TEST RIDE OF A LIFETIME FOR UK COMPETITION WINNERS
15 September 2004 - BMW Motorrad GB

After four days in Germany exclusively test riding BMW Motorrad’s K1200 S superbike, two UK competition winners, Barrie Cooper and James Bridge, have finally returned home from the legendary Nürburgring test track.

Both are left with the satisfying knowledge that they were the first UK motorcyclists to ride BMW’s latest model – out of sight of the national bike press and away from crowded English roads.

Built in 1927, the Nürburgring circuit consists of 13 miles of challenging riding through the wooded hills of Germany’s Eifel Mountains, rising consistently to an incredible 1,000ft. The track, which is demanding and unforgiving, has claimed a number of lives during its erstwhile racing history. However, BMW’s two competition winners were in no mood to be intimidated.

“I had the advantage of having ridden here before, so I knew what to expect,” said Barrie. “It was great, and we had such perfect riding conditions for the K1200 S. Astrid Busch (Event Marketing, BMW Motorrad Germany) joked that she had ‘ordered’ the weather for us. Each day we were lucky enough to ride under clear blue skies.”

Barrie’s thoughts were confirmed by fellow competition winner, James Bridge: “The circuit was amazing. It offers much more variety compared to anything in the UK. The lovely green German landscape is stunning to look at.”

Technically, a one-way public road now regularly booked for private use, ‘The Ring’ was the location that saw Barrie and James join over 100 BMW Motorrad competition winners from countries like Australia, France and America, all wanting to do one thing – ride the K1200 S. But was the bike as impressive as they had hoped?

“Overall I thought it was very good,” said Barrie firmly. “It’s a powerful bike; and I was surprised at how well it handles. The ABS braking system was very impressive. We did a lot of braking exercises – reaching high speeds before suddenly braking – and the ABS met the challenge with no problems at all. The suspension worked well and I found the ergonomics superb – there was hardly any turbulence at all.”

James was equally impressed; if not after a little persuading: “On the first day we were given a questionnaire to fill in regarding what we thought of the bike, and to be honest, my comments were not that favourable. Bizarrely however, as time on the track increased I quickly changed my mind and had to fill in another questionnaire! I could run the K1200 S as fast as my Yamaha R1 and found the suspension and shaft drive really confidence inspiring – I’d never ridden a shaft-drive bike before. If my circumstances were different I’d definitely consider making a purchase.”

Barrie and James praised the BMW Motorrad competition organisers for a well-organised and rewarding experience. Before they returned home, German stunt rider, Christian Pfeiffer, treated all the competition winners to a special stunt display.

BMW’s new K1200 S will be launched at all UK BMW Motorrad dealerships on 25 September.

Customers can call the BMW customer information line on 0800 777 155

www.bmw-motorrad.co.uk

More News
  For September 2004
  From BMW Motorrad GB
  For Motorcycles
  Biker247.com Home Page