BMW R12 G/S Sumo supermoto revealed by German custom shop
The German custom shop Classicbike-Raisch has taken BMW’s retro adventure bike and turned it into a stunning 109bhp supermoto.
Once upon a time in Germany, a car and motorcycle maker called BMW came up with the idea of tuning some of its models into wild, wacky supermotos.
First came the HP2 Megamoto, which was then followed by its younger sibling, the G650 XMoto. Sadly, for fans of the motard genre, BMW seems to have moved away from such shenanigans.
Thankfully, one German custom shop still remembers.
The result is this: the R12 G/S Sumo, a supermoto spin on BMW’s capable and great-looking R12 G/S retro adventure bike.
We’ll start with the good bits, and there are quite a few. Classicbike-Raisch has properly gone to town on this one, starting with the 17“ wide-wheel Kineo rims.
From there they have added an new exhaust system, Motogadget electronics, a tail tidy and a heavy-duty sump guard.
It also gains a new headlight cowl, crash bars, new levers, bar-end mirrors, and uprated petal-shaped brake discs. Finally, and this really is the finishing touch, the G/S is wrapped in that super-stealthy matt black paintjob – other colour options, including Dakar-spec khaki, are also available.
Really then the only downside with this one is the price, which is €10,000 (£8,400) on top of the standard G/S donor bike – which in Germany is already €16,990 (which is around £14,400).
Beneath the skin, the G/S is as it was when it left the factory, save for a minor reduction in weight and possibly an bit more poke thanks to the free-flowing exhaust. That means you’ll be getting around 109bhp on tap, with a wet weight of around 229kg.
So, while BMW itself seems to have parked its supermoto ambitions, Classicbike-Raisch is keeping the spirit of the HP2 Megamoto and G650 XMoto alive. The R12 G/S Sumo might cost a fair old chunk of cash on top of the donor bike, but it’s a reminder that sometimes the best way to enjoy an adventure bike is to forget about the adventure and just have a laugh on the road.
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Simon (AKA Toad) has been working within the motorcycle industry for more than twelve years, and a member of the motorcyclist family since birth. Growing up around British-built single and twins, it was inevitable that a life on two wheels was on the cards, from a very early age!
