BMW are certainly getting serious about performance.

The new K Series four-cylinder machines have class leading power. Likewise, the latest series of R Boxer machines punch much harder than before while moving with a lot more agility than their predecessors. As a result sales are increasing at an unprecedented rate for the Bavarian brand. So much so in fact that their order books are overflowing and BMW Australia are constantly fighting battles for more stock from Europe. While many distributors are having major sales to offload surplus stock, BMW are in the enviable position of having a waiting list in excess of four months on most models.

And after sampling the latest and greatest Bavarian Boxer I reckon those waiting lists are set to get longer. The first shipment was sold out before they had arrived and most of the soon to arrive second shipment already have deposits on them. Times are good for BMW dealers, very good.

The R 1100 S was first introduced in 1998. I first sampled one a few years later and to be blunt, I wasn’t impressed. Claims were made of 74kW, which is close to 100 horsepower in the old scale. In reality, I failed to get the machine to crack 75 horsepower on the dyno let alone get near the magic ton. While I could live with that amount of power and not complain too much, I could never live with the gearbox. Clunky and recalcitrant are two of the nicer terms I recollect using to describe the torment of swapping cogs on the original S model. Clearly, I was not a fan of the R 1100 S. I harboured a similar loathing for Ducati’s 900SS of the same vintage. But both bikes still built a solid following in the marketplace, albeit for reasons that I could never understand.

But times have changed. Ducati have long ditched that archaic 900SS for the delightful 1000DS machine that is so much better than its predecessor. You couldn’t imagine they were born from the same factory. The leap in performance and manners enjoyed by the all new R 1200 S are similar to those improvements Ducati have instilled in their latest model. However, while you couldn’t pick the 900SS and 1000DS came from the same womb as each other, there is no mistaking the R 1200 S is a BMW, and proud to be one. The switchgear is little changed, the lurch to the right as the machine bursts into life and the solid albeit smoother engagement of the gears all serve to make sure that unmistakable Boxer feel is clearly evident and of course celebrated by BMW aficionados.

I took the R 1200 S through its paces around Phillip Island at the recent launch and came away very impressed with the machine.