BMW R12 G/S (2025) – Technical Review

Exactly 45 years ago BMW started a slow-burning motorcycling revolution by unveiling the original R80 Gelände/Straße – unsurprisingly shortened to G/S – and in doing so creating the genre that became known as ‘big trailies’ and later ‘adventure bikes’ that dominate the sales charts now.

It wasn’t an overnight success. For the first few generations the R-series G/S, which later lost the slash to become GS, was an underground hit, only really coming into its own as a best-seller nearly quarter of a century later with the launch of the 2004 R1200 GS, a position it and its successors have tenaciously gripped for two decades since then.

The current healthy state of BMW’s Motorrad arm can be attributed almost entirely to the GS’s consistent chart-topping sales, despite ever-higher prices, and as a result the original 1980 R80 G/S has become a gilt-edged classic. It’s had several tributes over the years, but the new 2025 R12 G/S is arguably the best yet – hitting the right retro notes to capture the style of the original but also promising some go-anywhere ability to back up those tough looks.

Pros & Cons

2025 BMW R12 G/S - Price

The starting price for the R12 G/S is identical to that of the R12 nineT roadster, coming in at £14,420, but bear in mind that’s before you start to tick options boxes and it won’t be difficult to add substantially to that figure with a few clicks of the configurator.

Those options costs aren’t available just yet, but even the signature white paint with a red seat and blue tank decals is an optional extra. If you want to get the bare-bones price, you have to opt for the all-black version.

At the other end of the scale, there’s the ‘Option 719 Aragonit’ variant, which comes with a red frame, ‘Sandrover’ (beige) paint with red and grey decals, and a three-tone black/red/Sandrover seat.

2025 BMW R12 G/S - Engine & Performance

As part of the R12 range, alongside the cruiser-style R12 and the R12 nineT roadster, the R12 G/S gets the same air/oil-cooled boxer twin as its sister models. It’s the familiar 1170cc DOHC motor, making 107bhp (109PS, 80kW) at 7000rpm and 85lb-ft of torque (115Nm) at 6500rpm. For the G/S, it gets a toned-down, single exhaust can on the left-hand side instead of the dual pipes of the other R12 models, although BMW hasn’t opted to replicate the original R80 G/S’s distinctive high-level silencer setup.

The lack of water-cooling might seem like a throwback these days, but it’s actually something of an achievement under the latest emissions rules, and while 107hp isn’t a huge number for nearly 1.2 litres, it’s more than twice as much as the original R80 G/S could muster back in 1980.

With ride-by-wire, there’s a trio of standard riding modes – ‘Road’, ‘Rain’ and ‘Enduro’ – with the option of a fourth, ‘Enduro Pro’, as part of the package of the same name. ‘Road’ gives direct throttle response and a middling traction control setting, ‘Rain’ softens the throttle and maxes the TC, while ‘Enduro’ gives a smooth throttle response and minimises the interference from the bike’s wheelie control, traction control and engine braking control systems. If you have the ‘Enduro Pro’ option, it combines the minimal rider aids with the sharper throttle response of the ‘Road’ setting.

The transmission is the familiar six-speed with shaft final drive, and there’s the option to add a factory-fitted up/down quickshifter.

When it comes to actual performance figures, BMW says the R12 G/S can get from 0-62mph in 4.1 seconds, going on to a top speed north of 124mph (200km/h).

2025 BMW R12 G/S - Handling & Suspension (inc. Weight)

While the tubular steel chassis is essentially the same design used on the other models in the R12 range, the G/S has revised geometry with the steering head positioned higher and further forward than on the other models to suit its off-road intentions.

As standard, the bike comes with a large, 21-inch front wheel shod in a 90/90-21 tyre, allied to a 150/70 on a 17-inch rim at the back, but there’s the option of switching to an 18-inch rear – still using a 150/70 tyre – if you want more off-road ability. The 18-incher increases ground clearance by 15mm from 240mm to 255mm and adds 5mm to the wheelbase, bringing to 1585mm. A more useful number in day-to-day use is the 42 degrees of steering lock that’s available in each direction, promising easy handling in tight manoeuvres.

The suspension itself is made up of fully-adjustable, upside-down, 45mm telescopic forks (there’s none of BMW’s Telelever stuff here), paired with a similarly adjustable monoshock at the back on the usual BMW Paralever swingarm setup. With 210mm of travel at the front and 200mm at the rear, there’s plenty of movement to absorb some fairly serious off-road punishment.

Your enthusiasm for wilder off-road use might be tempered a little by the bike’s not-insubstantial 229kg kerb mass, although you can slice 2kg from that figure if you splash out on the optional lithium-ion ‘M Lightweight’ battery.

In keeping with the G/S’s off-road style, the brakes eschew the ‘radial, four-pot’ norm that seems to be increasingly common on bikes of all shapes and sizes, instead featuring two-piston floating calipers and a traditional axial-mount design at the front, gripping two 310mm discs. At the rear there’s another two-pot caliper and a smaller 265mm rotor. Both are monitored by BMW’s ‘ABS Pro’ cornering antilock system that alters its settings along with the chosen riding mode.

2025 BMW R12 G/S - Comfort & Economy

Given the R12 G/S’s ‘Gelände/Straße’ (offroad/street) intentions BMW has decided to make it simple to set the bike up for either purpose, with a gear shifter that can be moved using an eccentric adjuster to suit either seated or stand-up riding, plus serrated pegs to offer grip even if your boots are muddy.

Splash out for the ‘Enduro Package Pro’ option and you gain an enduro footrest system, with even grippier pegs and an adjustable rear brake lever to suit standing use.

The bars can also be adjusted, with BMW recommending that they’re twisted forwards by 10 degrees for off-road use when standing up, and there’s a variety of different seat options. The standard seat comes in at 860mm high, or 875mm if you select the 18-inch rear wheel, and there’s an optional pillion package that adds a dual seat of the same height along with passenger footpegs. For more extreme use, the ‘Rallye’ seat is 20mm taller than the standard design, and also comes with the passenger pegs.

In each case, the bike is designed to have the pegs directly below the rider’s seat, making it as easy as possible to switch between sitting and standing.

Fuel consumption is officially rated at 55mpg (5.1 l/100km), and a 15.5-litre fuel tank means there’s theoretically a range of 188 miles.

2025 BMW R12 G/S - Equipment

We’ve already covered the riding modes and rider-assists of the R12 G/S, but despite those high-tech features the standard version of the bike has a pared-down set of controls and instruments, based around a single circular analogue speedometer with a small digital display set inside it.

Optionally, you can swap that for the Digital Display, which replaces the standard instruments for a tiny 3.5-inch colour TFT dash, with an array of display settings.

Lighting is all-LED, but optionally you can upgrade to BMW’s ‘Headlight Pro’ adaptive headlight that gives a cornering function. Also standard is keyless ignition, although you still need to use the key for the steering lock and fuel cap.

If you want more luxuries, BMW is more than happy to add them at extra cost. Options include ‘Connected Ride Control’ to give smartphone pairing ability, with bar-mounted controls and a universal phone clamp to mount your phone on the bars. Tyre pressure monitoring is also optional, as is BMW’s automatic emergency call function.

Some options are included in packages, with the Comfort Package adding hill start control, the quickshifter, heated grips and cruise control, while the Enduro Package Pro adds the extra riding mode, the 18-inch rear wheel, the enduro footpegs, an engine guard, hand protectors, a 20mm bar riser and a longer side stand to suit the increased ground clearance.

When it comes to style, options include a chrome plated exhaust manifold and an array of ‘Option 719’ parts including levers, pegs and cylinder head covers. You can also specify gold wheels in the 21 and 17-inch sizes, engine guards, cylinder head protectors, additional lights and an array of luggage including side bags and tank bags in colours to match your bike.

2025 BMW R12 G/S - Rivals

Given the long history of adventure bikes and the affection that many people have for classic Paris-Dakar bikes of the 1980s and 90s, it’s surprising there aren’t more retro adventure models on the market. If you’re not bothered by the retro element, there are plenty of options – but you’d probably be looking at BMW’s R1300GS rather than the R12 G/S in that case so we’ll stick to the machines with an eye to their heritage.

• Triumph Scrmabler 1200 XE: Harking back a decade or more earlier than the R12 G/S to the scramblers of the 60s and 70s, Triumph’s retro offering still has a surprising amount of off-road ability in its package and vies with the BMW in terms of price. It’s less powerful, though, despite a similarly-sized twin and the benefit of liquid cooling.

• Moto Guzzi V85TT: Another bike with a distinctly Dakar look, shaft drive and a pair of air-cooled cylinders poking out of the sides, Guzzi’s V85TT is a similar proposition to the R12 G/S but at a lower price and performance level. At 853cc it can’t compete in terms of outright power and torque.

• Ducati DesertX: Ticking the same boxes in terms of Dakar-inspired styling and genuine off-road ability, the Ducati DesertX takes the liquid-cooled V-twin route to get more power – 110hp – from less capacity – 937cc – than the BMW. It’s lighter, too, but has less torque. What’s more, with the 937cc Testastretta engine being phased out of Ducati’s range in favour of the new ‘V2’ engine that’s already appeared in the Multistrada, Panigale and Streetfighter, an updated DesertX might not be far off.

Triumph Scrambler 1200 XE | Price: £13,295

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Power/Torque

89bhp/81lb-ft

Weight

230kg

Moto Guzzi V85TT | Price: £11,250

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Power/Torque

80bhp/61lb-ft

Weight

230kg

Ducati DesertX | Price: £15,195

Read more

Power/Torque

110bhp/68lb-ft

Weight

210kg

2025 BMW R12 G/S - Verdict

The classic styling, the retro DNA, the boxer twin thump, the flat-yet-soulful exhaust note. It sounds like a decent recipe for the BMW fan who might be less keen on following the more traditional GS route. We were introduced to a similar looking concept bike at the Wheels and Waves event in France back in 2016 known as Lac Rose based on a G/S, GS and R nineT combination though that became the R nineT Urban G/S. And just like that model, we're expecting the R12 G/S to offer the same degree of ownership pride when you open that garage door. Naturally, we'll update this section once we've ridden the bike.

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2025 BMW R12 G/S - Technical Specification

What is MCIA Secured?

MCIA Secured gives bike buyers the chance to see just how much work a manufacturer has put into making their new investment as resistant to theft as possible.

As we all know, the more security you use, the less chance there is of your bike being stolen. In fact, based on research by Bennetts, using a disc lock makes your machine three times less likely to be stolen, while heavy duty kit can make it less likely to be stolen than a car. For reviews of the best security products, click here.

MCIA Secured gives motorcycles a rating out of five stars (three stars for bikes of 125cc or less), based on the following being fitted to a new bike as standard:

• A steering lock that meets the UNECE 62 standard

• An ignition immobiliser system

• A vehicle marking system

• An alarm system

• A vehicle tracking system with subscription

The higher the star rating, the better the security, so always ask your dealer what rating your bike has and compare it to other machines on your shortlist.