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Before you judge a man, goes the saying, ride a mile with his lights on and his siren blaring. Something like that, anyway.
I’ve always struggled with cops, truth be told. I feel like I shouldn’t even use that word. They are police officers, and they should be held in high esteem. Protecting. Serving. But, especially in my younger days, I tended to move quickly on the roads which meant sometimes I was asked rhetorical questions like if I knew how fast I was going. Yessir, I’m pretty sure I know why you pulled me over. No sir, I’d rather not say, in case it was for another reason. I’m hedging my bets, y’see.
Luckily for everyone, I have grown away from most of my cynicism and run-ins with the law, helped at least a little by my experience training with and competing against real motor officers in our recent CTXP excursion. In the midst of that adventure, our friends at Long Beach BMW Motorcycles reached out and asked if we wanted to ride a new version of the bike I used in the CTXP episode. Why yes, I did. BMW’s R 1250 RT represents the current state of the art in twin-cylinder BMW sport touring, an evolution of the R 1200 I used in Texas, and has been the choice for a growing number of police forces.
RT-P situation report
The bike uses a 1,254 cc version of BMW’s famous boxer twin, now with variable-valve ShiftCam technology, which Spurgeonious Maximus explained in detail when he first tried the engine in 2019. There’s also an electronically adjustable windshield, heated grips, a heated and height-adjustable seat, a quickshifter, cruise control, and a gas tank big enough to hold 100 cans of Red Bull. That’s a lot of energy, kids. Since Spurg’s ride on the RT, the bike has been updated with a 10.25-inch TFT screen and LED lighting, but predictably I was less interested in the “RT'' things and more intrigued by the “P” stuff.
A company called FMS Accessories produces most of the accouterments that make it look like a machine worthy of a co… errr, police officer. But, the modifications start well before light towers and crash bars are bolted in place. The machine is fundamentally different from a standard R 1250 RT, using a different wiring harness, shorter final drive gearing, and an auxiliary battery to help run all of the gizmos. This demo bike I rode, like most versions, was built in Berlin by BMW for American police — in this case, spec’d for the California Highway Patrol.
Aside from the lights, maybe the most apparent modification is the “radio box” that replaces the passenger seat. Inside the shell, which hinges open at the back, is a Bluetooth signal booster, a mount for a laptop and ticket printer, plus wiring for radios, microphones, and other aftermarket gear. A mount in the cockpit can be used to hold a phone mount, clipboard, map light, or whatever else is desired by the guy or gal in blue. On the right crash bar, a holster for the lidar unit or notebook and on the left one a combination cupholder and helmet lock. Fancy.
Except for the color screen the size of Utah in the cockpit, climbing aboard this current RT-P feels like most other RTs from the past decade or so. A slightly pulled-back handlebar with a wide, comfy seat, and a massive bubble of windscreen and bodywork ahead. That huge display has loads of newfangled options built in, namely the ability to cast turn-by-turn directions and media from the rider’s phone to the screen. And it works. Sort of. Provided you download the BMW app, link to the bike, and don’t lock your phone’s screen. More or less. (Read more about the system in my recent K 1600 review, if you like.)
The best part of the dash is how big it is, and that BMW didn’t think it was necessary to slam every possible piece of information onto its massive face. It’s possible to display trip data or nav/media, but I rarely felt the need. Basic metrics are shown clearly in bright colors and if all you care about are the speeds of the engine and the road, that’s essentially all you’ll see. It feels luxurious even without doing any of the techno tricks.
Out on patrol
The Spurg in his aforementioned 2019 review said, “If you’re considering a luxury-focused, sport-touring machine, the RT continues to deliver” and we can go ahead and move that sentiment onto this version, as well. It is an incredibly capable machine, especially considering this police special tipped our scales at 700 pounds with a full tank. Between the fully linked brakes, anti-dive Telelever front suspension, excellent fueling, and the ability to adjust suspension behavior on the fly, the RT can be many different animals.
In Dynamic mode the bike is stiff and responsive in a way that defies the retired-uncle aesthetic — trail brake into corners, drag the footpegs if you dare, the RT will slay a set of curves with heartless efficiency and a nasal snarl firing out the pipe. It’s berserk. Then again, on the slog home from the twisties and back in Road mode, the same 136 horsepower is on tap but the suspension is supple like a ‘90s Cadillac and will float over mile after mile of expansion-joint highway. There’s even an Eco mode, with a little green bar to show you how much of the planet you’re saving, plus help you get the most out of nearly seven gallons of fuel.
Does it do tricks like a Bond bike that the police just don’t tell us about? I didn’t pull anyone over, but I did get a rundown on, and experiment with, the plethora of buttons. A lot of them control the lighting system, which can flash as a whole or be used in a variety of ways to light up the road ahead, behind, or either side. My favorite was stealth mode, which kills all of the running lights (plus the dash if you’re stopped) in order to hide or sneak up on whatever it is that’s up to no good.
The other nifty item is the record-speed button, which tags whatever speed the bike is going and holds it on the dash, in order for officers to pace speeders and save the offensive number. It seems a little inaccurate, if I'm being honest, but I presume motor units do a smidge more training than I did. One last feature I really enjoyed were the two little LED lights embedded into the edge of the radio box, which point down into the saddlebags and can be triggered by waving a hand in front of them. Luggage lighting isn’t necessary, but it’s handy.
A final debrief
After riding the RT-P around for a couple of weeks, the thing that surprised me the most was the public’s general lack of awareness of the lights and siren on the bike. Maybe a few of them recognized that my gear wasn’t police-spec, but more drivers than I realized simply see motorcycles as two-wheeled amorphous blobs and never consider that the bike could be anything but another vehicle. I got cut off in traffic, passed by cars doing the ton, and I watched people read text messages on the freeway, same as ever. Boy was it tempting to flick on the lights and soil their undies.
Obviously, it’s best that I didn’t. One thing that came into focus while competing in that police rodeo in Texas was that the bedrock of community in the world of motor officers runs deeper even than motorcycling itself. To put a finer point on it: The gadgets are fun to play with as long as it leads to some reflection about why they exist in the first place, which is to do a job where the danger is real and the sacrifice can be ultimate. I might be able to ride a mile or two on the machine, but I don’t think I have what it takes to be a cop.
| 2022 BMW R 1250 RT-Police | |
|---|---|
| Price (MSRP) | ~$26,000 |
| Engine | 1,254 cc, liquid-cooled, eight-valve, horizontally opposed twin |
|
Transmission, final drive |
Six-speed, shaft |
| Claimed horsepower | 136 @ 7,750 rpm |
| Claimed torque | 105 foot-pounds @ 6,250 rpm |
| Frame | Steel-tube, removable subframe |
| Front suspension | Tenneco shock with Telelever arm, 37 mm fork, automatic electronic adjustment for compression and rebound damping; 4.7 inches of travel |
| Rear suspension | Tenneco shock with Paralever swingarm, automatic electronic adjustment for spring preload, compression and rebound damping; 5.4 inches of travel |
| Front brake | Brembo four-piston calipers, 320 mm discs with ABS |
| Rear brake | Brembo two-piston caliper, 275 mm disc with ABS |
| Rake, trail | 25.9 degrees, 3.92 inches |
| Wheelbase | 58.5 inches |
| Seat height | 31.7 or 32.5 inches |
| Fuel capacity | 6.6 gallons |
| Tires | Michelin Pilot Road 4, 120/70-ZR17 front, 180/55-ZR17 rear |
| Measured weight | 700 pounds |
| Available | Now |
| Warranty | 36 months |
| More info | bmwmotorcycles.com |
