Six months ago, BMW Motorrad gave us a taste of the first major overhaul to the immensely popular R nineT?the renamed BMW R 12 nineT. Since then, murmurs have persisted that the R 12 nineT won’t be the only new bike released on the updated heritage boxer platform. The Bavarian powerhouse has just confirmed this, with the unveiling of the new BMW R 12 cruiser [above].
Yes, cruiser. Despite the legacy of the oft-maligned BMW R1200C and the lackluster reception that the R18 has received, BMW is insistent that what the people want is a boxer-powered cruiser. That said, the R 12 might be their sharpest stab at the genre yet… provided that you’re happy to play fast and loose with the definition of ‘cruiser.’

As has been the custom with BMW’s heritage bikes (and competing bikes like the Harley-Davidson Evo Sportster and Triumph Bonneville), both R 12 variants are essentially the same bike, dressed two ways. The way we’re reading it, the R 12 nineT roadster [above] is the flagship of the range, while the R 12 cruiser comes in as a stripped-down, easier-going, and presumable cheaper sibling. If you missed our previous coverage of the new R 12 nineT, we’ll bring you up to speed. The new R 12 platform uses pretty much the same 1,170 cc air- and oil-cooled boxer powerplant as the outgoing R nineT, capable of 105 hp at 7,000 rpm and 115 Nm of torque at 6,500 rpm. But it’s been repackaged in a new chassis, with several notable cha...