| | | | Road test: 2007 BMW R1200R-Real world technology bearer |  Written: 19/07/2006 : 10:04. Read 17541 times (27/day). | | The integrality of this filed article is for Premium Members. | We have known for some time that the old R 1150 R would be the next and last of the big Boxers to benefit from the new 1200 engine. What we did not know was that it would be the first BMW to feature some ground braking roadbike technology; ASC, TPC, evolved ABS, ESA and EVO Paralever. In plain English this means that the bike can be delivered from the Berlin factory ready fitted with traction control, new and better ABS, tyre pressure control and electronic suspension adjustment. Is this man beating nature or is it all too much?
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R 1200 R is in principal the simplest of the BMW Boxer 1200s. However, in a strange twist it is now the most advanced on paper! It will only last until 2007 where all the other big BMW Boxers will get the same options as the R 1200 R except for R 1200 S (no ASC ready yet for the most powerful of the Boxers). BMW thinks of the bike as a traditional roadster, but also as an entry level tourer. I have to disagree with BMW on the tourer bit as the bike has got no fairing! Only a small fly screen is available as an option for wind protection and the German manufacturer has already got the most extensive touring range possible where the ST and RT features the same 109bhp engine as the R1200R. But a full range of luggage accessories are still available if you still choose the R1200R for touring. Unfortunately none of the press bikes were fitted with the new traction control or tyre pressure control, but they did have the latest generation integral ABS that is necessary for the ASC (Automatic Stability Control) to work.
The world launch took place in the South of Germany and in the Bavarian Alps-as good a place as any for such a versatile motorcycle. Between Munich and the Bavarian Alps there is only a short stretch of Autobahn. Due to reports of rain in the Alps we took the long route South to test the bike before we had to encounter the rain. If the bikes had been fitted with the new ASC system I would have raced towards the rain to try it out! As you have understood by now the integral ABS and the stability control are the main technological advances for BMW in 2007. First of all they (ABS & ASC) have been developed as a safety feature and not a MotoGP-ish track-day feature. BMW still has a long way to go before they have a fully functional ASC system on their most sporty Boxer R1200S and the more powerful in-line four K-series. You and I can only imagine how many calculations are needed from a super onboard computer to work out when to cut power or apply the rear brake when fully on the power leant over on a racetrack; hence the headline “Real world technology bearer”. In brief the ASC only works when the integral ABS is fitted and it ut ...
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