History of appearance
The BMW K1200S motorcycle has become the most long-awaited and original model released by the German company BMW over the last ten years. Back in 2004, the world community was shocked by the concern’s announcement that it was going to directly compete with Japanese manufacturers of sport bikes. The reason for this reaction lay in the unique and distinctive image of the Bavarian manufacturer: the transverse installation of a four-cylinder engine with a volume of 1200 cubic centimeters, characteristic of the Suzuki Hayabusa, Honda CBR1100XX and Kawasaki ZX-12R, would be an out-of-the-ordinary and unconventional step for BMW.
After the first presentation, invited journalists, in their reviews of the BMW K1200S, noted uneven fuel injection - until recently, a similar problem was typical for two-cylinder engines installed on the R series. The produced motorcycles had to be returned back to the factories, and production was temporarily stopped, and not the least reason for This was caused by the defect of the entire batch of incoming camshafts.
The next demonstration was held in California, and a group of American motorcycle journalists invited to the event and test drive expected a lot from the BMW K1200S.
BMW K 1200: technical specifications, model range, pros and cons
The BMW K 1200 RS is a fast motorcycle, and this must be taken into account when calculating fuel consumption. At cruising speed (120 km/h), it consumes about 5.5 l/100 km. But if the speed is 90 km/h, then the consumption is slightly less (4.7 l).
Naturally, if you prefer to drive fast, fuel consumption can reach up to 12 l/100 km (at maximum speed). The quality of the road surface, tailwind or headwind, tire pressure and a number of other factors are also important when taking into account consumption.
Comparison of BMW K 1200 with competitors and analogues
Is it possible to compare something that is unique and considered the best with analogues? Hardly! And this is exactly the case with the BMW K 1200 s. For a long time it was the best of its kind and was considered the most powerful, and therefore no other bike could compete with this bike.
The situation changed when the new Suzuki B-King model was released. Although the latter outperformed its predecessor in terms of technical parameters, it could hardly compare with the BMW 1300 and BMW K1300s. There is a model that is slightly inferior in technical characteristics - the Suzuki Bandit 1200.
It would also be unfair not to draw a parallel with the purely touring BMW 1200 lt. If we take into account the possibility of long-distance travel, this model is still considered more suitable. Take, for example, the length of the base and the presence of a windshield, which increases driver comfort. But the BMW K1200lt still lagged behind in terms of speed. And in terms of weight, the lt 1200 was almost 100 kg more (in the basic configuration).
The motorcycle is presented not only in the database.
There are also modifications, the main ones being:
- BMW K 1200 S (sports)
- BMW K1200R (basic version).
The sports version has a fairing at the front, which improves its aerodynamic properties. In addition, its engine is designed specifically for high-speed driving. Considering that motorcycles in this series were produced from 2005 to 2008, they perform very quickly on the track.
Among the advantages of the BMW K 1200 are:
- tank capacity, for example, if you move at speeds up to 100 km/h, then the tank will be enough for 380 km - a significant indicator,
- high maximum driving speed - up to 262 km/h,
- increased level of security,
- firmly mounted engine and much more.
But it also has its drawbacks. For example, even the sports version, equipped with a front fairing and windshield, is not able to protect the driver from wind currents at high speed. It turns out that after 180 km/h it becomes necessary to lie almost completely on the tank to avoid air resistance.
Roman, 53 years old: “I bought my first bike back in 2004. It was a basic BMW K 1200. I was attracted not so much by the brand as by its appearance, long wheelbase and heavy weight. I went out onto the highway, and then things started to go, as they say... I’ll note right away for everyone that the device is pretty fast! True, after 150, I’ll tell you frankly, his appetite is not that of a child. But I didn’t take precise measurements, since I alternated modes (on a bad road it was somehow scary to drive more than 130).”
Igor, 27 years old: “I took the K 1200 in 2015 (at that time it had covered more than a hundred thousand km). I took the bu option, since finances weren’t particularly good... But I’ll tell you straight - the Germans know their stuff, and their vaunted accuracy is not an empty phrase. Everything works like clockwork! Timely change of consumables is what I can say as a recommendation. Otherwise, the bike is super, I’m happy with the purchase.”
The BMW K 1200 does not need repairs very often. But, of course, from time to time such a need still arises. Spare parts are expensive, but if you buy them not from dubious online resources or service stations, but from official dealers, then repairs will ultimately cost less.
Tuning a motorcycle is a rather controversial issue, since in its pure form it is already focused on meeting all the needs for its operation. Otherwise, drivers often advise using mirrors from the F-800 series, citing practicality and aesthetic appearance.
The history of the BMW K 1200 is quite short...
And although the bike managed to take first place among its competitors, in 2008 it was replaced by the 1300 series. A brief excursion into history:
- 2005 – the first basic version of the bike rolled off the assembly line, went on sale and quickly gained popularity among motorcycle enthusiasts;
- 2007 - S (sport) version appeared. This modification was distinguished by the presence of a traction control system. There were also minor changes in design (the S had a fairing).
- 2008 is the final point of production of the 1200. It was in this year that the 1300 version, a faster and more technically advanced model, was released, and the need for the 1200 disappeared.
By the way, even now many people buy 1200, despite the fact that it has not been produced for 10 years. But this bike can still be found at auctions and secondhand.
Technical characteristics of the BMW K 1200 vary depending on the year of manufacture and modification. Let's look at the general parameters of the motorcycle:
- Let's start with the type of motorcycle - road, also known as "Naked".
- Lightweight aluminum frame.
- In-line 4-cylinder engine with a volume of 1,157 liters.
- Liquid cooling system.
- Economical, as the fuel supply is injection type.
- Power – 163 horsepower.
- The gearbox is 6-speed, and the drive type is cardan.
- The total weight of the basic motorcycle is almost 240 kg.
- Accelerates from 0 to 100 km per hour in less than 3 seconds.
- The maximum driving speed is 262 km/h.
Review
Journalists from the American Motorcycle Association were given 24 hours to test the new BMW K1200S. Judging by the results of the test drives and the impressions of the testers, the motorcycle fully met all the expectations placed on it since 2004.
The driver's seating position is surprisingly free, which is very uncharacteristic for a sportbike. The placement of the footpegs allows you to sit comfortably on the motorcycle without bending your legs, and the handlebars reduce stress on your wrists, even when the machine is stationary. The characteristics of the BMW K1200S are strikingly different from the previous motorcycles of the Bavarian company, which is noticeable from the first seconds of starting the engine: the 1157 cubic centimeter unit quickly picks up speed and maintains torque throughout its entire range.
Refining the injection system was not in vain: the motorcycle confidently picks up speed even with minimal throttle opening.
The lower powerband is soft and more typical of a touring model. The full potential of the engine is revealed at 4-6 thousand revolutions: the full traction and power of the car is manifested, and with a greater increase in speed it is virtually impossible to keep up with the BMW K1200S.
Suspension
BMW's decades of experimentation with alternative front-end designs has resulted in the K1200S being equipped with a new Duolever front suspension that significantly reduces the machine's weight and makes it more compact. It replaced the Telelever suspension and is equipped with one shock absorber located between two levers responsible for the vertical movement of the wheel. The design was built in such a way that it became possible to separate the forces affecting the front wheel and arising during acceleration and braking, and the forces arising during steering. The viability of such technology was proven by the Telelever pendant over the years of its use, but it was too expensive.
When entering a turn, classic forks compress during braking and make the steering column angle steeper, which speeds up the motorcycle's entry into the turn. The Telelever suspension did not change the steering angle, which slowed down the BMW bikes' turn-in. The new Duolever suspension installed on the BMW K1200S eliminated this problem. When maneuvering at low speeds, the motorcycle seems somewhat heavy and clumsy, but this feeling completely disappears at normal speeds - the steering becomes light and perfectly controlled.
An additional advantage of the Duolever suspension is that the steering remains stable when entering a turn, regardless of what the driver does with the brake or gas: the car's trajectory remains unchanged and does not stray into a wider radius.
Test drive BMWK1200S
What do we want from a motorcycle? What are we looking for?
Many of us are immersed in speed and dynamics, others are contemplating the road, realizing ourselves in a new element. This is how a person is designed - he wants to be faster, further, higher.
It seems to me that the following association arises with the word “revolution” in the motorcycle industry - it is something that neither goes with the flow nor against it, but rather something that simply goes beyond the usual and develops, without imitating anyone.
A revolution in consciousness is thousands of moments of struggle and agreement with oneself, when a person, slowly crawling in a traffic jam in a car, with envy in his gaze follows the eyes of a “two-wheeler” skillfully maneuvering between cars, and tomorrow he himself will sit on two wheels, because he has four are already burdensome. What will give the “follow me” impulse to others. Long live the revolution! Or not? From now on, everyone decides for themselves.
The challenge has been thrown - we will talk about the BMW K1200S, a revolutionary model for the German manufacturer in many respects.
The Kyiv-Zhitomir-Kyiv route is a good testing ground for testing a sportbike in conditions “close to combat”. It contains tempting sections of fresh and almost smooth asphalt that provoke “all the money” to ride, which are replaced by influxes of old road surface, often sending two motorcycle wheels off the ground at once. Combining business with pleasure, I went to a motorcycle rally and tested this BMW.
The motorcycle is equipped with an electronic ESA suspension adjustment system, which has three main adjustments, plus six auxiliary ones, for a total of nine. By pressing the button you can program the suspension in three modes: “sport”, “comfort” and “normal”. Which mode to choose, as a rule, depends on the conditions: at what speed to drive, on what surface, only with luggage or also with a passenger.) On paving stones, for example, it is useful to turn on the “comfort” mode - it shakes an order of magnitude less. I decided to “fire it up” - turn on “sport”. Now you don’t need to turn the screw with a screwdriver, counting the clicks - the rebound and compression of the rear suspension are already set, and the rebound of the front suspension is also set.
When driving with a passenger, I switch the suspension to the appropriate mode - and two helmets are displayed on the display. My friend’s words after the trip: “Listen, he’s a transformer!” It looks like I was riding a sportbike, but I switched to “comfort” - there’s already an endurik underneath me!”
Well, of course, it is far from the “couchism” of enduro, but the fact is clear: the suspension adapts instantly! The pilot's task is simply to make the right choice, if, of course, you know what you and the motorcycle need in order to achieve a certain goal.
The cylinders are tilted forward by 55 degrees, the tank is also shifted downwards, it seems to envelop the engine. The explanation for this is simple: the designers were guided by the motto: “ALL MASSES DOWN”!
There is no nervousness in the dynamics of acceleration, acceleration is smooth, but very fast (up to hundreds - in 2.8 seconds). The main thing is to completely “merge” with it (“lie down”), because closer to the “maximum speed” in the “sitting” position, the body strives to stay behind, but when lying down the aerodynamics are quite at the level, except for a driver with a height of about 2 meters will not be able to “lie down”.
A test of the correspondence of the speed recorded by the speedometer to the crankshaft revolutions in the 3 highest gears showed the following. 4th gear: 11000 rpm - 235 km/h, 5th gear: 11000 rpm - 260 km/h, 6th gear: 10500 rpm - 290 km/h (to redline 6- I couldn’t unscrew it - there wasn’t enough distance).
The ergonomics of the landing are universal for this class of machines. It provides the maximum comfort possible on such a fast motorcycle. This comfort was deliberately created by the designers. For example, a few points:
1st. The pilot's knees rest against the side fairings, thereby relieving tension on the upper body and hips.
2nd. The steering wheel is located quite high, allowing you to vary your seating position from “more sporty” to “almost road-legal”.
3rd. The seat is adjustable in 2 positions (with a trim of 20 mm).
There is no steering damper on the motorcycle, but when at a speed of over 200 I happened to hit a couple of swells and the motorcycle was momentarily torn off the road, then after landing I realized that it was not needed here, the reaction of the revolutionary Duolever suspension turned out to be completely adequate, I didn’t I felt no resonant vibrations on the steering wheel.
The final impression of the motorcycle: the designers managed to create a device - a hybrid of a sportbike and a tourist, in which both forms do not harm each other at all, but, on the contrary, enhance their best sides, providing its pilot with the dynamics and controllability of a sportbike, and the comfort of a tourist, and the latter quality is in variety. It can be considered that, trying not to deviate from the BMW slogan “Pleasure behind the wheel,” the creators of the K1200S, sweating hard, still coped with the task, creating a motorcycle with serious speed capabilities, but... for a comfortable and safe ride.
Text: Svyatoslav Pushkarenko
Photo: michel
Reviews from BMW K1200S owners
The changes made to the design of the motorcycle provide an excellent opportunity even for novice drivers to feel like professional sportbike pilots, flying straight sections of tracks at high speed and taking turns without pressing the brake. The characteristics of the motorcycle were tested during a 400-kilometer test drive: the route passed along the roads of Northern California. The pilots who tested the BMW K1200S were satisfied with the car: the Bavarian company managed to create a unique and stunning sports bike that could outshine its Japanese competitors.
Price
An undoubted advantage noted in reviews of the BMW K1200S is a fairly extensive package of additional options, including the BMW ESA electronic suspension adjustment system, an anti-lock braking system and two-tone body colors. In the basic modification, the motorcycle was offered for 900 thousand rubles from American dealers. A luggage transport kit consisting of side cases and a fuel tank bag is available as accessories.
Hello everyone, the idea to write a post appeared in the wake of the Hype around the reliability of bNV motorcycles. Anyone who is interested is welcome to the cat Why? If you have always wanted a powerful sport-tourer, a universal motorcycle for everything, but you didn’t want to buy an old Drozd or a poppy Busa, and you don’t have enough money for a vfr-1200, then the product of the “Bavarian Propeller Factory” is for you. Few people can offer so much of a motorcycle for only 350-500 thousand rubles, which has in its arsenal: Cardan, ABS, excellent brakes, heated handles, electronically adjustable suspension, on-board computer, 168 horsepower, electronic oil level and many other little things. Choice A motorcycle at birth is awarded with a whole bunch of childhood diseases, namely: the gearbox dies, it’s very easy to screw up the mileage, a dead gearbox, abs with a servo drive, which brakes very well, although it still works, if the abs is dead you think that there are no brakes. To avoid most breakdowns, DO NOT BUY motorcycles from 2004-2006 made for Europe and Japan, try to look for models from 2007, or from July 2006 for America, this information can be obtained by the fault of the motorcycle on the BMWCats website, for example. The differences are these parts: reinforced bearings in the gearbox. Abs without a servo drive, it is easy to determine. On the left in the photo is a servo-abs comb, on the right is a regular one.
A dashboard that duplicates the mileage in other blocks of the motorcycle; when you try to change the mileage, the data on the panel will constantly blink, on the left is the old panel.
The problem with the gearbox has also been fixed, but not radically, there are motorcycles after ’07 with the second gear flying out, this problem can be treated either with a K1300 gearbox assembled, or by replacing the gearbox shafts. There is also a problem with the basket with runs of more than 40-60 thousand kilometers, the places on the basket for the damper springs are broken, because of this a backlash appears, which affects the idle speed of the motorcycle, in especially advanced cases the basket body breaks and shavings from the springs and the body fall into the oil, this emulsion is sucked in by the oil pump, clogs the channels and breaks off the connecting rod of the first cylinder... Treated by installing a new basket, or upgrading the old one by replacing the springs with more powerful ones. Recall company There is an indefinite recall company in which you will be replaced: The gearbox flange on steel, the old aluminum one burst, which was fraught with the loss of the rear wheel) they will install a catcher for the timing chain, which protects it from distortion, they will check the fuel maps
. maintenance, tuning, prices and recommendations Replacing consumables on this motorcycle is simple; for example, to change the air filter, you need to unscrew about 8 bolts and remove two large and three small pieces of plastic, the price of one filter is 600 rubles. To change the engine oil, in principle, you don’t need to remove anything if you have a chain filter puller, the amount of oil is 4 liters. Changing the oil in the gearbox takes 20 minutes; if you have a trolley or a central stand, you need 180 grams of oil. The valves are adjusted every 30 thousand km, with special hemispheres, the price of one hemisphere is 50-100 rubles, hello Honda with a price per washer of 250 rubles. The chain is replaced once every 60,000 thousand km; it is sold immediately with crankshaft and camshaft sprockets, the price is around 5,000 rubles. Replace spark plugs every 20,000 thousand; to do this you need to remove the radiator. You also need to check the tension of the oil pump chain, approximately every 40,000 km. Replacement of the pump impeller is also approximately 50,000 km away. Replacement of front suspension ball joints approximately every 50,000 km, but depends on operating conditions, the price of one support on eBay is approximately 4,000 rubles. I recommend acquiring the Rsd manual program and the rheingold bmw program, which allows you to diagnose the motorcycle in the garage via a k-line adapter.
I recommend pouring oil into the engine up to the max mark and monitoring the level, the amount of oil between the min and max marks is 0.5 liters, on a dry sump system you can easily miss this moment and ruin the engine, the oil consumption on my motor is 0.5 liters from replacement to replacement. Change the gearbox oil more often, for example at the same time as changing the engine oil. Install a mudguard on the front fender to protect the radiator from dirt and the motorcycle from overheating. The most important tuning of a motorcycle is replacing the timing belt tensioner from the K1300, which eliminates the nasty sounds of a ringing chain when starting the motorcycle. It seems that’s it, I haven’t forgotten anything) Finally, I’ll share a video of one Italian traveler, in which they open the engine with a mileage of 316 thousand km, the entire engine is approved, only the balance shaft bearings were replaced.
Summary
Owners of the BMW K1200S speak with delight about the new car of the Bavarian manufacturer, noting its relatively low fuel consumption - about 8 liters per 100 kilometers. The 4-liter reserve fuel tank is used after 178 kilometers, which is quite good and ensures the autonomy of the motorcycle; without refueling, the K1200S is capable of traveling 227 kilometers.
Despite belonging to a famous German brand, whose vehicles are known for their demanding nature, the K1200S is quite unpretentious in operation: to maintain its performance, it is necessary to carry out timely maintenance and oil changes.
The BMW K1200S was offered in three trim levels: a full version, without ABS and without electronic suspension adjustment. The difference in the cost of modifications was several thousand dollars, which was almost the same as its main competitor, the Suzuki Hayabusa. However, the owners of the BMW K1200S did not complain about the rather high cost: for the same price they could buy a German motorcycle with a manufacturer’s guarantee, characterized by better technology and high quality production.
Additional options available to customers included a low seat, heated steering grips, an immobilizer, electronic suspension control, a center parking stand, a GPS global positioning system and a luggage package consisting of side cases and a fuel tank bag.
The appearance on the market of the much-anticipated Bavarian motorcycle, which received admiring reviews from journalists and specialists, did not pass by BMW’s main competitors, who almost immediately began developing new models - for example, Honda, a year after the release of the K1200S, released a new model that replaced Blackbird.
The BMW K1200S motorcycle has become a new direction for the Bavarian automaker, allowing it to develop further and make full use of not only the experience accumulated in the field of automobile development, but also innovative technologies in the field of motorcycle construction. The series of motorcycles that appeared after the K1200S has become much more interesting and attractive for motorcyclists around the world, whose attention, however, is still focused on the first model of the German sports bike.
