Great comment. I've thought this myself. I think they've gone with more conventional engines at that capacity such as the F 900 R tho and will stick with them. Maybe it's cheaper to build inline twins.
Just bought the last of the 1200 versions in top spec form with red frame and saved £8k over buying a new 1250. Power difference doesn’t bother me as standard 1200 is more than grunty enough. Very under-rated bike which has never sold well because everyone defaults to a gs. I had a gsa1200 which was fabulous but fancied something a bit sportier and as I’ll never go off road like most gs riders, the RS made perfect sense. Low speed handling needs wider bars so I’d recommend wider swept back tubular bars but best to get motorrad fit these as the clutch will need bleeding and cables rerouting as well as relocating satnav above the instruments. Other than that it’s almost the perfect all rounder. On balance I prefer the GSA for comfort but it’s a huge old barn and this is just a bit more fun. Great bike.
There's no wrong gear on that, it pulls from wherever in whatever. Buckets of torque. Awesome engine. The 1250 gearbox is far smoother than the old 1200. Using a quickshifter for 1st to 2nd is not as good as other gears because of the longer throw through neutral. Same with many other bikes.
This bike feels like an equivalent to the BMW 8-series car. Big, fat, powerful, luxurious coupe that is very smooth... tries to be sporty but it's more on the luxurious side.... and is very premium :P
Just taken delivery of an RS SE in Triple Black, coming from a GS and NEVER going off road , for me .a far better road version of the boxers without the bulk of a RT
I've been wanting to get back into riding for a few years now, after a LONG break. Found your channel through your CBR650R Akrapovic videos (that bike is mad!) a few years back. I was never able to commit to a purchase though. The ironic part, I just picked up an R1250RS a few days ago, and here you are with a lovely review of the exact bike I chose, though mine is in white. Thanks for all of the videos and information you put out for everyone. Your content is top notch and extremely helpful! A note on the quick-shifter on this R1250RS, even the dealership I picked mine up from suggested not using it at lower speeds between 1st and 2nd. I concur, it is quite clunky haha! Also must say, the scenery in this video is unreal! Thanks again for what you do!
Must admit I’ve seriously got the hots for one of these as my next commuter, not cheap but if I could stretch the thing out for 5 years it puts me into the retirement area. One thing that puts me off right now is they are bringing out the 1300GS, they may very soon after update this?
Dont worry about age or mileage. Buy on condition. Mine is five years old and looks like it just came off the production line . The build quality is epic. Lovely riding position and if you don’t want to go off road, its a better road bike than the GS. Smoother too low down. You don’t need a 1300 version. They’re not doing that because it’s better, they’re doing it to keep up with the marketing arms race. The 1200 is all the bike anyone needs. Plenty of punch and rapid enough.
You are right that all boxers have agricultural gear changes in first and second! But still a beautiful engine, albeit a bit farty.But that's part of the charm😂
I rode this in Florida, USA during a BMW demo day at my local dealership a few weeks back. As a R1200GS Adventure owner, this is the one other BMW bike that speaks to me. It was a great ride. I'd miss the luggage. But, it felt substantial and solid. I've owned 4 other BMWs. I'll be riding them the rest of my life. P.S. I'll probably retire in Costa del Sol, Spain. So close to the lifestyle I grew up with in Southern California.
Don't go to Costa del Sol! Costa Blanca is better and warmer during the winter. Costa del Sol got it's name after local mafia built their first hotels there, and the old name Costa del viento (windy place in winter) was not attracting the tourists. You have also more choises to ride in different directions from Costa Blanca, because it's a little bit north. Costa del Sol is more expensive are, because of plenty tourist there, and you get easily robbed there because the thieves are where the richer victims (tourists) are.
I had a 2022 1250RS and agree with you that it’s not the most agile at low speed. I sold it after 4 months, now have 2023 1250GS Trophy. The GS is 5 kg heavier but handles at low speed better, more agile all round for me. Funny thing is, I found the quick shifter going up smoother on the RS , not sure why. That motor is just great though. Thanks for another great video.
I couldn't get on with the bars either when I test rode one 3 years ago as beingba shortybI found the reach justa bit too far. Now you can get the tubular bar option I just might be tempted to move away from a GS after 7 years.
Good video! I have had my eye on this bike for some time but I have not been able to pull the trigger. I believe it is an excellent bike because BMW makes great bikes and I had the earlier version of this bike. But I would like something lighter in weight. You mentioned that you have a tiger 800 I think I heard. If so how does it compare to this bike and what other bikes Similar to this one you recommend? Do you recommend this bike and is it all arounder and how do you see this bike for being used around town and not just highway riding? Thanks
1. Everyone says the tfts are great and yes they are good looking but they could be much more with a little android or apple car play.. they put it on the bigger bikes so why not this? 2. The standard bike is nothing like the one you have and if you want it specced anywhere near this one it's an extra 5k easily. Suppose still better than what ktm do
We like your laugh Daniel, don't worry about it... I just don't know how I feel about the boxer twin from BMW... I definitely do not like how it sounds, but I did really like their 1000 four-cylinder when I tried the 2022 S1000R, but haven't ridden a 1200/1250 yet... Initally they leave me a bit cold, but I'll need to try one some time.
My dad has a v100 and has a reoccurring coolant leak. He isn't the only one with the problem. I guess guzzi's quality control isn't it's strong suit at the moment.
Moved to a V2S Multi from a GS and the thing I really don’t miss is the gearbox, why BMW still build bikes with such poor gearboxes I’ll never understand.
I was rather disappointed with the Multi V2S. I felt the engine needed to be revved a lot to get it going. So much so that when I collected my Tiger 850 I power wheelied it from Ducati UK. Oops.
Nice review. Very interesting bike that, like everyone else, I didn't pay much attention to. In the grand scheme of things, it's also not too expensive for BMW & what it is. However I still think if I was going for this type of bike, which I might, I would be thinking of the Moto Guzzi V100 because of it's much cooler (imo) style & image. Although the BMW may well be the better package but either way I would go for the base model of either as for the record imo, QS's just don't seem to suit shaft drives very well so I probably wouldn't bother with one personally unless they can improve it with a software patch or something simple along those lines.
@@Englishbikerdan Ah interesting, you did mention that in your review to be fair. Maybe it's shaft drive twins then as the V100's QS is fairly ropey too by all accounts. Hopefully you'll get to review one soon yourself & give your opinion.
You say all this Rage Rider having never ridden one😂. Ride one. QS works fab, no issues at all being shaft drive. Mine shifted up seamlessly and had an autoblipper on downshift (gsa). Rs has no autoblipper which is a shame but is a fab bike. Very premium, powerful enough, really well equipped and goes and handles brilliantly. Buy used and get all the goodies as you’ll regret it if you don’t.
@@ReferenceFidelityComponents True enough, I haven't ridden this. My opinion was based on other shaft drives that seem to struggle with QS's. Although I guess things have moved on or at least there are some good ones out there. EBD said his Tiger was fine too. Although either way a QS isn't the be all & end all for me so I'm quite happy without one, hence I would go for the base model V100.
I don't get the concept of "Sport Touring" to be honest. Maybe i have wrong expectations in search of perfect bike, but I was hoping it could get the best of two worlds. Decent for street rides, maybe a bit of hooliganism where needed. But also great for long distances. Is this bike Touring - Yes. Is it sporty - I don't think so. Pros: + Comfy seat, driving position. + Awesome BMW dash, especially love that lean angle display feature. + Great brakes. + Great stability and drive at fast speeds. + Pulls slowly but surely from any gear. + Awesome turning radius + Great tech. I don't get why everyone is bragging that BMW has cheap parts from China everywhere. I didn't notice that at all. Solid bike with great quality. Cons: - Quickshitfter. I don't think it works anywhere near as smoothly as, for instance, Yamaha. I was scared to shit when overtaking on second, and instead of 3rd gear, I got Neutral. - It lacks the snappiness of sporty bikes. For me, it was too dull in the city and quite bulky. - Didn't like lift control at all. Again spoiled vs Yamaha, where the lift control limits your wheelie angle and at lower settings the speed of the wheel coming up. BMW - even at dynamic pro - just shuts off the gas when your wheel lifts at least a bit. Probably would be way more fun if I would've disabled traction control, but didn't get to that. Overall: For the budget - great touring bike. But if the budget is not an issue - I don't understand why someone would prefer this bike over let's say K1600 B. This bike helped me to get rid of the illusion that I can get a perfect bike for street fun and touring in one package. Would stick to naked bikes for now. When I switch to touring at least a few times a year - would aim to get myself K1600. ( Maybe it would happen even faster as I do the test-drive of K1600 this Friday. :D
I do really like the idea of one of these. However, for me the bottom line is that it's 18kg heavier than my Tracer 9GT and due to my dodgy shoulder I sometimes struggle to move that around 😢
I have a 1250GS and yes its heavy, but its one of the easiest bikes I have had to move around because it holds its weight down low. Doing maneuvers on it is ridiculously easy for such a big bike. The amazing turning circle helps a lot too, but I don't know if the RS is the same as the GS in that regard.
One test is not enough, the opposite is true. All series R (RS, GS, GSA..) offer horror in the long run. The engines are too heavy, the center of gravity is somewhere in the middle, not at the bottom as everyone states, difficult to move, stop and very difficult on the ups and downs of the road. The wheelbase is short, the engine is heavy and the center of gravity is high. It's not good, it's not good at all. The ESA dynamic system offers more comfort than most cars, but you're never sure how the engine really behaves on the road because the ESA hides everything
When did an 18 ltr tank become massive? For a touring oriented style bike I’d be expecting a 20 ltr tank as a standard. I’m sure BMW could have found a way of squeezing another 2 ltr’s in that tank.
Its a shame BMW doesn't make an 850 boxer of some sort...... for us with less money!!
Great comment. I've thought this myself. I think they've gone with more conventional engines at that capacity such as the F 900 R tho and will stick with them. Maybe it's cheaper to build inline twins.
@@simonchilli2088 It almost surely is, their 853cc parallel twin in the F750/850GS and F900R/XR are made in China
@@scottwittla Thanx for that. I didn't know that, I presumed they were made in Germany or at least another part of the EU.
Would have about 60hp
It's a different engine configuration, but it's called a moto guzzi!
Seems like a perfect bike for a relaxed cruise through the country side
Fantastic Dan! Loved that 😊
love those Spanish Roads! Good review.
Just bought the last of the 1200 versions in top spec form with red frame and saved £8k over buying a new 1250. Power difference doesn’t bother me as standard 1200 is more than grunty enough.
Very under-rated bike which has never sold well because everyone defaults to a gs. I had a gsa1200 which was fabulous but fancied something a bit sportier and as I’ll never go off road like most gs riders, the RS made perfect sense. Low speed handling needs wider bars so I’d recommend wider swept back tubular bars but best to get motorrad fit these as the clutch will need bleeding and cables rerouting as well as relocating satnav above the instruments.
Other than that it’s almost the perfect all rounder. On balance I prefer the GSA for comfort but it’s a huge old barn and this is just a bit more fun. Great bike.
There's no wrong gear on that, it pulls from wherever in whatever. Buckets of torque. Awesome engine. The 1250 gearbox is far smoother than the old 1200. Using a quickshifter for 1st to 2nd is not as good as other gears because of the longer throw through neutral. Same with many other bikes.
I'm just spoilt with my Triumph shifter then. Slick wherever you do it. Love the boxer engine though.
This bike feels like an equivalent to the BMW 8-series car. Big, fat, powerful, luxurious coupe that is very smooth... tries to be sporty but it's more on the luxurious side.... and is very premium :P
Just taken delivery of an RS SE in Triple Black, coming from a GS and NEVER going off road , for me .a far better road version of the boxers without the bulk of a RT
I've been wanting to get back into riding for a few years now, after a LONG break. Found your channel through your CBR650R Akrapovic videos (that bike is mad!) a few years back. I was never able to commit to a purchase though. The ironic part, I just picked up an R1250RS a few days ago, and here you are with a lovely review of the exact bike I chose, though mine is in white. Thanks for all of the videos and information you put out for everyone. Your content is top notch and extremely helpful! A note on the quick-shifter on this R1250RS, even the dealership I picked mine up from suggested not using it at lower speeds between 1st and 2nd. I concur, it is quite clunky haha! Also must say, the scenery in this video is unreal! Thanks again for what you do!
Must admit I’ve seriously got the hots for one of these as my next commuter, not cheap but if I could stretch the thing out for 5 years it puts me into the retirement area. One thing that puts me off right now is they are bringing out the 1300GS, they may very soon after update this?
Dont worry about age or mileage. Buy on condition. Mine is five years old and looks like it just came off the production line . The build quality is epic. Lovely riding position and if you don’t want to go off road, its a better road bike than the GS. Smoother too low down. You don’t need a 1300 version. They’re not doing that because it’s better, they’re doing it to keep up with the marketing arms race. The 1200 is all the bike anyone needs. Plenty of punch and rapid enough.
Looks mega! Engine sounds awesome 😎
Had a 883 iron now got this a absurdity fast.
English Dan dropping beats at the start!! 😂
You are right that all boxers have agricultural gear changes in first and second! But still a beautiful engine, albeit a bit farty.But that's part of the charm😂
I rode this in Florida, USA during a BMW demo day at my local dealership a few weeks back. As a R1200GS Adventure owner, this is the one other BMW bike that speaks to me. It was a great ride. I'd miss the luggage. But, it felt substantial and solid. I've owned 4 other BMWs. I'll be riding them the rest of my life. P.S. I'll probably retire in Costa del Sol, Spain. So close to the lifestyle I grew up with in Southern California.
Don't go to Costa del Sol! Costa Blanca is better and warmer during the winter. Costa del Sol got it's name after local mafia built their first hotels there, and the old name Costa del viento (windy place in winter) was not attracting the tourists. You have also more choises to ride in different directions from Costa Blanca, because it's a little bit north.
Costa del Sol is more expensive are, because of plenty tourist there, and you get easily robbed there because the thieves are where the richer victims (tourists) are.
I had a 2022 1250RS and agree with you that it’s not the most agile at low speed. I sold it after 4 months, now have 2023 1250GS Trophy. The GS is 5 kg heavier but handles at low speed better, more agile all round for me.
Funny thing is, I found the quick shifter going up smoother on the RS , not sure why.
That motor is just great though.
Thanks for another great video.
I couldn't get on with the bars either when I test rode one 3 years ago as beingba shortybI found the reach justa bit too far. Now you can get the tubular bar option I just might be tempted to move away from a GS after 7 years.
Great review bro. Did you try it also with the tubular handlebar? This one can come also with the classic tubular handlebar. :)
Thanks dude! I've not tried the one with the normal bars.
@@Englishbikerdan I see. OK. :)
Another cracking video cheers Dan 😎👍
Good video! I have had my eye on this bike for some time but I have not been able to pull the trigger. I believe it is an excellent bike because BMW makes great bikes and I had the earlier version of this bike. But I would like something lighter in weight. You mentioned that you have a tiger 800 I think I heard. If so how does it compare to this bike and what other bikes Similar to this one you recommend? Do you recommend this bike and is it all arounder and how do you see this bike for being used around town and not just highway riding? Thanks
Nicely done!
1. Everyone says the tfts are great and yes they are good looking but they could be much more with a little android or apple car play.. they put it on the bigger bikes so why not this?
2. The standard bike is nothing like the one you have and if you want it specced anywhere near this one it's an extra 5k easily. Suppose still better than what ktm do
If the bars were any higher as you said you’d prefer, then you’d probably need a higher screen and then your getting into RT territory 🇬🇧
Apparently BMW sell non clip on bars for this model which are higher. I'd like to try them.
@@Englishbikerdan do it 😂
Where was you riding the scenery and roads look stunning.
Near Almeria.
We like your laugh Daniel, don't worry about it... I just don't know how I feel about the boxer twin from BMW... I definitely do not like how it sounds, but I did really like their 1000 four-cylinder when I tried the 2022 S1000R, but haven't ridden a 1200/1250 yet... Initally they leave me a bit cold, but I'll need to try one some time.
curious - have you ridden the Guzzi v100? How does this compare?
My dad has a v100 and has a reoccurring coolant leak. He isn't the only one with the problem. I guess guzzi's quality control isn't it's strong suit at the moment.
@@heatherjordan2443 oh that sucks. Mine is ok so far. But i still love the RS. Hopefully o won’t regret the V100!
Not yet, they are in high demand.
Moved to a V2S Multi from a GS and the thing I really don’t miss is the gearbox, why BMW still build bikes with such poor gearboxes I’ll never understand.
I was rather disappointed with the Multi V2S. I felt the engine needed to be revved a lot to get it going. So much so that when I collected my Tiger 850 I power wheelied it from Ducati UK. Oops.
Surprised you think it's not very agile. Don't find that with my R1250RT
It's agile for it's weight, but it's still fairly hefty.
I wish BMW did a R900RS, a faired sport standard with the crossplane 900cc engine…
Rumours abound of a smaller engine RR. So who knows.
don't say a word HAHAHA - great vlog!
Oh I've been rumbled. 😂
One of the best looking, if not the best-looking bike built today.
I would just agree. :)
One of the best motorcycle engines ever made?
I think so!
Too bad fuel tank is so small, after 12l reserv indicator is on.. not really touring.
You can tour on anything these days, this is fine.
Nice review. Very interesting bike that, like everyone else, I didn't pay much attention to. In the grand scheme of things, it's also not too expensive for BMW & what it is. However I still think if I was going for this type of bike, which I might, I would be thinking of the Moto Guzzi V100 because of it's much cooler (imo) style & image. Although the BMW may well be the better package but either way I would go for the base model of either as for the record imo, QS's just don't seem to suit shaft drives very well so I probably wouldn't bother with one personally unless they can improve it with a software patch or something simple along those lines.
QS works flawlessly on the Tiger 1200. I think it's more about the engine type and big flat twins just aren't ideal for them. Thanks for watching!
@@Englishbikerdan Ah interesting, you did mention that in your review to be fair. Maybe it's shaft drive twins then as the V100's QS is fairly ropey too by all accounts. Hopefully you'll get to review one soon yourself & give your opinion.
You say all this Rage Rider having never ridden one😂. Ride one. QS works fab, no issues at all being shaft drive. Mine shifted up seamlessly and had an autoblipper on downshift (gsa). Rs has no autoblipper which is a shame but is a fab bike. Very premium, powerful enough, really well equipped and goes and handles brilliantly. Buy used and get all the goodies as you’ll regret it if you don’t.
@@ReferenceFidelityComponents True enough, I haven't ridden this. My opinion was based on other shaft drives that seem to struggle with QS's. Although I guess things have moved on or at least there are some good ones out there. EBD said his Tiger was fine too. Although either way a QS isn't the be all & end all for me so I'm quite happy without one, hence I would go for the base model V100.
I did day test rides on both. BMW won.
That's such a Dad Jeans bike🧐 wouldn't mind having a go on it though. Just imagine what goodies you could get with that kinda dosh!
I don't get the concept of "Sport Touring" to be honest.
Maybe i have wrong expectations in search of perfect bike, but I was hoping it could get the best of two worlds. Decent for street rides, maybe a bit of hooliganism where needed. But also great for long distances.
Is this bike Touring - Yes.
Is it sporty - I don't think so.
Pros:
+ Comfy seat, driving position.
+ Awesome BMW dash, especially love that lean angle display feature.
+ Great brakes.
+ Great stability and drive at fast speeds.
+ Pulls slowly but surely from any gear.
+ Awesome turning radius
+ Great tech. I don't get why everyone is bragging that BMW has cheap parts from China everywhere. I didn't notice that at all. Solid bike with great quality.
Cons:
- Quickshitfter. I don't think it works anywhere near as smoothly as, for instance, Yamaha. I was scared to shit when overtaking on second, and instead of 3rd gear, I got Neutral.
- It lacks the snappiness of sporty bikes. For me, it was too dull in the city and quite bulky.
- Didn't like lift control at all. Again spoiled vs Yamaha, where the lift control limits your wheelie angle and at lower settings the speed of the wheel coming up. BMW - even at dynamic pro - just shuts off the gas when your wheel lifts at least a bit. Probably would be way more fun if I would've disabled traction control, but didn't get to that.
Overall:
For the budget - great touring bike. But if the budget is not an issue - I don't understand why someone would prefer this bike over let's say K1600 B.
This bike helped me to get rid of the illusion that I can get a perfect bike for street fun and touring in one package. Would stick to naked bikes for now. When I switch to touring at least a few times a year - would aim to get myself K1600. ( Maybe it would happen even faster as I do the test-drive of K1600 this Friday. :D
This or a Suzuki GSF 1200 Bandit?
I can't tell if you're joking or not....
Where is the place exactly? I want to go there
Mojaca, Almeria.
@@Englishbikerdan gorgeous thank you
Hi what tour company are you with? Thanks
Not with a tour company. It was a BMW event.
You liked it Chopsie loved it Schaff railed it (looked quite agile)
Schaff could ride a BMW quicker than me on a motorcycle!
Difficult to make a bike look nice with that engine. At least they've dropped the tele lever front suspension with this model.
That's a weird motorcycle. Expensive, heavy, looks sporty but it's really not.
Good review and great roads
Actually a very capable machine
Ty:)
Look, he is not riding in the -wrong- left side of the road
535 lbs. ain't heavy. 680 lbs on my FJR is heavy! Can't imagine what riding one of those 900 lb. HD's must feel like.
It's all relative. I ride bikes that are usually no more than 450 lbs.
Oh my!!!!
I do really like the idea of one of these. However, for me the bottom line is that it's 18kg heavier than my Tracer 9GT and due to my dodgy shoulder I sometimes struggle to move that around 😢
Take a look at missenden flyer review. He says and shows how easy it is to move around.
I have a 1250GS and yes its heavy, but its one of the easiest bikes I have had to move around because it holds its weight down low. Doing maneuvers on it is ridiculously easy for such a big bike. The amazing turning circle helps a lot too, but I don't know if the RS is the same as the GS in that regard.
Two spine fusions and I can handle one, easy to move around and very light once moving..I’m 63🤣
Nice bike but I’d rather have a Moto Guzzi mandello 😉
They are beautiful!
One test is not enough, the opposite is true. All series R (RS, GS, GSA..) offer horror in the long run. The engines are too heavy, the center of gravity is somewhere in the middle, not at the bottom as everyone states, difficult to move, stop and very difficult on the ups and downs of the road. The wheelbase is short, the engine is heavy and the center of gravity is high. It's not good, it's not good at all. The ESA dynamic system offers more comfort than most cars, but you're never sure how the engine really behaves on the road because the ESA hides everything
The only annoying thing about these bikes are they're hella heavy and always have a stupid seat height.
Absolutely, these are both deal breakers for me.
When did an 18 ltr tank become massive? For a touring oriented style bike I’d be expecting a 20 ltr tank as a standard. I’m sure BMW could have found a way of squeezing another 2 ltr’s in that tank.