2019-07-01_RiDE

ENGINE

TheR1250Rusesthesame

1254ccflattwinastheGSand

RT,complete withthevariable

valvetimingShiftCamsystem

ELECTRONICS

Multipleoptionsare

available,including

heatedgrips,cruise

controlanda two-

wayquickshifter

Large TFT dash gets the basics right, looks
amazing and is jam-packed with features

thoughthere’snochainto adjust.Hill-start

controlis standard,andyoucanaddcruise

control,heatedgrips,hardluggage,a

two-wayquickshifteroranSOSbuttonif

youlike. Thestandardfull-colourTFTdash

is a treaton theeyeballs,itsmattfinish

keepingit readableinany light.Therev

counteris flourishedacrossthewidthofthe

display,andthewaytheengine’sredline

lowersto matchthecoolanttemperature

(startingat 5000rpmwhencold)is a

pleasinglittletouchtoo.If youlike knowing

thingslike maxleananglesandreal-time

tractioncontrolordecelerationrates,this

Sportversioncandothat– whileif youjust

wantthebasics,it’lldo thattoo.

SowhiletheR1250Rdoesn’thavethe

swagger,thereputationorthepomp and

circumstanceofits more-famousfamily

members, it is innowaya poorrelation.

Unhinderedby tryingto fitintoa trendy

pi geon-hole,theR1250Rfeelslikea

fantastictraditionalmotorcyclepacked

with cutting-edgefeaturesand, as such,

there reallyis nothingelselike it.

It ’salwaysthequietones...

SPECBMWR1250R

Pricefrom£11,215(£15,145astested)Engine

1254ccflattwin,4vpercyl,l/cPower134bhp

@ 77 50rpmTorque105lb·ft@6250rpm

Transmission6-speed,shaftFrametubular

steelFrontsuspension45mmforks,140mm

travel,noadjustment(optionalsemi-active)

Rearsuspensionmonoshock,140mmtravel,

adjustablepreloadandrebound(semi-active

optional)Frontbrakes320mmdiscs,4-piston

calipersRearbrake276mmdisc,2-piston

caliperFronttyre120/70ZR17RearTyre

180/55ZR17Wheelbase1515mmRake/trail

27 .7°/125.6mmSeatheight820mmKerb

weight248kg(msd)Fuelcapacity 18 litres

controversially switched to Hayes calipers,

the R retains its Brembos. Why? Our best

guess is that BMW wants the ability to play

one supplier off against another.

And the brakes need to be up to scratch,

as that flat twin packs a deceptive punch.

There’s stacks of usable grunt and flexible

torque at any speed and in any gear, but you

expect that. What catches you off-guard is

every-now-and-again you decide to whack

the throttle open, explore the top third of its

9000rpm range, and remind yourself how

absurd 134bhp actually feels. That’s power

on par with a Honda SP-2, an original

Ducati 999 or a second-generation Aprilia

Tuono. It can seriously shift.

And yet at the same time it’s practical too.

There are solid grab handles and a decent

pillion seat. A centrestand is an option even

Model range

The R1250R comes in three flavours: standard

(black, from £11,215); Sport (red/white/blue paint,

quickshifter, extra riding modes and more, £12,575);

and Exclusive (matt dark green as above, keyless

ignition and more, £13,015). On top of these you can

then add BMW’s usual assortment of extras,

accessories and packs — at a cost. Our test bike is a

Sport (£12,575) with the Comfort and Premium packs

(£485 and £1550), SOS button (£305) and an alarm

(£230), lifting the total price to over £15,000.

JULY 2019 | 27