BMW Motorcycle reviews

BMW finally resolves the curiosity it has been cultivating over the last year with the online (due to coronavirus concerns) unveiling of its boss new cruiser, the R 18. This model wants a chunk of the retro-cruiser market with a faux rigid rear end and old-school geometry, but it ain’t all about the looks. This machine carries the largest boxer-twin engine that Beemer has ever mounted in a bike frame. In spite of its simple, clean look, there is plenty of ride-control wizardry under the hood.

BMW buffed its mid-size adventure-bike range with the new-for-2020 F 900 XR model that builds on the equally new F 900 R roadster. The XR is built as an on-road tourbike/commuter on a new chassis with a new plastic-welded gas tank and a handful of top-drawer electronic safety and ride-quality control features to polish off the package. A new parallel-twin engine drives the XR with nearly 100 ponies on tap to drive your asphalt adventures.

The half-century mark is an important milestone for any motorcycle manufacturer, and BMW Motorrad celebrates by building the retro-tastic R nineT /5. This is actually a fairly faithful visual representation of the original R 50/5, R 60/5 and R 75/5 that populated the streets back in 1969 and on into the early ’70s. A 110-horsepower, modern boxer engine drives this tribute piece with all the contemporary electronics and features “under the hood” that we’ve come to expect from our meticulous Bavarian friends.

BMW Motorrad finally gave its mid-size sportbike range a much needed update ahead of MY2020 with its new F 900 R roadster. Built for fun, the F 900 R delivers the goods with a new chassis, new all-plastic fuel tank, and a bevy of electronic systems for ride-quality and safety control. A new, parallel-twin powerplant drives your on-road adventures with almost 100 horsepower on tap, and as always, BMW has a well-rounded accessory line that pulls from the top shelf to boost its capabilities even more.

BMW’s R 1250 base serves as a platform for a number of variants, including the more streetwise pair of models: the R 1250 R roadster and the sport-touring R 1250 RS. As their names suggest, the “R” is a sport-naked with minimal body cladding and an essential layout that wastes nothing on superfluous equipment, but like the yin to the R’s yang, the “RS” is more about long-range comfort. Toward that end, it sports a fullish front fairing complete with screen. Both ride on a common chassis and suspension system with a few color choices per model plus BMW’s Option 719 Spezial and a host of dedicated accessories across the board. A liter-plus engine delivers the goods with ride-quality features as standard equipment and a whole lot more as part of the optional ex werke gear.

BMW Motorrad embraces the American style for its full-dress tourbikes, and the K 1600 GTL represents the pinnacle of that genre. Built for luxe comfort with an eye toward safety, the “GTL” brings all the top-shelf gadgets to the table along with over a liter-and-a-half of flat-six performance placing it well into the power-tourer bracket. The factory also blessed it with the “Spezial” treatment that brings factory-custom touches to lend the line an extra element of exclusivity.

The Bayerische Motoren Werke beefed up its adventure-bike line ahead of MY2018, and those improvements carry over directly into 2019 for the F 850 GS Adventure. As a member of the “Gelände Sport” family, it comes set up as a dual-surface adventure bike with definite off-road capabilities along with blacktop chops that make it an all-around globetrotter. The “F” indicates a parallel-twin powerplant that delivers just under 100 ponies with a 57 mpg efficiency rating to give it enough range for the most serious trips. Ride-quality and safety electronics serve as icing on the cake.

The Bayerische Motoren Werke leads off its 2020 lineup with a new version of its race-tastic S 1000 RR. As usual for BMW, items that were optional equipment last year are now part of the standard equipment package; I’m talking about such features as all-around LED lighting, lean-sensitive ABS and an adjustable clutch lever, just to name a few. The 999 cc powerplant shed some weight and took on the ShiftCam technology in a bid to deepen the torque well a bit and pick up a few ponies in the process. In short, Beemer’s new street-legal racebike comes to the table with more of the goods that made the previous generations such a hit.

BMW Motorrad refined its top-end adventure bike lineup ahead of MY2019 with the R 1250 GS Adventure. It builds on the base R 1250 GS platform with a handful of off-roadtastic features on top of the extensive fandanglery already associated with this family, plus an increase in both power and torque from a new, higher-displacement, Shift-Cam engine. In addition to the stock equipment, Beemer offers extensive customization options through its accessory catalog to turn the “Adventure” into a technological marvel on wheels.

If you like your streetbike served with a side of track-day performance, BMW has good news for you in the form of its S 1000 RR. The “RR” marks one of those happy mediums between run-of-the-mill, supersport wannabes and the six-figure “proper” race machines, and it represents a significant return on its relatively low MSRP. Solid performance is supported by safety and stability systems, and that acts as a skill-multiplier to help you keep it dirty-side down.

The Bayerische Motoren Werke has been busy expanding its R nineT family, and MY2017 saw the addition of the “Pure” model. At a glance, the Pure is exactly that; a roadster-style model reduced to its absolute essential form with nothing in the way of what you might call superfluous contaminants. BMW’s Boxer-Twin provides the power with both standard and optional safety equipment that’ll help you keep it dirty-side down. The factory brushed up the aesthetics as well with two new finishes from Beemer’s Spezial division that really make the sparse sheet metal pop visually.

BMW expanded its Heritage lineup for MY2017 with the R nineT “Racer” variant that it carries over right on into 2019. The Racer takes Beemer’s popular roadster and gives it a café-tastic bent that, in spite of the fact that it adds more body components, seems to accentuate the essential nature of the model. Power comes from a classic boxer engine, and of course, the factory threw on a handful of extra safety items to help you keep it all under control.

BMW paid close attention to the custom culture surrounding tour bikes as well as the popular factory features from the competition to come up with the K 1600 Grand America. Not only does the bike provide the look and functionality we tend to expect from our touring machines, but it pushes well into the power-tourer bracket with 160 ponies on tap. The factory wraps up the package with an enviable electronics suite further improved upon with a whole host of factory options. Make no mistake; this is one high-caliber weapon of mass seduction, and it’s aimed straight at the Heartland, so let’s see if we can gauge how true Beemer’s aim is with its latest effort to score a slice of the American tour-bike market.

BMW’s K 1600 GT moved into its seventh year of production in 2017 with a fresh rebuild that the Bayerische carries right on into MY2019. A six-cylinder engine puts it in the power-tourer category in both the torque and horsepower columns for solid performance even in spite of its not-inconsiderable heft. Built for touring, it strikes a balance between storage and aesthetics for a sort of “Euro-bagger” look that compares well with Honda’s new bagger-tastic Goldwing since both leave off the top case for their fully dressed, top-shelf models. This Bavarian bruiser brings a dark-and-swanky attitude to the table with the performance to back it up.