The BMW R 1200 RT has taken the top honours in RiDE magazine’s annual RiDER POWER Survey – the biggest customer poll of its kind in the UK motorcycle industry. This is the fifth time in a row a BMW motorcycle has won the highly prized accolade.
The R 1200 RT won three of BMW Motorrad’s nine awards (the most won by any one manufacturer). The survey went on to praise models from across the range, including the ‘Best Sport Tourer’ K 1300 S, ‘Best Trailie’ R 1200 GS Adventure and ‘Best Half-Faired Middleweight’ F 800 S.
BMW Motorrad was also named winner of the prestigious overall ‘Best Brand’ award for the second consecutive year, which combines votes for the reliability, dealer support and overall satisfaction categories.
The iconic boxer-twin R 1200 RT tourer, described by the magazine as “without question the most successful motorcycle in the history of Rider Power”, took the ‘Overall RiDER Power Winner’ award. The title praised the RT’s extreme comfort and dynamic handling, the charismatic boxer engine at its heart and the huge range of options and extras.
2012 marks the third time that the RT has taken the top award – coming second on the other two occasions to BMW’s own K 1300 S. The R 1200 RT also topped the ‘Best Tourer’ and ‘Best Wind Protection’ categories in the 2012 survey.
Colin Overland, editor of RiDE magazine, said: “It’s an excellent result for BMW but it’s also interesting for what it tells us about biking and bikers in 2012. The BMWs that did particularly well in the voting include a sportsbike, sports tourers old and new and an adventure bike – demonstrating that passion and enthusiasm are spread across biking styles, and aren’t confined to the latest, shiniest products.
“Here at RiDE we share our readers’ enthusiasm for these bikes, but the point of RiDER Power is that we stand back and hand the megaphone over to them. The top 100 is brimming with highly desirable machinery, but the bikes that have scored highest are those that aren’t just good in a few areas – they’re good across the board, and excellent in many respects. For instance, the K 1300 S (placed 2nd) and the winning R 1200 RT get four or five stars for everything.”
In addition to the R 1200 RT’s three awards, the K 1300 S, last year’s overall winner, took ‘Best Sport Tourer’ and ‘Best Brakes’; The R 1200 GS Adventure won ‘Best Trailie/Supermoto’, the K 1200 GT won ‘Best Headlights’ and the F 800 S won ‘Best Half-Faired Middleweight’.
The survey further praised BMW’s S 1000 RR supersports bike, declaring it one of the most reliable motorcycles in the country based on owners’ experiences. BMWs also placed highly in the ‘Lowest Running Costs’ category, with all three of BMW’s F 800 models placed in the top five.
Adrian Roderick, General Manager of BMW Motorrad UK, said: “BMW Motorrad always values customer feedback; to receive such positive recognition in the UK’s most important survey is truly gratifying. The R 1200 RT has taken the top prize for the third time, which is a huge achievement, but to have the S 1000 RR and F 800 S praised shows that BMW Motorrad is strong across the whole spectrum of motorcycling. Winning the ‘Best Brand’ Award for the second year running is great recognition for the hard work our Dealerships and staff put in to ensure the best possible experience for owners.”
