BMW R1250R HP review: the most comfortable naked bike? (4K)
Hey fellas, welcome to my new motorcycle review.
Today we talk about this wonderful Bavarian
machine, 2019 BMW R1250R, a decent successor of
the famous R1200R, which was introduced in 2015.
This bike looks almost the same
as the mentioned predecessor,
but with many core improvements we
are going to discuss in this review.
if you find this review informative and helpful,
you can confirm it anytime by subscribing to
OneTwo Rider’s channel. Thank you! So, let’s begin
with first impressions of this motorcycle. As is
the case with many modern motorcycles, it is
hard to find the proper category for R1250R.
Of course, it’s a naked bike, but not just
that. Should we consider it as a hyper-naked?
Well, it definitely looks like one, but it lacks
power and is much heavier in comparison to other
hyper-naked bikes. At the same time R1250R is much
more comfortable than, for example, Yamaha MT-10,
it carries hard cases and a huge top case that can
be found on S1000XR, has also driveshaft from BMW
GS models, etc. All being said, the most
proper category for this motorcycle would be
“hyper-naked like all-rounder”. So, who would
be the aim buyers of R1250R? I would say, naked
bike admirers who want to have a reliable, fuel
efficient
If you belong to this group of bikers then R1250R
is a great solution for your needs. It can go on a
few-days touring rides, the engine is pretty
reliable, enough power and torque for sporty ride,
and a badass naked bike look, especially this HP
sport version with Akrapovic exhaust. But it also
has obvious limits within these categories, hence
one should not expect braking records on tracks,
but its huge low rpm torque and the ShiftCam
technology can make this bike a real street king.
This bike weighs 239 kilograms wet,
standard seat height is 820 millimeters.
So, although the bike itself looks pretty
short, its seat is not, and riders under 175cm
could find it hard to reach the ground properly,
which can be problematic given its weight,
and since the bike is equipped with
the semi-active suspension, potential
buyers should forget about lowering kits. The
only aftermarket solution is a lowered seat.
When it comes to sporty riding, this bike
seems perfect for hard riding on curvy roads,
but its handling is much better in longer curves
than in short ones. Lower center of gravity on
this bike provides you with much confidence
when leaning into a curve and combined with
the Dynamic suspension, classic upside down
forks and a 17 inch wheel at the front,
R1250R makes an impression of a
proper hyper-naked motorcycle.
I would also mention these impressive
Continental Road Attack 3 tires,
although I am a fan of Metzeler
Roadtecs, I was surprised how well
these tires behave, with a lot
of grip for the twisty roads.
Along with its sporty spirit this
bike offers some touring features.
First of these is the unbelievably
comfortable seat. During the whole
ride I was under impression that this is the best
motorcycle seat ever. BMW did a great job here!
Other touring advantages are:
side and top case mounts,
fuel efficient engine, great torque distribution
that enables cruising at low rpm in higher gears,
almost vibration free handlebar
and foot pegs, heated grips. etc.
However, since this is a naked bike its wind
protection is minimal, so that would be the
worst disadvantage for touring ride,
but as the owner of this bike told me
R1250R is more than suitable for 4-5 days tours,
where one should avoid long riding on highways.
Now, about the engine. This bike is equipped
with the most recent BMW boxer engine,
with a displacement of 1254 cc and the BMW
ShiftCam system of variable timing and valve lift,
which provides better power and
torque across the entire rev range.
With its power of 136 horsepower at 7750 rpm and
the torque of 143 newton meters at 6250 rpm, this
bike is a real torque devil. It pulls strongly
from idle with a well distributed torque (thanks
to the ShiftCam) until it reaches the redline.
Still it’s a two-cylinder boxer engine, so one
should not expect a inline-four characteristic
power explosion in higher rpm range.
With this bike, everything happens in the
mid range. Also, I’ve noticed that short
throttle lag in hard throttle openings, but the
advantage of that is a totally smooth throttle,
without the slightest jerkiness when maintaining
the constant low speed. Such a big torque is
great for overtakes in higher gears as well,
just open the throttle and you are good to go.
Gearbox on this bike is great as well. Hydraulic
clutch is light as a feather, so light it lacks
any feedback from the clutch basket, and gear
shifts are smooth as butter. But the quick-shifter
could be better. I’m used to S1000XR’s perfect
quick-shifter, so find this one not that well,
especially when upshifting that low rpm.
Downshift auto-blipping is pretty good though.
This bike is very fuel efficient, in
regular riding it averages around 5 liter
per 100 kilometers and almost never exceeds 6
liter, which is great for the 1250cc engine.
Another great feature of this model is its
exhaust sound. This HP version is equipped
with the Akrapovic exhaust, and on this bike db
killers were removed, so it sounds mean as hell.
Beautiful melody to everyone’s ears!
Well not everyone’s, but every
biker will surely appreciate it 😉
Brakes on this bike are just great, same as on the
S1000XR first gen. Two radially mounted Brembo M4
Monobloc four piston calipers, 320 millimeter
discs, and an axial master cylinder at front,
with a twin piston caliper on
276 millimeter disc at rear,
all controlled by BMW’s integral ABS with
ABS Pro. Brake response is immediate,
strongly grabbing from the very start and
providing a lot of control when braking.
Semi-active suspension is also very good, a little
bit more on the comfort side and in combination
with a very comfortable seat, one can easily make
long distance rides without taking often breaks.
In Dynamic mode, suspension
becomes firmer and prevents
bike’s wobbling when cornering and diving on
front when hard braking before the corner.
Another important feature of this bike
is that its equipped with the driveshaft
instead of drive chain. So it means better look,
less maintenance and easier to keep the rear wheel
clean all the time. However, as with all bikes
with driveshafts, you will definitely notice it
when doing hard acceleration upshifts, it’s not as
smooth as it is with motorcycles with drive chain.
One of the best visual features of this motorcycle
is BMW’s 6.5 inch TFT display, which looks and
fits this bike perfectly. It is very bright,
easy to use and provides the rider with many
information all the time. Along with the beautiful
TFT, this bike is equipped with a lockable
Navigator mount, that can be operated from the
multi-controller wheel on the left handlebar,
but its position is not that well. It is too
close to the rider and under a regular field
of vision pretty hard to look at in normal
riding conditions. Also, this bike has the
original heated grips that are the same as
on other models. Some riders find them not
hot enough in cold weather, but from my personal
experience they are just fine. After all, this is
a naked bike ,hence any heated grips won’t save
you from cold when ridden in freezing weather.
Another must-have accessory for this bike are
these engine guards, to prevent severe damage to
the cylinder head if dropped on its side. There
are many aftermarket engine guards that you can
get and these ones increase that badass look of
the whole bike, so they are more than recommended.
Headlight on R1250R is an old halogen technology
with the LED DRL and it would be much nicer and
modern if it was full LED. At least this halogen
headlight is bright enough for the night riding,
so one could just install the LED bulbs
inside it. Other lights on the bike are LED.
Maintenance wise, this bike
is easy to handle with.
All the services it needs are relatively easy
to do and don’t take much time to finish them.
Okay, the final verdict: R1250R is a
very attractive all-rounder naked bike
that will always have its customers and if
you like large displacement torquey naked
bikes that are also comfortable for touring,
you should definitely consider this BMW.
Alright guys, that would be all for this review.
Should you have any questions,
please write in the comments below.
Stay tuned because new reviews are on their way!
CHEERS!
