See everything we've won...
Best Adventure Bike of the Year / R 1200 GS Adventure / August 2008
Once again, BMW's R1200GS Adventure is the only reason you need to chase the sunset across a half-dozen continents--Antarctica may be a bit chilly--on any sort of road or no road at all. There are faster sportbikes, more comfortable touring mounts and easier ways to get across town, but nobody builds a better ride for taking the long way. Strap on the gear, cue up the GPS and go. Then BMW upped the ante for '08 with more power, electronic suspension adjustment and a nifty traction-control system that makes putting all that power down on some shale-strewn fire road a whole lot easier at the end of an 18-hour day. You'll pay $16,350 for the privilege, $1040 for the ESA and another $365 for the TC. With the optional saddlebags, tax, license and maybe a GPS receiver on the handlebars, you're on the wrong side of $20,000. Cheap? No. The best? No doubt.
— Motorcyclist
Best Adventure Bike of the Year / F 800 GS / August 2008
A conventional 45mm fork and chain final-drive make the 798cc parallel-twin a lighter, more intuitive off-road adventurer than its iconic Boxer brethren, especially in the dirt. At $10,520, the base price undercuts a standard R1200GS by more than $4000; enough to pay for some tasty options or a quick trip to Peru.
— Motorcyclist
Riders Best Sport Tourer / F 800 ST / July 2007
Baby Boomers and other riders seeking more performance than a crusier can offer or more comfort than a hard-edged sportbike has are spiking sales in the sport-touring class. While there may be faster Autobahn burners than the 2007 BMW F 800 ST, this first BMW parallel twin with its powerful mid-range is our pick for Best Sport Tourer and will win over a broad range of riders with its character-filled engine, light weight and sharp handling. Toss in standard saddle bags, a tall windscreen, low-maintenance belt final drive and an even lower priced and the F 800 ST is a clear winner.
— Rider Magazine
Cycle Worlds Best Sport Tourer / K 1200 GT / August 2007
Its hard to figure out what the K 1200 GT cant do. Its 150-plus-hp engine is capable of breathtaking acceleration, and its sophisticated shaft-drive chassis (with available adjustable-on-the-fly suspension) is fully at home decimating the backroads, droning the interstates or anything in between. A highly protective full-coverage fairing, an electrically adjustable windshield, a cushy dual seat and spacious, quick-detach saddlebags provide all-day or all-week comfort and convenience. You can complement the basic package by choosing from a mile-long list of options that include heated seat and grips, cruise control, GPS navigation, Xenon headlight and stability control. Sport-touring can be the most challenging segment of the sport, since it tries to combine the best from opposite ends of the streetbike spectrum, but for the K 1200 GT, its a no-brainer.
— Cycle World Magazine
Motorcyclist's Best Adventure Bike / R 1200 GS Adventure / October 2006
It's more like half a Jeep than a real dirtbike... the maximum GS is a better streetbike than most streetbikes... it will take you to work all week, mortify sportbike poseurs in the twisty bits on Saturday, then follow an afternoon's worth of logging roads over the river, through the woods to grandma's house (and back) on one 8.7 gallon tank of gas. After that, all you need is imagination and vacation time.
— Motorcyclist
Motorcyclist's Best Touring Bike / R 1200 RT / October 2006
Our Definition of touring has nothing to do with herding some two-wheeled living room through the twisty bits with visions of I-40 in out heads... The R 1200 RT inhales East Texas tedium as happily as it reels in the length of California's Coast Highway, which is why it waltzes off with the Best Touring Bike trophy for the second year in a row... amazingly agile, with sufficient punch to steam past processionals of rental cars and motor homes... BMW's removable luggage is the best in the business. And there are enough optional amenities-from a heated seat to a CD player and GPS navigation-to make I-40 between Albuquerque and Amarillo almost tolerable-a minor miracle in itself.
— Motorcyclist
Motorcyclist's Best Touring Bike / R 1200 RT / August 2005
It balances the comfort and accoutrements that make 1000-mile days possible with unexpectedly athletic handling. The 2005 chassis is a big improvement over the old RT's, but this new 1170cc boxer seals the deal. It's smooth enough to cross Kansas with no trace of vibration-induced anesthesia and strong enough to whistle past slow-movers on steep mountain passes.
— Motorcyclist
Motorcyclist's Best Adventure Bike / R 1200 GS / August 2005
Adventures shouldn't be limited to sub-Saharan Africa or the Kenai Peninsula. And on BMW's omnivorous GS, they aren't....it's a good thing the GS is one of the most capable commuters on the planet. No other motorcycle on earth offers more motivation to take the long way home.
— Motorcyclist
Motorcyclist's Motorcycle of the Year / K 1200 R / August 2005
Give BMW credit for doing what Japan wouldn't or couldn't do: bolt serious horsepower into a big, comfortable naked bike. This German translation leaves its contemporaries looking relatively underdressed when it comes to technological accoutrements. The Fior/Hossack-derived Duolever front suspension uses the same technology as John Britten's iconic V1000. BMW's new Paralever is still the world's only truly neutral shaft drive, and those anti-lock-powered brakes take some of the pucker from everyday life without messing up a fast Saturday scrape through the twisty bits.
After reinventing the heart and soul of its motorcycle lineup in little more than a year, BMW clearly isn't afraid of thinking outside the box. In fact, we're pretty sure it scrapped the box entirely. Here's an 82-year-old company that doesn't think like one. It's clearly going after buyers who've never considered darkening the door of a BMW dealership before. Buyers who want everything-power, comfort, technology and attitude-in one package. No concessions. No apologies. No kidding.
— Motorcyclist
Cycle World's 2005 Best Dual-Sport / R 1200 GS / July 2005
Year after year...this bike remains at the top. It was only last year that the R 1200GS took Best Open Class Street Bike.
— Cycle World Magazine
Cycle World's 2005 Best Touring Bike / R 1200 RT / July 2005
BMW has done a very good job of sharpening the edges of its RT touring Boxer, while blunting complaints. The Bavarians have taken a nice bike and made everything about 15 percent better. Weight loss is always good, and the '05 R1200RT feels less top-heavy and more agile than the 1150 it replaces. Wind flow is quieter and more serene-especially for those of us over 6 feet tall-and the electrically boosted brakes have lost most of that wooden, numb feel at the lever. What we really love is the new RT's all-around goodness-it's agile but all-day comfy; funky but ready for far-flung adventures; high-tech but not high-strung. Good one, Munich.
— Cycle World Magazine
Rider Magazine's Best Bike of the Year / R 1200 GS / June 2005
In June 2005, Rider magazine names "the R 1200 GS Motorcycle of the Year."
— Rider Magazine
Int'l Journalist's Best Bike in the World / R 1200 GS / January 2005
In January 2005, the R 1200 GS won the coveted award making it the first time in 15 years BMW has won, and the first non-sport bike to ever win this honor.
— International Motorcyclist Journal
Motorcyclist's Motorcycle of the Year / R 1200 GS / August 2004
The annual award, featured in the September issue of Motorcyclist, recognizes a newly introduced motorcycle that has had a profound impact on motorcycling. According to the editors of Motorcyclist, "Nothing else with two wheels and an engine lets you taste more of what motorcycling is all about. This uncanny breadth of real-world all-aroundness is what makes BMW's new R 1200 GS our 2004 Motorcycle of the Year."
— Motorcyclist
Cycle World's 2004 Best Touring Bike / K 1200 LT / July 2004
The BMW K 1200 LT was named Best Touring bike for 2004 by Cycle World magazine, for it's unique combination of performance features and creature comforts - such as heated seat and backrests and a self-deploying center stand - which make it optimal for long-distance touring.
The editors of Cycle World credited the LT with being demonstrably better than the Honda Gold Wing, which had won the category 15 previous times.
— Cycle World Magazine
Cycle World's 2004 Best Open-Class Streetbike / R 1200 GS / July 2004
The annual awards, featured in the July issue of Cycle World magazine, recognize the top ten motorcycles in ten different classes. The recently introduced BMW R 1200 GS was named Best Open-Class Streetbike for its emphasis on comfort, versatility and real-world usability. According to Cycle World editors, the R 1200 GS had the potential to win multiple top ten categories because of its light weight and its "category-defying performance" both on and off-road.
— Cycle World Magazine
2004 IDEA Gold - Transportation / R 1200 GS / June 2004
"Once again, BMW has combined exquisite, cutting edge design with quality engineering in order to garner the prestigious IDEA Gold Award," said Tom Campbell, the 2004 IDSA National Conference Chair.
— Industrial Design Society of America