First Ride: 2021 BMW R1250RT Review

It’s 2021 and BMW Motorrad does a lot of things very well. From adventure to supersports, modern classics to middleweight roadsters, the manufacturer has a finely-fettled foot in almost every motorcycle market.

But it didn’t always used to be that way. Barely 15 years ago, BMW was the reserve of the middle-age male – the stale stalwart of the motorcycling market. Yes, they had the GS, made famous by Charley and Ewan, but the remainder of the range was very much the kind of thing you would expect to find in your Grandad’s garage. And the RT was up there with the least street-credible BMW’s. The police rode them, and riding a police bike was categorically not cool. 

How times change. Today (really, ever since its 2014 update) the R1250RT represents a comfortable, fast sports tourer, implementing the latest generation of BMW’s brilliant boxer in a surprisingly dynamic frame. It still looks a little alien with that front-heavy silhouette, but if modern society has taught us anything, it’s not to judge a book by its cover. Or a motorbike by its fairings for that matter.

Admittedly, the R1250RT’s front-heavy appearance does take some getting used to – particularly with the panniers removed. However, form is very much led by function in this instance, with the wide faring and sweeping windscreen offering comprehensive wind protection to both the rider and pillions’ very upright positions. This sharp nose and sleek styling was first seen on the 2014/15 model, a marked change from the flatter face of its predecessor.

Updates have come almost biennially since, and for 2021 the RT sports a narrower front with better wind protection and an optimised airflow. While I haven’t ridden the predecessor, I have it on good authority that the deflected wind could create a vortex-like effect, sucking the rider in toward the screen. After an extended test ride, I can attest that there is no such sensation on the updated model. Also tweaked is the height to which the front bodywork rises – replaced by sideways extensions of the windscreen, to allow for better forward visibility. The inbuilt wing mirrors sit just beneath, blending into the bodywork despite being the widest part of the bike – at a not-insignificant 985mm.

Now standard across both the base and higher spec Luxury Edition (LE) is a new LED lighting signature, comprising an adaptive LED headlight, while daytime running lights are optional. While the test didn’t call for the former, the latter accent that vast front end nicely.

Four styles are available on both guises – the basic Alpine White 3 (which screams undercover cop); the brown-green-beige mix that is the Style Elegance (but to my mind is anything but); the lovely racing blue of the Style Sport (as tested) and the Option 719 mineral white metallic, which features black and gold highlights.

By now, BMW’s boxer needs no introduction. And since its debut in the R1250GS of 2019, the 1,254cc ShiftCam variant has perpetuated its reputation for the broad abundance of torque and smooth power delivery; not to forget that distinct sound.

In its latest Euro5 iteration, this powerplant makes 138PS (100kW), peaking at 7,750rpm, and 143Nm (106lb ft) of torque, which maxes out at 6,250rpm – 110Nm of that exists between 2,000rpm and 8,250rpm, while 120Nm is available from 3,500rpm. For those not familiar with the ShiftCam tech, it uses varying valve timing and valve lift on the intake side to make for “optimised swirl and thus more effective combustion”. The result is grunty low-down torque and smooth power across the rev range, as well as optimised fuel consumption. In the R1250RT, BMW claims 59.5mpg, while my 80-odd mile test ride on a mixture of roads returned 39.2mpg. However, the real life usage figure is likely to be somewhere between the two.

The torque is immense, with the front wheel itching to lift off with a heavy handful of throttle in low revs. Dynamic mode – part of the optional Riding Modes Pro package – is thrilling, implementing the most aggressive throttle map, with the engine drag torque control and traction control dialled back. These step in a little more frequently in Rain mode, which otherwise feels almost underpowered for the might of the bike. Eco is novel, introducing a green power bar on the dash to show you how economical your ride is (in my case not very!). However, anything feels weak compared to the potency of Dynamic.

In every mode, the ride by wire throttle is smooth and faultless, while the shaft drive is as efficient in putting the power to the rear wheel as ever. The long-ratio gearbox features shift assist as standard, however it’s choppy enough out of first gear to unsettle both you and the bike. Higher up, it feels much more natural, and is a convenient feature to save your clutch hand on longer rides. The engine is smooth at motorway speeds, sitting at 75mph in sixth gear at 4,000rpm. And it’s keen to accelerate way, way beyond. Due to its bulk, the R1250RT is a magnet for crosswinds but thanks to its low centre of gravity, holds its place well, with the exception of an occasional wiggle.

The RT is as comfortable on twisting B-roads as it is the motorway, flowing through bends with a grace that belies its size (there’s a reason that the chassis hasn’t been updated this time around). Its poise is prevalent at both high and low speeds, while the front wheel feels precise and planted and steering is incredible light and tight. Very rarely, a deep pothole took the BMW Telelever suspension by surprise, resulting in a firm jolt, but otherwise the unit was as reliable and proficient as ever. BMW’s ‘next generation’ ESA is optional, and uses sensors to detect compression, acceleration and deceleration, automatically adjusting the damping seamlessly to suit, while the automatic self-levelling function adjusts automatically to the onboard weight and its distribution. Two standard damping states exist under the Dynamic ESA – the softer, bouncy and altogether more forgiving Road mode (used in Eco, Rain and Road) and the tighter and firmer Dynamic option, perfect for when you really want to get a move on.

Linked brakes come under the now standard Full Integral ABS Pro, which also includes banking angle optimisation and dynamic brake force distribution. The result is no fork dive and immediate deceleration, with only the slightest of squirming hinting at the 1,485mm length of the wheelbase. Those brakes need to be beefy to stop the bulk of this bike, and the BMW-branded Hayes four-pot callipers on twin floating 320mm discs up front do the job very well. On a couple of occasions, I felt a strange popping sensation under application of the rear brake (a two-pot calliper on the 276mm disc), almost like a very gentle intervention of the ABS (it wasn’t).

I would be lying if I said that I wasn’t intimidated at the sight of the RT. Weighing a huge 279kg, measuring 2.22m long and with a standard seat height of 805 or 825mm, it’s an absolute behemoth of a motorcycle.

Climbing aboard I remained apprehensive, but it took just a minute of riding for me to settle into the comfortable cockpit. In fact, it was so plush and technologically advanced that it was more akin to some cars that I’ve driven than to the motorcycle upon which I had arrived (naming no names).

The bars were a comfortable reach (although it took a second to get my head around how far from the screen I was sat), and the bike boasted a surprisingly tight turning circle – without feeling top heavy, thanks to that low centre of gravity afforded by the boxer engine.

The electronically adjustable screen (standard on the higher spec model) moves at the touch of a button, and in its highest position offers a relatively quiet and turbulence-free cockpit. Moving it lower down makes for more noise and a colder chest, but I found it preferable to peer over the screen in town, for the curved angle made it disconcertingly magnifying. In any position, rain seemed to slide up the screen at speed and spit off towards the rider.

Where to start? The R1250RT was already dripping in tech before this update, but the headline here is the huge 10.25-inch TFT colour screen with integrated nav, which can be used in a split-screen format. Clear and coherent, this screen hosts everything there is to know or adjust on the machine – from vehicle information to connectivity, media, suspension and beyond. These parameters are adjusted via BMW’s recognizable switchgear scroll and buttons, as well as programmable favourite buttons integrated in the left fairing.

Keyless ride, heated seats and bars, central locking and the strangely-named new “Comfort telephony with extended smartphone connection” are included in the optional Comfort package. The latter comprises a splash proof and climate-controlled smartphone storage compartment, complete with wireless charging and a USB (note: not USB-C) socket. Annoyingly, this pouch proved slightly too small for my plugged in phone – although if you can afford this bike, you probably won’t own a knackered old iPhone 7 without wireless charging… Intelligent Emergency Call was also fitted on my test bike, complete with the handlebar-mounted switch. Having never used it (nor ever intending to), I cannot vouch for its function, however it is a reassuring safety net for lone riders.  

Navigation for the ride was provided through the BMW Connected App, which we downloaded ahead of time. Rather than use your mobile data, the app directs from a pre-loaded map. I write this review still fresh from the ride, and with a vague hint of rage still coursing through my veins – not at the road, but at this app, which somehow cancelled the route and sent me back to the BMW Mothership not once, not twice but three times. Whether it was my antiquated phone or a connectivity issue, I don’t know, but after the third time, I cancelled the route and went rogue. Aside from this hiccup, the app is user-friendly and concise, and allows you to record rides and conveniently access your vehicles’ data.

In an impressive inheritance from car technology, an optional extra (joining the standard dynamic cruise control, which uses the brake to maintain a constant preselected speed on downhills) is active cruise control, which uses radar sensor technology to ‘follow’ the car in front, adapting to match its speed while maintaining a constant distance.

There has been no argument in recent years that the R1250RT is one of the best big sports tourers out there. Comfortable, fast, agile and incredibly well-equipped, the 2021 update only bolsters its reputation, and that huge TFT dash pushes it head and shoulders above the competition in the tech stakes.

In fact, it’s so comfortable and technologically advanced, that it’s almost like riding a car. And costing from £15,820 (£20,715 as tested), it’s the same price as a car. That could buy you a new Renault Clio (£15,895 in the base Play spec) or a well-loved Lotus Elise.

But could a Clio send you flying to 62mph in 3.7 seconds? No? Would an Elise offer superior comfort and a mile-shrinking might? Certainly not. So the decision is made: buy the bike.