BMW K 1200 S reviews

I have had my K1200S for about a year now. It is ridden mostly on warm summer days. Handling is predictable and reasonably quick. Engine power is awesome in any gear. ABS brakes work great. Fit and finish are excellent. ESA is usually left in the 'sport' setting and yields a firm ride. It is necessary to watch speed on the highway or triple digits will sneak up. Show less

Owned bikes for 30 years and ridden just about all types of bikes. The K1200S just blew me away! A great package of looks, speed, comfort, confidence inspiring handling, reliability and it silences the BMW-critics. I have taken this bike around Europe a couple of times and this bike is a missile on the roads there. The Busa and ZX-12R are awesome bikes, but the technology on this bike for the brakes and suspension are just too, too good. If you want a sports tourer or want to change, try one... it has all the grunt you will ever need! And puts a smile on my face every ride. Minus points - (every bike has some....) 1.) Headlight could be brighter 2.) Seat - fine but needs a bit more comfort for european long riding stints otherwise fine, but wouldn't compromise by fitting one of those padded sofa-seats, uuurggh. Would rather suffer. 3.) No underseat storage space to speak of... annoying, because I don't like to spoil the great looks by adding bags/raks etc.... Just a personal view, but I am still in love with this bike 7k on.... and no plans to swap for anything. Show less

I love it! I have taken my bike for a weekend in the twisties in Arkansas and the hill country in Texas, it can hang with all the other lighter bikes out there and in my humble opion is much nore comfy. 300 to 400 miles of twisties and I am still fresh as a daisy. That never was the case on my gixxer. I wish aftermarket stuff was more prolific and cheaper but it is a dream to ride. My buddies are "Dang that thing is fast" I just wish I was a more capable rider to get even more out of it, but I am working on it. Show less

I've had my 2005 all-blue K1200S for approx. 9 months, and I use every excuse to get on it, from a grocery store run to hard-core canyon carving. PROS: 1) Phenomenal power (stock), with the best sequential acceleration at higher RPMs. Hot off the line...besting any of the Japanese bikes I've raced, as long as you keep the RPMs between 8-10K. 2) You'll surely appreciate the ABS with all that power. I've come too hot into a few corners, and the ABS saved me from heading over a few cliffs (but in beautiful areas). With the Duo-Lever suspension, there is no noticeable braking "dive" on the front end when you engage the ABS. 3) ESA is a nice feature - I've used it for 1-up in various conditions, and also with my girl on the back. Nice feature, with quite noticeable differences in suspension. 4) I use soft, sticky tires for canyon carving on long windy roads - the bike corners beautifully with just the right stiffness to give you extra confidence. 5) Extremely stable at high speeds. I've never felt any shaking/wobbling at 120-150 mph, even in windy conditions, if you can get below the windscreen. CONS: 1) My biggest gripe...the stock seat is way too hard, and on long rides makes me feel like I've been tenderized with a meat cleaver. 2) The clutch lever is quite tight, and in stop-and-go traffic you'll feel like you have early arthritis. 3) The shift lever screw keeps vibrating out, so I've had to keep spares on hand. Not confidence inspiring when you're riding hard. I've used a split washer and lock-tite, but the sucker keeps backing out. 4) Stock wind screen is too low if you want get out of wind resistance and ride at break-neck speeds. It's hard to get my body low enough, and impossible if using a tank bag. 5) Even after tuning the bike to "Sport" suspension, I still bottomed out on the far side of a steep hill (doing 120 mph), creating a nice gouge in the asphalt. 6) There just aren't too many roads where you can get the full value out of what the K1200S has to offer. For Southern CA I recommend Hwy 74, and in Central CA there is no beating Hwy 1 for nice cornering and sheer beauty, and Hwy 58 for hard core cornering, and flat straight-aways to test your speed limits -- just get low enough, watch out for hazards, and of course the CHP! Show less

I spent last weekend winding through the hills in and around Ozark AR, the bike was flawless much better than the rider ever will be. My buddies I was riding with were very empress with the power and for its size, how nimble it is. It is about 9in longer than my buddies 919 but it was very well mannered it never made me feel out of sorts. The only beefs I have are the 05 mapping which gives it a low rpm stutter (hence the 4th star in quality)and the 2nd to 3rd clunky shift but it seems to be wearing in. By far the best over all road bike I have ever owned, we rode for about 6hrs and 320 miles the only thing tired was my throttle hand. Show less

This is simply the best motorcycle I have ever ridden. When I completed the ride the only thing that I could say was -- AWESOME! Power is strong and linear from less than 2000 RPM and becomes almost scary at 6000. Once rolling, 6th gear is all you need. Shifts are super smooth and the whole power transmission equation is seamless. Riding position is perfect. You can visualize your line through a corner and the bike instinctively follows your lead. I am now trying to figure out how to afford one. Show less