Cologne Show: All-new BMW R1200RS

• 1170cc water-cooled boxer twin
• 125bhp / 92lbft
• Return of the famous RS name

BMW’s rush to fill every single niche in motorcycling continues at a frantic pace with this new R1200RS slotting into the R-Series and marks a welcome return for the RS name on a sports touring machine to carry on the legacy of the R100RS of 1976.

The R1200RS is the first RS model in the BMW range since the previous version was binned in 2005 and this is a bike that has been called for by many existing BMW owners since the demise of that bike.

The ingredients making up the R1200RS are simple enough; the 125bhp water-cooled boxer twin first seen in the 2012 R1200GS is used but it’s housed in an all-new tubular steel frame, upside down traditional forks and the paralever rear end with shaft drive and the all-important half-fairing for long distance comfort.

The RS name may hark back to a 1970s bike but the electronic rider aids are very much footed in the current time with standard fit ABS, Automatic Stability Control (ASC) and dual riding modes. The optional Pro riding mode adds Dynamic Traction Control (DTC) and two extra riding modes of Dynamic and User.

The RS is being pitched as a sports tourer and the fitment of the Dynamic Electronic Suspension Adjustment (ESA) allows the damping to be automatically adjusted to suit the road conditions.

BMW has worked very hard to make sure the R1200RS doesn’t stray into the ‘dull tourer’ bracket and the styling hints at a bike that owes far more to the S1000RR superbike than the R1200RT tourer with a sharply styled fairing and upswept tailpiece which still has room for hard luggage and a comfortable pillion seat.

LIVE UPDATE:

R1200RS name returns for first time in six years. Half faired 125bhp touring bike. Perfect touring bike BMWS claims.

MCN’s Andy Downes says: “New BMW RS is a welcome return for a famous BMW name. It looks great in the metal and manages to combine modern looks, modern technology but still keep the BMWS faith with the new version of the 125bhp water cooled boxer twin. It could make for a perfect all rounder.”

Previously:
BMW are expected to unveil a new bike carrying the RS name back into the range at tomorrow’s Intermot show in Cologne, Germany.

MCN has spied the bike, which we belive will be called the R1200RS, in development several time over the last twelve months, and it’s clear from the spy shots that the bike uses the water-cooled incarnation of the R1200 motor. It’s not alone either, with a naked R1200R version also having been spied.

The face of the RS is very similar in family style to the S1000RR – also being completely revamped for 2015 – but without the superbike’s facial asymmetry.

Of even more interest is that the spy shots appear to confirm that the new bike will have a conventional telescopic fork, not the Telelever arrangement synonymous with previous R models.

While no firm specifications will be available until the bike is unveiled tomorrow, it’s unliklely that the engine spec will change dramatically – if at all – meaning that the motor will develop 125bhp and 92lbft torque from it’s boxer-twin configuration.

Full details tomorrow.