Dancing the Polka

Presumably BMW learned its lesson last time. After all, it has tried this sort of thing before. 

I would argue that the new R 12 S revealed this week is markedly better looking than the short-lived R nine T Racer that BMW offered from 2017-2019. But in order to be a success, the R 12 S has to do more than just look good. It needs to be rideable.

“[The] Racer was a knee-jerk response to the hipster movement and custom houses building similar machines,” observed moto-journalist Jon Urry. “Beautiful to look at yet cripplingly uncomfortable to ride, the Racer only lasted a few short years before the chequered flag was waved over its production.”

So, in gazing at the R 12 S, the first thing drawing my attention is the handlebar placement and the body position of the people riding it.

You will remember that “R 12” is the new name for the platform formerly known as R nineT: all of it built around an excellent 1170cc air-/oil-cooled boxer twin that delivers roughly 94 horsepower and 110 Nm of torque.

As the name suggests, the R 12 S is inspired by the R90S, which was manufactured from 1973 to 1976. That bike “set a sporty exclamation mark for BMW Motorrad,” according to a media release, and saw the brand winning at the Isle of Man TT, Daytona 200, and in the AMA Superbike championship.

None of that really means anything to me, though. And, if R nineT Racer sales were anything to go by, it’s not the sort of thing that matters to others, either. Going fast is not really the point of this platform. If we want to go fast, we’ll buy a 210hp S 1000 RR, thank you. With an R 12, what we’re looking for is a bike that looks cool, sounds cool, and makes us giggle without causing body ache.

Looking at the photos, it seems BMW’s achieved that here. Though, I’m very eager to see and ride this bike in person. The handlebars aren’t tilted down at a comedy angle, and the body position of the person modeling the bike in official photos is relatively upright. So, it looks like you could spend some time on it without regretting your life choices.

If you search for images of the original R90S you’ll find quite a few examples wearing those tell-tale black BMW panniers of the ’70s and ’80s. Sadly, BMW’s nostalgia doesn’t appear to extend to offering retro luggage (it’s probably missing a trick there), but those pictures do make me wonder if the R 12 S could serve as a fun weekend-away sort of machine.

Outside of the Moto Guzzi V85TT, no one really does retro-styled touring bikes. I feel there’s a market niche there that’s being ignored by manufacturers. Come on Honda, give me a modern Gold Wing that looks like an old Aspencade.

I’m digressing. Anyway, outside of its aesthetics the R 12 S is… well… an R 12. There’s not much to say beyond that. The R 12 platform is a well-known and well-loved entity by now. So much so that the majority of BMW’s 750-word media release is spent discussing accessories packages.

Looking at BMW’s website, I see the bike is currently available for pre-order. No word on pricing yet, though.