CRUISE MISSILE BMW R 1250 RT
If touring the world is your bag, BMW might just have something that you ought to take note of – the mile munching, boxer-engined Beemer has been treated to a new motor and electronics package.
That’s right, the R 1200 RT, which has been kitted out with a new 1,254cc motor (rather than the 1,170cc jobby in the outgoing model), has become the R 1250 RT. The new, bigger engine has another 10bhp (up from 124bhp to 134bhp) and a shed load more torque, which is up 19Nm, from 124Nm to 143Nm. The extra power and torque is partially due to the additional 84cc, yes, but BMW have also added some variable valve timing capability into the mix with their ShiftCam Technology, which they say “increases power across the entire engine speed range, reduces emission and fuel consumption levels and optimises running smoothness and refinement”. For 35 years the horizontally opposed, twin cylinder (boxer) engine configuration has powered the likes of the BMW GS and RT range and has been increased in cc time and time again, each time delivering more power and torque, so it should come as no surprise that we are now looking at 1,254cc.
As well as the new motor, the RT has an updated electronics package and some slightly new styling. The Brembo front brakes have also been binned off in favour of BMW branded callipers but you still get Brembo at the rear.
The RT is still an RT though and, thus, should still be capable of munching miles comfortably and quickly. But we wanted to find out whether the new RT would be the armchair-on-wheels that makes long stints in the saddle, a tankful at a time, something to enjoy rather than endure. So we clocked up a bunch of miles down in sunny Spain to see.
What a whopper
This really is a whopper of a bike; the mass of bodywork, the panniers and the big cylinder heads sticking out the side really were something to behold. In all fairness it’s not pretty; it’s an elephant of a bike. As I threw a leg over for the first time, I tried my best to avoid kicking a pannier, but I failed
miserably and left a big rubbery skid-mark on the top of it (this became a regular occurrence).
Once seated, the RT seemed to fit my frame perfectly. I wasn’t keen on how far forward the sidestand was as I accidentally kicked the back of the left cylinder as I tried to hook my foot around it, but it only happened the once – I was more careful from then on. With the stand
disengaged, and the bike perfectly vertical, my feet were easily able to touch the floor relatively flat-footed; this was particularly beneficial as, when stationary, the bike’s 279kg really made itself known, especially when a degree or two of lean was introduced.
The RT we rode came with a keyless ignition system – which normally I find rather a pain in the arse – but the BMW has
a little cubby hole near the front of the tank (like a mini glove box) in which the key fits nicely so you don’t have to go rummaging through your pockets to find your key every time you want to fuel up. Not that you would have to do that on the RT anyway, as the filler cap is also keyless. Neat. The ignition is turned on with a big button where the key would normally be, at which point the TFT screen in the middle of the dash lights up. The screen is flanked by an old fashioned speedo (to the left) and rev counter (to the right) which are, in turn, flanked by a pair of speakers. The dash is huge and more like something that you’d expect to see in a Ford Mondeo. As are the mirrors.
When fired into life the engine has a very distinctive boxer rumble to it. A twist of the light feeling fly-by-wire throttle seems to be effortlessly translated into revs as the injection system worked faultlessly to deliver fuel to the horizontally opposed cylinders. So far so good. What I was really looking forward to though, was experiencing the new BMW ShiftCam Technology. According to BMW, the electronic valve faffery is completely unnoticeable when riding. The deviant in me saw that as a challenge and I tried my best to feel something happen at 5,000rpm (where the ShiftCam shifts), but I couldn’t. I couldn’t feel, hear or see anything peculiar happen, at any point, which would have given away the ShiftCam’s presence. Instead the motor was deliciously smooth, from tick-over all the way to its 9,000rpm rev limit. But the thing about the RT that really grabbed me by the balls was the torque and low down power. The big fat engine seemed to have more power than you could ever
need on a bike like this; but it was great fun and made second to fourth gear wheelies more than capable. It really gave the bike an edge that even some sportier bikes lack.
Smooth as silk
The torque and smoothness of the engine made the RT mega easy to ride. I found that anything above 30mph was fine in top gear – the thing would just plod along quite happily and always have enough poke to drive itself sensibly up to motorway speed. We navigated a few quiet motorways during our ride and made good use of the cruise control system which is really easy to use and works brilliantly. The quickshifter and blipper both work perfectly and, again, make the ride that bit easier. The hill start assist function came in handy a few times on the RT as our route took us through the foothills of the Sierra Alhamilla mountain range in southern Spain where there were many steep junctions to contend with. It was a great feature that, as expected, worked really well.
Although the 20°C weather in Spain didn’t warrant the use of the five-level grip heaters and the five-level seat heaters, they would no doubt be utilised back home and I can imagine the wind deflectors in front of the handlebars would be a godsend in colder climates at 70mph, too. The seat was comfortable and the 25 litre tank ergonomically shaped for the knees to be tucked in nicely. Everything aboard the RT was pretty darn cushy as far as I was concerned. I glided along in complete comfort; it was bliss. In fact everything on the RT seemed to be aimed at comfort.
The huge great big screen and the comfortable seat all helped towards providing a sumptuous experience on board the RT. I was particularly keen on the fact that the RT we rode came with a stereo, although it proved inaudible at anything over 60mph, even turned up to full blast, not to mention the fact that it kept switching between channels as I inadvertently toggled the BMW Motorrad Multi Controller Wheel on the left handlebar. But it was a nice touch, and whenever we pulled over we could listen to the Spanish hit parade, if we so wished (which we never did). The RT does have Bluetooth connectivity but I couldn’t work out, for the life of me, how to connect my smartphone up to it to blast out my own banging tracks.
The windier roads were less kind to the RT. When the going got twisty the RT made its limits known. While the rear brake seemed
very effective, likely owing to the masses of weight bearing down on the rear wheel, the front brake felt a little less impressive, especially when trying to brake downhill. It was more than capable of doing what most would ever be likely to do on it, but I didn’t like how keen the ABS was to join the party.
The same can be said for cornering, it was mega stable and would roll round any corner comfortably until you asked to do it at speed, at which point the bike would just drift wide in an ever increasing arc, until you ran out of tarmac. There was a certain speed it would go round any particular corner, which is exceeded on at the rider’s peril.
Winner?
The BMW R 1250 RT is a bike that’s been fantastically designed and very well built – BMW, as per, have taken something good and made it better. It’s certainly fast and it’s as comfortable as anything else out there with two wheels but it’s not a sportsbike. If you want to go scratching round your local a roads or you’re thinking of getting to a trackday or ten, the RT isn’t the bike for you.
The R 1250 RT is for the rider who wants to go fast in a reasonably straight line, wants to be comfortable, wants to load his bike up with a weeks’ worth of pants and socks, his toothbrush and his wife (or his husband) and chart a course around southern Europe. He isn’t going to stray from the beaten path, he needs plenty of space for his wife’s (or husband’s) shampoo, conditioner, eye liner, lip gloss, daytime shoes, evening shoes (flat ones and heels, oh and the nice purple ones with the little buckle at the back); he wants to go from one hotel to the next in style.
For £14,415 you do get a lot of bike for your money. The RT has all the mod cons, a fantastic engine and if previous BMW boxer engines are anything to go by, it will last forever. If you want something to take you to the end of the earth, get an RT. If you need it to do anything else, like pull birds, don’t.