Issue:
November/December 2005

Text:
Eric Bass

Photography:
Chris Myers

Pages:
46 - 49

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It's rare air up in the hyper-tourer stratosphere. You've got the Suzuki Hayabusa, the Kawasaki ZX-12R, the discontinued-stateside Blackbird, and now, the BMW K1200S has joined the fray. Never known for speed and acceleration, the K series is nonetheless my favorite line of Beemers, and the only one that shares clear stylistic points of reference with their brawny yet luxurious automobiles. The only thing lacking, in my mind, has been the va-va-va-voom factor, and at long last, BMW has delivered the goods in that department.

Initially, observing the bikes lined up in front of our hotel, I was disappointed to find that the black-and-yellow graphic scheme went unrepresented amidst the indigo blue and granite grey testers. Frankly, the plain wrapper versions offer cheap-looking paint that lacks the richness (blue) or sparkle (grey) to do this bike justice; whereas the racy bumblebee design does an eye-popping job of accenting the bike's aggressive lines.

Climbing aboard, the wasp-waisted shape of the bike's seat reduced the "straddle effect" when standing, and allowed me to pinch in with my legs for stability in aggressive turns, thereby relaxing my arms for smoother steering inputs. The seat itself is thin but made of very resilient foam that proved to be far more comfortable than it looked. Overall, the ergoes proved well conceived for both cornering and distance work....