristics, but this petrol saving feature does no seem refined at all. (The bike does sound very good though, even with the standard muffler. There is a Tutonic rasp to the exhaust note, not unlike a Porsche. An Akropovic would make it sound Holy.)
But all these gripes are only minor in the grand scheme of things. There is something to be said for the parts-bin special. Such bikes do have a place in our rich biking canon, somewhere between rat bikes and maxi-scooters. The R Sport does have a rather rakish, sloping front, and from some angles it ain't half bad looking.
Overall the performance dominates the package, and I would happily put up with the other problems, and chalk them up as "character".
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