Beautiful BMW R12S is a 1970s-inspired café racer

BMW Motorrad has expanded its Heritage range of motorcycles with the R12S, a beautiful tribute to the R90S of the 1970s.

With distinctive two-tone paintwork and a bikini fairing, the R90S built from 1973-1976 was a sporty bike that eschewed BMW’s usually staid image and had the firepower to back it up, taking race victories at the Isle of Man TT and 200 Miles of Daytona and winning the AMA Superbike championship.

The retro-styled R12S café racer pays homage to its 1970s progenitor but packages it with modern technology, comfort and riding dynamics. It is based on the R12 nineT launched last year in roadster and cruiser variants powered by a 1,170cc twin-cylinder air/oil-cooled boxer engine.

The R12S channels styling that was hot when ABBA hit the scene, with its rounded mini-fairing with windscreen, solo seat with rear hump cover and Lava Orange paint. It has orange contrast stitching on the seat, brushed aluminium on the tank and seat hump, and rolls on classic wire-spoke 17” wheels. The cockpit has classic round clocks with a more modern digital display optionally available.

Under the retro garb is a modern bike with the latest technology including an ABS Pro braking system, hill start control, gear shift assist pro, traction control, heated grips, cruise control and an adaptive cornering headlight.

Owners can further specify options such as a short rear, side bags and a titanium exhaust silencer.

The twin-cylinder four-stroke boxer engine produces outputs of 80kW and 115Nm and has three riding modes: Rain, Road and Dynamic.

The new R12S is expected to go on local sale in 2025 at a price yet to be announced, but it is expected to come at a premium over the R12 nine T which starts at R315,000.