Here's the gist of it:
The arrival of the R1200RT was never in doubt for 2005. But the R1200ST was completely unexpected. Here are the first official spy photos of the all-new BMW 2005. Next Wednesday at midnight, you will find all of the official photos and information on the new BMWs on Moto-Station. What good is it to buy the press?
Exceptional! Here are the first official photos taken by our informant of two new 2005 BMWs, one completely unexpected. We had actually already seen the photos of the last prototypes of the R1200RT rolling off the assembly line a few months ago. But the R1200ST presented here was completely unexpected for 2005. Here you find nothing less than the replacement of the R1150RS, a motorcycle that never convinced us, because of its antiquated styling. Its replacement turns back the hands of time to a spectacular hour.
In these first documentsits hard to see it wellthe windshield, which is very original, with its double optical vertical position, now invades the space devoted to the fairing. The general aesthetic of this sportbike is futuristic, with a notable mixture of curved and broken lines and a lighter rear end. The engine is largely inspired by the new R1200GS, with its swingarm supported by the frame, and not just by the motor. This should reinforce the strength of the bike, as well as reduce weight, which has been announced as 204 kg dry and 237 kg wet. The engineers used all the technical knowledge from the GS. The R1200ST purports to be lighter than the R1150RS at 215 dry/250 with vital fluids. The adoption of the GSs Boxer brings its power to 110 hp and 11,7 daN.m torque (sorry guys). As for the rest, the construction is faithful to the architecture of the famous Flat Twin, with, among other things, Telelever, monoshock rear suspension and single-sided swingarm, shaft drive, and integral ABS. The pilots seat height is adjustable.
The remake of the RTs bodywork obscures some of its lines. These last photos unveil a more seductive anatomy. The windshield and the saddle should offer height adjustability and the hardcases seem to be better integrated than they were before. The cases are more or less generous, and the RT and ST share the essentials of their architecture. The RT will no doubt convince our hardcore testers, even though some people criticise the too-timid Boxer. Its weight is moving in the right direction, since our informer determines it to be 220 kg dry and 260 kg wet, compared with the 279 for the R1150RT. As for the equipment and options, the R1200RT offers CD player, an on-board computer, heated seat and grips, cruise control, and the integral ABS brakes.
The RT is set to debut in the beginning of 2005 (January, probably) and the ST a little before Easter. With the K1200R unveiled, 2005 promises to be a great year for the German marque. The RT figures prominently among the best sellers, and it is clear that many customers impatiently await the new version. There is already talk about the arrival of the R1200S in 2006. Wunderbar!