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Where sport meets touring: The 2005 BMW R1200ST

by Lance Oliver

The sport-touring category is one of the most difficult motorcycle niches to pin down.

What's the perfect sport-tourer? For some riders, it's a bike half a step removed from a track-ready sportbike. Soften the racetrack ergonomics a bit, throw some soft saddlebags on the back, and you're good to go for the weekend.

For others, it's a machine that's half a step removed from the full-dress tourers. Comfort features such as a touring riding position, hard luggage, heated grips and other accessories are at least as important as nimble handling and responsive power.

That spread leaves a lot of room for manufacturers to miss the potential buyer's personal sport-touring target.

The 2005 R1200ST is BMW's best shot at that elusive target, from the company that practically invented the concept of a factory-built sport-tourer. And while the basic menu looks familiar—boxer motor with BMW's own Telelever and Paralever suspension and optional hard saddlebags—the parts are all new.

All of which means that although the R1200ST replaces the R1150RS, which was itself an update of the R1100RS, the first in the line of fuel-injected oilhead boxers, the new bike doesn't feel like your father's sport-tourer.

Doesn't look like it, either.

The R1200ST is a more svelte version of the touring-oriented R1200RT that BMW introduced alongside it. The combination of creases and curves in the fairing carries on the new family resemblance, but the ST goes its own way with its most distinctive feature, the stacked headlights in the front, just above the air intake for the oil cooler.

The appearance, however, doesn't prepare you for the real difference between the RT and the ST. At the presentation where BMW officials introduced both models, they kept telling us we were going to be surprised by how different the two felt, considering that both bikes share the same engine, transmission, frame and other parts. But the difference has less to do with performance than with ergonomics.

While the RT retains the classic BMW "sit up and beg" riding position, the ST folds the rider into a sporting crouch. More sporting, for example, than the RS model it replaces. Even in the highest position, the adjustable clip-on handgrips are sportbike low. The footpegs are higher, too, so legroom is reduced, even with the adjustable seat in the higher of its two positions.

BMW says the R1200ST is 55 pounds lighter than the R1150RS it replaces, and weighs 505 pounds wet, without saddlebags or other options. The lighter weight, the more aggressive riding position and the new, more powerful 1,170cc boxer engine, position the ST a few steps closer to the sporty end of the sport-touring spectrum than its RS predecessors. The ST more closely resembles the R1100S, and BMW officials were vague about that model's future.

The R1200ST's engine is a slightly retuned version of the same boxer that debuted last year on the R1200GS adventure tourer. The ST and the more touring-oriented RT now share the same engine and six-speed transmission. The only difference is the final drive ratio.

The 1200 version of BMW's boxer eliminates the surging that some owners of previous-generation fuel-injected boxers complained about. It also now comes with a balance shaft, making it smoother than ever, and it revs more willingingly to the 8,000 rpm redline.

The newest version of the boxer uses two spark plugs per cylinder, twin oxygen sensors in the head pipes, dual throttle-position sensors and a new engine management system to provide the perfect combination of spark and fuel to each cylinder.

Another piece of new technology employed on the R1200ST is the electrical system, which greatly reduces the number of wires. Two controllers, connected by a pair of copper wires, manage all the electrical devices, from the engine management system to lights. The system requires no fuses. If something malfunctions, the controller shuts down power to that system.

While the ST weighs more than 60 pounds less than the RT, the feeling of that weight savings is diminished a little by the short clip-ons, which provide a little less steering leverage than the RT's big bars. But hustling the bike through tight curves, such as the switchbacks outside Palm Springs where BMW unveiled the bike, is a no-sweat undertaking.

Unlike the RT's electronically adjustable windscreen, the ST has a smaller shield that's adjusted by hand. No tools are needed. In fact, you can reach out with one hand and snap the shield upward into its higher position while riding.

There's not much need to change it, however. There's minimal difference in airflow between the two settings. In either setting, the wind swirling across the shield creates some odd whistling effects. I found it made sense just to keep the shield down, which locks it into the most stable position and fits the sporty feeling of the bike.

Even the ST's seat leans more toward sport than touring, with a sculpted appearance that reduces the size of the seating area but encourages more movement by the rider.

The ST also has the servo-assisted brakes BMW has been putting on late model boxers, but ABS is an option. The brakes provide two-finger stopping, but the feel is definitely different, thanks to the servo assist. The power boost works whenever the key is on, whether the engine is running or not. A good thing to remember when moving the bike around, because braking power is reduced considerably without the power assist.

Add it all up, and the ST keeps a strong resemblance to its big brother, the RT, as you'd expect, since they share so much running gear. But the ST has its own look and feel, thanks to the styling and the ergonomics.

The ST also differentiates itself through pricing. With an MSRP of $14,990, it significantly undercuts the RT's $17,490 base price. But a lot of that savings comes from eliminating accessories that come standard on the RT, such as anti-lock brakes, locking saddlebags and heated handgrips.

For BMW, the RT model has been, and will continue to be, the company's bread and butter in the United States. It may seem odd, but because the ST aims for the center of the sport-touring spectrum, it will undoubtedly draw fewer fans than the BMW offerings on each side of it. The middle of the road is often a forgotten place in today's motorcycle market.

Some riders will see the ST as an uncomfortable touring bike. With the clip-ons in the lower settings, the riding position resembles that of some of the softer-edged 600cc supersport bikes on the market. BMW will steer those riders toward the RT, which adds a lot of comfort while giving up very little performance capability.

Other riders will view the ST as a sporty bike with not quite enough power for its posture. The new boxer twin is a definite improvement, but it still can't equal the output of some of the liquid-cooled, multi-cylinder competition. BMW will steer those buyers toward its new K1200S, which makes about 52 percent more power than the ST.

Are you the man (or woman) in the middle? If so, BMW has an offer for you.