Niche motorcycles aren’t exactly a booming category. However, they’re exactly the kind of vehicles that develop a cult following of loyal enthusiasts. We’re guessing that’s exactly what they’re hoping to tap on with the BMW R 12 G/S, a retro enduro that’s built for exploring less-than-beaten paths.
Billed as “an off-road motorcycle with style,” the vehicle is touted as the spiritual successor to the R 80 G/S from 1980, a trailblazing motorcycle that brought a powerful boxer engine to a category otherwise filled with lightweight, single-cylinder dirt bikes. It visually apes BMW’s 80s-era adventure bike, too, giving it a convincing retro feel, while being packed with completely modern performance.
The BMW R 12 G/S is fitted with a 1170cc two-cylinder boxer engine that produces a whopping 109 horsepower and 85 pound-feet of torque at 6500 rpm. With a wet weight of 505 pounds, that’s enough power to get the bike from standstill to 60 mph in just 4.1 seconds, all while hitting top speeds of 124 mph. Suffice to say, this thing packs plenty of power – enough to make for a fun time if you want to take it out on joyrides around the city. With that much muscle, it’s going to need plenty of stopping power, too, which is provided by dual axial-mounted 12.2-inch rotors out front and a 10.4-inch rear rotor with dual piston calipers.
Being a GS, of course, it comes with some beefy off-road credentials. For instance, it gets a 21-inch front wheel that’s matched with a 17-incher in the rear, a popular combination for the outfit’s adventure bikes. The 45mm upside-down front fork offers 8.2 inches of suspension travel, while the rear single-sided swingarm with the progressive swing strut offers up to 7.8 inches. Both are adjustable for preload, rebound, and compression, so you can tune this thing’s suspension to your exact liking. It has a steering head angle of 63.1 degrees, a steering lock angle of 42 degrees, and 9.4 inches of ground clearance.
The BMW R 12 G/S offers three type of riding modes, namely rain, road, and enduro, so you can easily adapt the riding characteristics to the prevailing conditions, with an “enduro pro” riding mode available as an opion. It comes with dynamic engine brake control, dynamic traction control, and partial integral ABS Pro brake system. Other stock details include a X-shaped LED headlight, an analog round instrument, a smartphone holder (ConnectedRide Control is optional upgrade), and a USB-C port.
If you’re buying this for going off-road, you might want to get the Enduro Package Pro option, which gives it an 18-inch rear wheel that bumps up ground clearance to 10 inches, off-road tires, higher handlebars, bigger foot pegs with grippy spikes, a large engine guard, and the additional riding mode. For a more enjoyable time riding, you can also opt for the comfort package, which adds Shift Assistant Pro (eliminates the need to use the clutch to shift gears), Hill Start Control (helps get you started during climbs), electronic cruise control, and heated grips for riding in colder weather.
The BMW R 12 G/S comes out in the third quarter of the year, priced at $16,395.
