R1200ST (2005 - 2008) review

Heading up into the mountains outside the Spanish town of Jerez I got the feeling all was not well ahead. The driving rain that had started the minute we left the hotel wasn’t really too much of a problem, luckily enough I had actually remembered to pack my waterproofs, what was worrying me was the front of the cars coming down the mountain. Every one of them appeared to have a covering of snow over their front licence plate.

Sure enough a few minutes later the rain turned into snow and a little further on we found out that the road ahead had been closed due to the weather. Oh well never mind, at least there was a nearby café to shelter in and dry off a bit.

Despite BMW choosing to launch the new R1200ST in southern Spain the weather dealt a cruel blow during the time I was there. The usual sunshine that accompanies a trip to Spain was missing and instead the whole of Europe was gripped by a cold spell. Because of this I won’t pretend to have tested the bike to its limits, it simply wasn’t possible, but the ride home was in the dry so I can give you a fairly clear impression of what it is like when the pace ups.

BMW describe this bike as a ‘long-distance sprinter,’ or sport tourer to you and me. It is designed to fill the gap between the new R1200RT, which is a more touring dedicated machine, and the old R1100S, which is BMW’s ‘sports’ model. But rather than actually create a new machine BMW has chosen to give the R1200RT a bit of a nip and tuck, subjected it to a controlled diet and sent it down the gym.

Although the actual frame is virtually identical between the RT and RS BMW has beefed up the ‘front tubes’ to 41mm. By which I mean forks, but as the BMW has a Telelever front end they aren’t actually forks, just tubes. Confused? Me to, but never mind, apparently it improves the handling by reducing ‘fork’ flex, or tube flex. Whatever.

The engine is the same new generation Boxer twin as is used in the R1200GS and R1200RT and is the higher specification 110bhp version as used in the RT rather than the de-tuned GS’ 100bhp. BMW also say it should be run on 98 RON spec, which I can’t remember on them insisting before, but clever anti-knock sensors mean it will run on lower spec 95 RON, although performance may drop.

The RT’s huge fairing is gone, replaced by small half-fairing, and a three-way adjustable screen that you kind of wrench into position until it clicks home. A manoeuvre that, with practice, can be preformed on the move, although there is almost certainly something in the user’s manual about not doing this. The tail unit is the same as the RT and comes complete with a two-way adjustable seat and pannier mounting points. Although on the ST the optional extra panniers aren’t colour coded to the bike.

By dumping the fairing BMW has shaved 24kg off the ST compared to the RT, to help speed the handling up a bit. And it does. I was actually very impressed by the handling of the big RT and the ST, despite the weather, did seem better. It isn’t a lightning fast turner or sporty sports touer like the VFR or Sprint ST but is secure and feels solid through the bends. I can’t really see any ST owners reaching for new sets of knee sliders five minutes so the fact that the bike is more in the tourer section of the sports tourer market than the competition possibly won’t really be a problem, but it certainly handles better than the R1150RS it replaces.

The bars can be moved up and down by 25mm to increase the sporty feeling of the bike but personally I wouldn’t really bother as simply moving the bars doesn’t really alter the handling much. And it makes the extremely comfortable riding position less comfortable. Like all BMWs the ST has the comfort thing taped. If you want to do miles without having to pre-book an ostio appointment at your destination then the BMW is the way forward. A great seat, perfect stretch to the bars and well positioned pegs, and with the adjustable seat you can tailor this fit. Again like all BMWs the instrument display is excellent, clear and with loads of information although, strangely for BMW, I wasn’t too impressed by the mirrors. Just because it’s a sports tourer doesn’t necessarily mean the mirrors have to show all elbows BMW!

As the engine is the same as the RT it came as no surprise that it delivers the same lazy power, which is almost a problem with the ST. Where on the RT you kind of expect a more relaxed style of motor on a sports tourer, with its more sporty attitude, you expect an engine with a bit of oomph. Now there is nothing wrong as such with the Boxer engine, it’s smooth, the gearbox is much better and the torque is always on hand, it just doesn’t really inspire on a sporty bike. When accelerating hard or really using the engine it doesn’t provide the same thrills or involve the rider in the experience like, say, Honda’s V4 or Triumph’s triple. As an engine I can’t really fault the Boxer twin, but as a sports touring experience it’s just a bit, well, dull.

Which kind of sums the bike up. Reading behind the lines this bike appears to simply be a R1200RT with a new fairing, different tubes and not a lot else. Which is exactly what it is really. Speaking to the BMW people at the press conference I was told they expected “moderate sales” in the UK, which doesn’t exactly sound inspiring really. So why has it been made?

To me it appears that the ST is simply a case of BMW ticking boxes off. It has a big tourer in the RT, a sports bike in the forth coming R1200S (which BMW claim will rival Ducatis in performance) and a big-trailie with the GS and needed to tick the Sports tourer box, which it has done in the cheapest possible way. The problem is that the sports tourer class is so competitive simply bodging a bike together isn’t good enough. Triumph’s excellent Sprint ST, Honda’s class leading VFR and Ducati’s surprisingly good ST3 and ST4S are all better handling machines and all cost around £1000 less.

The R1200ST isn’t a bad bike, but it simply doesn’t do enough to justify its price. It will only really appeal to owners of the old model R1150RS who want to get a bike that handles better, has a better motor and looks different. Personally I can’t see any new owners being persuaded onto it when the competition is so strong. If you want a BMW to go touring on I would go for the excellent RT, or if you want something sporty try the R1100S or Boxercup rep or wait for the new R1200S next year. If you are after a sports tourer try the Triumph or go with the crowd and pick the VFR.

Heading up into the mountains outside the Spanish town of Jerez I got the feeling all was not well ahead. The driving rain that had started the minute we left the hotel wasn’t really too much of a problem, luckily enough I had actually remembered to pack my waterproofs, what was worrying me was the front of the cars coming down the mountain. Every one of them appeared to have a covering of snow over their front licence plate.

Sure enough a few minutes later the rain turned into snow and a little further on we found out that the road ahead had been closed due to the weather. Oh well never mind, at least there was a nearby café to shelter in and dry off a bit.

Despite BMW choosing to launch the new R1200ST in southern Spain the weather dealt a cruel blow during the time I was there. The usual sunshine that accompanies a trip to Spain was missing and instead the whole of Europe was gripped by a cold spell. Because of this I won’t pretend to have tested the bike to its limits, it simply wasn’t possible, but the ride home was in the dry so I can give you a fairly clear impression of what it is like when the pace ups.

BMW describe this bike as a ‘long-distance sprinter,’ or sport tourer to you and me. It is designed to fill the gap between the new R1200RT, which is a more touring dedicated machine, and the old R1100S, which is BMW’s ‘sports’ model. But rather than actually create a new machine BMW has chosen to give the R1200RT a bit of a nip and tuck, subjected it to a controlled diet and sent it down the gym.

Although the actual frame is virtually identical between the RT and RS BMW has beefed up the ‘front tubes’ to 41mm. By which I mean forks, but as the BMW has a Telelever front end they aren’t actually forks, just tubes. Confused? Me to, but never mind, apparently it improves the handling by reducing ‘fork’ flex, or tube flex. Whatever.

The engine is the same new generation Boxer twin as is used in the R1200GS and R1200RT and is the higher specification 110bhp version as used in the RT rather than the de-tuned GS’ 100bhp. BMW also say it should be run on 98 RON spec, which I can’t remember on them insisting before, but clever anti-knock sensors mean it will run on lower spec 95 RON, although performance may drop.

The RT’s huge fairing is gone, replaced by small half-fairing, and a three-way adjustable screen that you kind of wrench into position until it clicks home. A manoeuvre that, with practice, can be preformed on the move, although there is almost certainly something in the user’s manual about not doing this. The tail unit is the same as the RT and comes complete with a two-way adjustable seat and pannier mounting points. Although on the ST the optional extra panniers aren’t colour coded to the bike.

By dumping the fairing BMW has shaved 24kg off the ST compared to the RT, to help speed the handling up a bit. And it does. I was actually very impressed by the handling of the big RT and the ST, despite the weather, did seem better. It isn’t a lightning fast turner or sporty sports touer like the VFR or Sprint ST but is secure and feels solid through the bends. I can’t really see any ST owners reaching for new sets of knee sliders five minutes so the fact that the bike is more in the tourer section of the sports tourer market than the competition possibly won’t really be a problem, but it certainly handles better than the R1150RS it replaces.

The bars can be moved up and down by 25mm to increase the sporty feeling of the bike but personally I wouldn’t really bother as simply moving the bars doesn’t really alter the handling much. And it makes the extremely comfortable riding position less comfortable. Like all BMWs the ST has the comfort thing taped. If you want to do miles without having to pre-book an ostio appointment at your destination then the BMW is the way forward. A great seat, perfect stretch to the bars and well positioned pegs, and with the adjustable seat you can tailor this fit. Again like all BMWs the instrument display is excellent, clear and with loads of information although, strangely for BMW, I wasn’t too impressed by the mirrors. Just because it’s a sports tourer doesn’t necessarily mean the mirrors have to show all elbows BMW!

As the engine is the same as the RT it came as no surprise that it delivers the same lazy power, which is almost a problem with the ST. Where on the RT you kind of expect a more relaxed style of motor on a sports tourer, with its more sporty attitude, you expect an engine with a bit of oomph. Now there is nothing wrong as such with the Boxer engine, it’s smooth, the gearbox is much better and the torque is always on hand, it just doesn’t really inspire on a sporty bike. When accelerating hard or really using the engine it doesn’t provide the same thrills or involve the rider in the experience like, say, Honda’s V4 or Triumph’s triple. As an engine I can’t really fault the Boxer twin, but as a sports touring experience it’s just a bit, well, dull.

Which kind of sums the bike up. Reading behind the lines this bike appears to simply be a R1200RT with a new fairing, different tubes and not a lot else. Which is exactly what it is really. Speaking to the BMW people at the press conference I was told they expected “moderate sales” in the UK, which doesn’t exactly sound inspiring really. So why has it been made?

To me it appears that the ST is simply a case of BMW ticking boxes off. It has a big tourer in the RT, a sports bike in the forth coming R1200S (which BMW claim will rival Ducatis in performance) and a big-trailie with the GS and needed to tick the Sports tourer box, which it has done in the cheapest possible way. The problem is that the sports tourer class is so competitive simply bodging a bike together isn’t good enough. Triumph’s excellent Sprint ST, Honda’s class leading VFR and Ducati’s surprisingly good ST3 and ST4S are all better handling machines and all cost around £1000 less.

The R1200ST isn’t a bad bike, but it simply doesn’t do enough to justify its price. It will only really appeal to owners of the old model R1150RS who want to get a bike that handles better, has a better motor and looks different. Personally I can’t see any new owners being persuaded onto it when the competition is so strong. If you want a BMW to go touring on I would go for the excellent RT, or if you want something sporty try the R1100S or Boxercup rep or wait for the new R1200S next year. If you are after a sports tourer try the Triumph or go with the crowd and pick the VFR.