Have you ever cruised through the heavenly garden that is Namaqualand in Springtime on a motorcycle, to the sweet sounds of Mozart’s second violin concerto? Or speeded across the vast plains on a bike at 160 kms per hour?

Your humble roving reporter did – in the first web road test of the magnificent K 1200 LT – and to me, motorcycling will never quite be the same again.

First impressions:

Stand next to the LT and you are visually overwhelmed by the sheer size of it. It seems to be very long and pretty broad, and your senses tell you that this is a heavyweight machine.

Then again, you cannot help but admire the lovely lines, the graceful, flowing design, the ingenious integration of form and function. Just looking at the handlebars is enough to make the mind boggle: With tiny movements of wrist and fingers, you can manipulate the usual starter button, turn indicators, horn, hazards, lights, dim and bright. And then the impressive list of other goodies: the on-board computer, heated grips, CD and radio main controls, electronically adjusted screen, cruise control …

You get on and start the bike. The engine is a muted throb, the instruments perfectly positioned. The curved steering handles (like the horns of a bull) should be awkward, your instincts tell you, but they are wrong. You tap it into gear, release the clutch and then the LT starts surprising you. The weight falls away very rapidly and she feels light and even nimble, as you adjust to the dimensions.

She steers sure-footedly through traffic, acceleration is excellent, riding posture easy and comfortable and rider protection superlative.

Space to pack

The two integrated side panniers look way too small from the exterior, but open them up and they present about 30% more space than the equivalent on the R 1150 RT or R 1150 GS. The CD-changer is hidden in the right-hand side pannier, but still leaves some space for, in our case, rain gear, an extra jacket or jersey, a camera case and two sets of sandals.

The top box is the real surprise: lined with a soft and plush material, it is cavernous. A tightly-packed inner bag for our R 1100 GS pannier fits in easily, with about 25% space to spare. And then there’s the little cubbyhole on the “tank” where you slip in the audio-cassette, that offers just enough room for a wallet and cell phone.

Touring two-up (with a sound system)

On the boxer tourers and even the K 1200 RS, you are immediately aware of the addition of a pillion – it changes the motorcycle’s handling and has a negative influence on the performance. With the LT, this was one if the major surprises: There was very little difference between one-up and a full complement of passenger and luggage. The bike remained a pleasure to ride and the optimum cruising speed of between 150 and 170 kms per hour was a cinch to achieve and maintain.

Cornering was easy, but you have to watch the speed and the angle, because the main stand tends to scrape sooner than you expect in the sweeps.

Of course, we couldn’t wait to test the radio and CD, and this is an impressive system in any form of transport. The basic controls of volume and either searching for a signal or advancing tracks on the CD player are built into a round knob on the steering, with a duplication at back for the pillion. Other buttons (on/off, radio, CD, etc) are neatly stacked on the “tank”, big enough to push with a gloved finger.

Radio reception is simply superb. The sound quality is pretty amazing, but depends on the quality and snugness of your helmet at higher speeds (rock does a lot better at 160 than Mozart.)

The bike with the PC

To me, the greatest gadget on the bike was the on-board computer.

One button allows you to browse through environment temperature, distance that can be traveled on petrol left in the tank, average speed since last reset, and current fuel economy, in liters per hundred kilometers.

It might not sound like rocket science, but this little marvel adds very interesting dimensions to the trip. You realise that it becomes warmer as you leave the coastal plain and travel up into the Cedar mountains, but you are impressed to see that the actual temperature difference is a stunning four degrees change in just a few kilometers, from 18.5º C to 22.5º. On Day #2, the exact opposite happened – a drop from 25º just outside of Calvinia to just 13º at Vanrhynsdorp.

But the most fascinating statistic was average speed: Although we traveled long distances at 140 or more, the highest this figure went was 132. Mostly, it was in the region of 125 kms per hour, indicating just how much time it takes to crawl through small towns. (The computer starts measuring from the moment the bike starts, until it is switched off.)

Cruise Control

I was first introduced to BMW’s cruise control on the new K 1200 RS, but due to the circumstances of the launch trip (riding in a group, and the winding Mpumalanga roads), never really tested it. The journey with the LT was a different kettle of fish. The very long, very straight roads of the Northern Cape was ideal to try out the gizmo that functions with the minimum of fuss and maximum efficiency.

It takes some time to get used to the slight downhill deceleration and uphill acceleration, but it is a real blessing on stretches like the 150 kms between Springbok and Pofadder – and frees up your right hand to play with the computer, adjust your sunglasses, or simply give your wrist and hand muscles a break.

Is it a bird? Is it a plane?

So, do you lose the motorcycle experience? Is it more of a car than a bike?

The short answer to both questions is “no”. The long version is that this is very sophisticated motorcycling. You can adjust the screen to its lowest position for maximum wind-in-the-face-sensation (and lose high fidelity on the audio system), but that will not make a huge difference. From the ever so smooth suspension to the large, broad seats, this machine was made to tour long distances in comfort.

There is a school of thought that says you have to suffer a little to be a true blue motorcycle rider, you have to take a battering in the wind and on the behind if you want to be called a big bad biker. The LT is not destined to be their favorite.

If adrenalin-pumping twisties are your thing, buy something else. If riding in excess of 220 kms is your cup of tea, don’t bother. If taking on dirt roads and pot-holed byways is your idea of having fun (like your humble roving reporter), go get a GS.

The LT is a dream machine, a luxury liner, a comfortable cruiser that will get you there in style – and you will have a lot of fun on the way. It is worth every cent you will have to fork out to own one – and yes, that reverse gear is not a bad thing. We stopped for photographs of the superlative Namaqauland flowers in a narrow footpath in the veld. If it wasn’t for this feature, we might still be trying to get out…