For fans of BMW, with any sort of memory, the idea of a factory boxer with performance over 100 hp let alone 100 at the wheel was a pipe dream involving some heavy investment into the venerable 1100S motor. Think back to some of the impressive 1100S projects we have seen over the years on this board and you really get a feel for how remote the chance of an R12S model was, let alone an HP2 version. That the 1100S missed the 1150 update and wasn't a best seller for BMW seemed to announce the death kneel for the S line.
Just how far has the R12S come from the R11S? Compare it to the multiple World Superbike, AMA, and IOMTT winning RC51, Honda's flag ship model that dethroned the Ducati 916 series in WSC.
The RC51 weighed in at 489 pounds wet and made 119 hp at the wheel
The R12S weighs in around 470 pounds wet and makes a minimum 114 hp at the wheel (dyno run at the Canadian Thunder Series at Mt. Tremblant in 2006 with a stock R12S)
So the R12S does run with some pretty impressive twin company. And while it has been stated over and over again people really do not seem to get how incredibly different the R11S and R12S are. It’s night and day.
Anyone with a modicum of motorcycle knowledge and even a smattering of track days will know that the high performing 600's will run with and see off most if not all twins. I think the membership of this forum is one of the more astute and certainly realistic in their expectations. However given BMW’s conservative history and the history of the R11S in particular it is hard to question the enthusiasm shown by the membership for the R12S and the HP2 variant. That a 600 has comparable performance isn’t even a factor. On price alone the R12S, HP2 variant or not, would be a losing proposition to a 600. Bothering to state irrelevant performance figures will hardly dent the enthusiasm of the membership here. BTW I do not believe there is a 600 on the market making 130 hp.
http://www.motorcycle-usa.com/Photos/86385600hp.jpg