Instrumentation is clear and concise with an attractive white faced conventional speedometer and tachometer flanked by an intuitive LCD. Dual tripmeters can be cycled through and reset via a convenient button on the left handlebar. When only four litres are remaining in the 17 litre fuel tank a yellow exclamation mark illuminates on the display and a range counter starts to count down the kilometres remaining. I tested this facility and found it to be accurate. Running low on juice I watched the range count down kilometre by kilometre and as the number clicked from 1 down to 0 the machine spluttered to a stop. How’s that for accuracy! Normal riding sees a touring range of around 300km but of course your right wrist determines the fuel economy. I went through a tank and a half at Wanneroo Raceway onboard the S.

A photo sensitive cell is featured in the display and automatically adjusts the intensity of the orange backlight for the present light conditions which is a nice touch, as are the heated handgrips.

The wiring on the R 1200 S follows the latest automotive trend with Can-bus technology controlling all electrics through a single wire. Plenty of information is fed to the LCD screen including gear position, oil temperature, time and fuel level. An electronic immobiliser is also incorporated into the system.

The rear view mirrors are easily adjusted on the fly and work brilliantly. The indicators are integrated into the rear of the mirrors and are activated via a switch on the corresponding bar.

The large diameter header pipes terminated in an underseat silencer with two vertically stacked outlets. At idle it sounds a bit like a wet fart in a tin can but things get better when the revs rise. I would love to hear one with a decent aftermarket system as no doubt such an item would sound a nice symphony.

An 18 lens LED tail light sits above the muffler and while it looks very modern I don’t think it really complements the look of the machine. In the flesh the machine is quite a stunner with the single sided swingarm showing off the great looking rear rim and the Boxer engine looks quite tidy and muscular.