2006 K 1200 R PRESS KIT

Attached please find the 2006 BMW K 1200 R press kit.

BRUTAL BEAUTY: THE NEW K 1200 R COMBINES A BOLD IMAGE WITH HIGH TECHNOLOGY

Woodcliff Lake, NJ - May 18, 2005... Just when you thought the growing "naked
bike" segment - sportbikes shorn of their plastic wrappers, unveiled for all to
see - was all about showing off and nothing about substance and style, here
comes the 2006 BMW K 1200 R. Unlike the weightlifter who can barely scratch his
own back, the K 1200 R is powerfully built yet agile, massively quick yet
perfectly docile for those times you want to take it easy. It's the ideal
combination of menace and class.

BMW has taken advantage of the incredible technology housed in the new K 1200 S
- a straight-line speed machine that also accelerates, turns and stops like a
truly modern superbike - to create the K 1200 R. In fact, except for revised
bodywork and ergonomics, the two bikes are very much alike.

And yet the two motorcycles couldn't be further in temperament. The K 1200 S is
sophisticated, urbane, while the K 1200 R is built for the rider who lives for
sport riding and uncompromised appearances. The K 1200 R eschews full bodywork
for a tidy, aerodynamically designed instrument-panel fairing that incorporates
powerful asymmetrical headlights and the engine oil cooler. This is a face that
performance-oriented riders won't soon forget. Nor will race fans, as the K
1200 R will form the basis for the BMW Power Cup, with races to be held all
over the world on special race-prepared machines. Taking up where the popular
Boxer Cup left off, it's likely that the best, hardest-fought racing in 2005
will come from the ranks of the Power Cup.

POTENT ACCELERATION FROM A STATE-OF-THE-ART POWERPLANT

Behold the most powerful production motorcycle engine BMW has ever built, the
beneficiary of decades competing at the highest levels of motorsport. But it's
not just about sheer thrust. Indeed, the K 1200 R's revolutionary
inline-four-cylinder engine sets new standards not just for power - and, as
important, excellent power delivery - but it was designed from the start to be
compact and light. Moreover, its unusual configuration - the cylinder block is
canted toward the front wheel by 55 degrees - not only reduces the entire
motorcycle's center of gravity but also permits innovating packaging solutions.
The K 1200 R's layout is as far from a me-too arrangement as you can get.

Thorough development of the 1157cc, liquid-cooled engine made possible the
167-horsepower peak but is also responsible for the engine's broad, flat torque
curve; although it peaks at 94 pound-feet, 80 percent of the peak torque is
available from 3500 rpm all the way to the 11,000-rpm redline. That's
flexibility.

Maintaining high power and low emissions is one responsibility of the K 1200
R's BMS-K (BMW Engine Management with Anti-Knock Control) Digital Motor
Electronics. This system features fully sequential cylinder-specific fuel
injection with integrated anti-knock control and a three-way catalytic
converter in the exhaust. Combining the use of a sensitive oxygen sensor and
fast feedback processing in the engine-control computer with special anti-knock
sensors, allowed BMW's engineers to tune the K 1200 R's engine for maximum
power yet retain the ability to use less-than-premium fuel. (Maximum power will
be obtained on premium fuel, however.)

This sophisticated injection system allowed BMW's engineers to boost the K 1200
R's compression ratio to a race-like 13.0:1, which benefits not only power, but
combustion efficiency as well. That gives the rider more power and torque, and
increases fuel economy at the same time.

A NEW KIND OF BALANCING ACT

Inline-four-cylinder engines have characteristic vibration but the K 1200 R
powerplant uses a technology also explored in the new R 1200 Boxer engines to
make it inherently smooth. Twin balance shafts are driven by a toothed belt
from the crankshaft at twice the crankshaft speed and employ elastomer
isolators to reduce transmission of noise and vibration. These balance shafts
reduce transmission of second-order vibration from the engine to the chassis
and, therefore, to the rider, who will experience four-cylinder serenity as
never before.
Dramatic advances in driveline technology abound in the K 1200 R. The
cassette-style six-speed transmission uses stacked shafts to reduce the
engine's overall length and to form the most efficient method of transferring
power to the shaft final drive.

CHASSIS OVERVIEW: HIGH-TECH ALLOY FRAME AND UTTERLY UNCOMMON SUSPENSION

The K 1200 R shares the K 1200 S's chassis components, including light-alloy
main frame featuring dramatically tilted main spars - to further reduce the
machine's center of gravity - made up of a selection of materials:
pressure-cast aluminum, alloy extrusions and special die-cast aluminum members.
Because the counterbalanced engine does not vibrate like a typical
four-cylinder, it can be mounted solidly to the frame - no rubber isolators are
necessary. In this way, the frame is further strengthened by the engine
structure.

BMW has always pushed forward on suspension design, and the K 1200 R continues
the tradition. Joining a revised, lightened version of the company's famed
Paralever rear suspension - much lighter than conventional shaft systems and
without a typical shaft's squatting tendencies - is the Duolever front
suspension. Based on a concept developed by British inventor Norman Hossack in
the 1980s, Duolever effectively isolates suspension movement from steering
forces for smooth handling. Moreover, Duolever has significantly less friction
than conventional telescopic forks, so its action is much more supple while
also being given spring and damping rates appropriate for a sportbike. Finally,
the Duolever has been designed to provide effective anti-dive control so that
the K 1200 R remains on an even keel during hard braking.

And it's not just the suspension design that breaks new ground, either. As with
the K 1200 S, the K 1200 R features BMW's ESA - Electronic Suspension
Adjustment - as an option. Accessed through the instrument panel display, ESA
sets spring and damping rates electronically. The rider can choose three
combined spring settings - solo, solo with luggage or rider with passenger and
luggage - along with three damping modes: comfort, normal or sport. The spring
settings must be adjusted at a standstill, but the damping adjustments can be
made while underway.

IMPRESSIVE BRAKES AND ADAPTIVE ANTI-LOCK CONTROL, TOO

BMW's acclaimed EVO brake system is standard on the K 1200 S. Integral ABS is
available as an option. Disc diameters in front are 320mm with a single 265mm
disc at the rear. The K 1200 S includes BMW's Partial-Integral adaptive braking
system. Both brakes -- front and rear -- are activated whenever the rider pulls
the handlebar-mounted lever, but only the rear brake is activated by the foot
pedal. BMW has continued to develop the EVO ABS system and for the K 1200 S,
the technology has been refined once again to take full advantage of the bike's
peerless sporting performance.

These powerful brakes work through new-design wheels that are light yet strong.
They carry traditional sportbike-sized tires - a 120/70ZR17 in front and a
large-footprint 180/55ZR17 at the rear.

OPTIONS AND ACCESSORIES TO TAKE YOU THE EXTRA MILE

A comprehensive list of BMW options and accessories are available for the K
1200 R. These include:

Options
- Anti-theft warning system
- Heated handgrips
- Low-profile seat
- ABS Brakes
- Luggage Rack
- Clear Turn Signals
- Cockpit Fairing

Accessories
- BMW Navigator II GPS moving-map system
- Center stand
- BMW adjustable side cases
- Soft Top Case
- Tank Bag