Below is the first page of an over-10,300 mile long-term wrap-up article on the 2014 R1200RT in the August 2015 issue of Cycle World magazine. "The RT has raised the bar for pure riding pleasure to new heights," author Paul Dean reported. "For riders who love to travel, enjoy having a little fun on the back roads, and often do both with a passenger, the RT could very well be the perfect motorcycle."

For the second year in a row, Motorcyclist magazine chose the BMW R1200RT as the 2015 "Best Touring Bike" (photo above right). Wrote the editors, Go ahead. Say it. We have an unreasonable man-crush on anything with BMW’s new liquid-cooled boxer engine ... Our definition of a touring bike is one that includes the ability to pound out the miles as well as dance from apex to apex. ... We’re still suckers for bikes that can go the distance and are a hoot to ride.

Above: It’s a hat-trick. Last year’s Sport-Touring winner, and this year’s Reader’s Choice Sport-Touring winner makes it three for three by also winning our 2015 selection for Best Sport-Tourer. We guess you could say it’s a foursome for BMW’s R1200RT if you include it winning our 2014 Sport-Touring Final SmackDown + Video. The RT’s combination of comfort, protection, tech, storage and performance is unmatched in the Sport-Touring segment. The RT retains its crown for 2015.

Total Motorcycle (photo above) reviewed the 2016 BMW R1200RT, noting "Never-ending riding fun ... A motorcycle that defined the classic touring bike segment has now reached the next stage of evolution: the new BMW R 1200 RT. With its light handling, the R 1200 RT makes it possible to enjoy what is most important: riding through the landscape. A supreme touring bike with a persuasive design: the use of transparent materials conveys lightness and agility."

 

Below: Cycle World, September 2016, chose the 2006 R1200RT as the "Best Luxury Sport-Touring" bike, sort of.

When the water-cooled boxer engine debuted in 2013 we suspected BMW had the RT in mind, and sure enough it feels like a match made in Bavarian heaven. Cynics will say the ergonomics panders to bony, geriatric butts and backs. And to that we say, “Ahhhh.” Pure, sport-touring bliss is what you get in the RT’s riding position, feet under saddle, and the slightest of cants toward the massive dashboard. An adjustable (and optionally heated) saddle sits around 32 inches high, with an amazingly slim midsection and an easy reach to the pavement.

It checks all of the boxes a luxury tourer should—electronically adjustable windshield and suspension, power locks, heated passenger accommodations, and integrated GPS if you please—but it’s the sportiness that wins us over. Auto-blip shifting and a snarly exhaust note accent the RT’s low center of gravity and brilliant handling in a way that is, frankly, hard to describe. Put it this way: If it held 30 gallons of gas instead of 6.6 we would just ride it farther, happy as ever.