BMW’s boxer engine is one of the most versatile motorcycle engines to ever exist. Over the years, it has powered adventure bikes, roadsters, cruisers, sport tourers, as well as big enduro bikes.

Today, BMW makes three kinds of boxer engines; a liquid-cooled 1,300cc for its flagship adventure bikes, a behemoth 1,802cc air/oil-cooled engine for its cruiser lineup, and another 1,170cc air/oil-cooled for its heritage/modern-retro motorcycles.

BMW’s R 12 is the heritage lineup and an extremely desirable set of motorcycles. These bikes have an unmatchable retro-modern appeal and they are phenomenally unique thanks to the 1,170cc air/oil-cooled boxer twin.

Now, BMW has added a new motorcycle to its R 12 lineup - the R 12 G/S, whose design language is similar to the original 1980’s R 80 G/S. The R 12 G/S gets the same engine and chassis as the other R 12 models, but adapted to the off-road use.

The 1,170cc engine makes 109 HP @ 7,000 RPM and 115 NM of torque @ 6,5000 RPM. Even though the engine is air/oil-cooled, it has a DOHC setup with 4-valve per cylinder, so the performance factor is not compromised. And in its typical and unique fashion, the end exhaust comes out on the left side of the bike.

Another primary component of the R 12 family that helps make the R 12 G/S is the one-piece steel tubular bridge frame along with the bolt-on rear frame. One-piece frames are less complicated compared to the previous 3-part frame in the R nineT range.

In the R 12 G/S, the frame has a modified steering head position for a wider steering angle and handlebar position suitable for off-roading. Complementing the optimised chassis is the new long-travel suspension; at the front, there are fully adjustable 45mm upside-down forks while the rear gets a Paralever swing-arm with a mono shock. The front forks offer 210mm of travel on a 21-inch wheel and the rear provides 200mm of travel to a 17-inch wheel.

The braking system is from Brembo; the front gets dual 310mm discs with 2-piston axial calipers and the rear gets a single 265mm disc with a 2-piston caliper as well. There’s BMW Motorrad ABS Pro as standard which enables lean-sensitive ABS. Additionally, there are three riding modes Rain, Road, and Enduro for different riding conditions as well as Dynamic Traction Control and Engine Drag Torque as standard.

As always, the R 12 G/S can be made even more focused off-roader through BMW’s Enduro Package Pro. It comes with an 18-inch rear wheel (instead of the standard’s 17-inch), increased seat height of 875mm (compared to standard’s 860mm) and with the Rally Seat option, the seat height is further increased to 895mm. There’s also an additional ‘Enduro Pro’ riding mode. Furthermore, the Enduro Package Pro also offers an enduro footrest system which is bigger than the stock footpegs and has three rows of spikes for maximum foothold. For the handlebar, there’s a 20mm longer risers available.

The R 12 G/S is a big motorcycle whichever way you look at it; a motorcycle with a nearly 1200cc boxer engine will have to be a handful, especially during off-roading. Yet, it may not be as handful as a 1300 GS in similar conditions and there might be people who are crazy enough to take a 229 kg motorcycle, with a 1,170cc boxer twin, to proper off-roading while also using it as a long-distance tourer. After all, an 1,170cc engine is destined more for big open roads than no roads at all!