So I picked up my brand new R12 on Friday at 5pm and have put on about 300 miles over the weekend. Some observations:
Comfort - a lot better than the 2015 model I owned previously, and despite being 8 or 9 years older I don't believe my arse is substantially more padded. So the combination of the new seat on the R12, possibly the lower height and maybe a slightly different stance has really pleased me. It's no tourer but so long as I stop every hour or so I don't see it being a problem, whereas on the old NineT I would get concerned about travelling too far from home as I would be increasingly aware of having to ride the "plank of wood" seat all the way back again.
Equipment - twin clocks look lovely; I did test the digi display which was pretty cool but I think the round clocks suit the bike better. All the info is in there on the little menu displays (tyre pressures, trips, temps etc.) should you need it. My bike was delivered unexpectedly with Connected Ride so by bluetoothing my phone across I could get a full phone satnav experience, plus all the telemetrics like maximum lean angle, acceleration/deceleration g-forces, journey tracks with elevation. Quite cool really. One point to note, the USB connection under the tank is USB-C - took me ages to realise by trying to plug in a normal USB-A cable! I didn't get a chance to experience the cornering headlight as it was still light when I got home. Ask me again in October
Ride - well it handles brilliantly. I've not played with the adjustable suspension yet but I think I'll maybe stiffen it up a little just to take a tiny bit of the springinesss out of the experience. If anything I think the 2015 model handled better than the R12 but that may be my memory from 8 years ago. In any case, the R12 has more adjustment available so I'll have a tinker when its had its first service and is fully run in.
Performance - still running in so not much chance to explore this on my own bike but the demonstrator I had did everything I asked of it. Changing down with Shift-Assist to blast past a lorry was a joy, as was accelerating away from lights. At low speeds it was easy to ride, but in town traffic you might want to keep an eye on which gear you're in or you may be slipping the clutch a bit to hold the slow traffic pace. Hill start assist (part of comfort pack I think) took a little getting used to but is great if you want to just put your feet down and adjust your gloves at the lights on a hill or whatever.
Other stuff - rarely have I owned a bike that attracted so much attention from bikers and non-bikers when parked up. It drew admiring glances from old and young alike, and plenty of questions including the usual "what are those things sticking out of the side?" to which I replied "foot warmers"
Criticisms - I haven't grounded the pegs yet but I did ground my toe on a right hand lean round a roundabout, so I'll watch out for that. I assume this was when my telemetrics recorded a 31 degree lean angle. On my third day out I couldn't get the Connected Ride to, well, connect, despite playing through all the usual resets and pairings. I'll have a play before I go out next, but of course the phone cradle was excellent for Google Maps.
A little more worryingly, there seems to be a very slight lag on shutting the throttle, it feels like the bike is going to run on for a bit, maybe quarter or half a second; this feels a bit disconcerting but once I was fully aware of it the perception of it as a problem diminshed somewhat. I read about it in one of the reviews too, so maybe BMW will update the software/fuel mapping. Oh, the new R12 didn't pop and bang on the overrun as much as the old NineT, which was a shame! Regulations I guess.
Overall, I'm really really pleased with my purchase. Despite riding 44 years I'd never owned a BMW until 2015 and this is now my 5th boxer twin so there must be something about the engines that suits me and my riding needs. I think the R12 / NineT is the closest in experience to the Norton Commandos I owned many years ago, but without the classic bike issues, and with obviously much better components.
Exellent machine. Enjoy the photos of a few locations near me.
Potatan
![Image]()
![Image]()
![Image]()
![Image]()
Comfort - a lot better than the 2015 model I owned previously, and despite being 8 or 9 years older I don't believe my arse is substantially more padded. So the combination of the new seat on the R12, possibly the lower height and maybe a slightly different stance has really pleased me. It's no tourer but so long as I stop every hour or so I don't see it being a problem, whereas on the old NineT I would get concerned about travelling too far from home as I would be increasingly aware of having to ride the "plank of wood" seat all the way back again.
Equipment - twin clocks look lovely; I did test the digi display which was pretty cool but I think the round clocks suit the bike better. All the info is in there on the little menu displays (tyre pressures, trips, temps etc.) should you need it. My bike was delivered unexpectedly with Connected Ride so by bluetoothing my phone across I could get a full phone satnav experience, plus all the telemetrics like maximum lean angle, acceleration/deceleration g-forces, journey tracks with elevation. Quite cool really. One point to note, the USB connection under the tank is USB-C - took me ages to realise by trying to plug in a normal USB-A cable! I didn't get a chance to experience the cornering headlight as it was still light when I got home. Ask me again in October
Ride - well it handles brilliantly. I've not played with the adjustable suspension yet but I think I'll maybe stiffen it up a little just to take a tiny bit of the springinesss out of the experience. If anything I think the 2015 model handled better than the R12 but that may be my memory from 8 years ago. In any case, the R12 has more adjustment available so I'll have a tinker when its had its first service and is fully run in.
Performance - still running in so not much chance to explore this on my own bike but the demonstrator I had did everything I asked of it. Changing down with Shift-Assist to blast past a lorry was a joy, as was accelerating away from lights. At low speeds it was easy to ride, but in town traffic you might want to keep an eye on which gear you're in or you may be slipping the clutch a bit to hold the slow traffic pace. Hill start assist (part of comfort pack I think) took a little getting used to but is great if you want to just put your feet down and adjust your gloves at the lights on a hill or whatever.
Other stuff - rarely have I owned a bike that attracted so much attention from bikers and non-bikers when parked up. It drew admiring glances from old and young alike, and plenty of questions including the usual "what are those things sticking out of the side?" to which I replied "foot warmers"
Criticisms - I haven't grounded the pegs yet but I did ground my toe on a right hand lean round a roundabout, so I'll watch out for that. I assume this was when my telemetrics recorded a 31 degree lean angle. On my third day out I couldn't get the Connected Ride to, well, connect, despite playing through all the usual resets and pairings. I'll have a play before I go out next, but of course the phone cradle was excellent for Google Maps.
A little more worryingly, there seems to be a very slight lag on shutting the throttle, it feels like the bike is going to run on for a bit, maybe quarter or half a second; this feels a bit disconcerting but once I was fully aware of it the perception of it as a problem diminshed somewhat. I read about it in one of the reviews too, so maybe BMW will update the software/fuel mapping. Oh, the new R12 didn't pop and bang on the overrun as much as the old NineT, which was a shame! Regulations I guess.
Overall, I'm really really pleased with my purchase. Despite riding 44 years I'd never owned a BMW until 2015 and this is now my 5th boxer twin so there must be something about the engines that suits me and my riding needs. I think the R12 / NineT is the closest in experience to the Norton Commandos I owned many years ago, but without the classic bike issues, and with obviously much better components.
Exellent machine. Enjoy the photos of a few locations near me.
Potatan
