Meet the most advanced touring motorcycle on the planet.

Every generation of Bayerische Motoren Werke’s RT — and there have been at least six major revisions — brings with it trepidation. Trepidation for the designers and engineers because, as everyone knows, re-engineering a dog is easy, but replacing an icon brings with it the distinct possibility of failure. For riders, the fear is that those same designers and engineers will futz with what, for them, is a set of very comfortable old shoes.

So when the old R100 Airhead RT gave way to the first Oilhead R1100, worrywarts wondered if the new engine would lose all its flat twin charm. Armchair stylists derided the 1150’s bulbous front fairing. But when that was replaced with the more angular R1200 RT, those same naysayers lamented the replacement of soft “sensuous” curves with character lines drawn with a straight edge and a T-square. Then BMW threw in liquid-cooling and the same traditionalists fretted that all the Boxer twin’s personality would be lost with the addition of its new cooling channels. 

And yet history remembers each as better than the last. Faster, more comfortable and oh-so-sophisticated, successive generations of RTs have so dominated their sport-touring segment that, well, there really isn’t a segment anymore. Just BMW’s RT.

AN EXCEPTIONAL UPGRADE

The all new 2026 model continues that trend. Oh, the promise of lighter weight is, per BMW itself, mostly optical — as in the new 1300 only looks lighter than the outgoing 1250 — but in most other attributes it is superior. Noticeably superior, in fact.

For one thing, the all-new 1,300-cc Boxer twin — first seen in the R1300 GS — is indeed the upgrade BMW promises. Boasting 145-horsepower and 110 pound-feet of torque, it’s a ballsy piece of kit. Thanks to BMW’s ShiftCam variable valve timing, it also thrives on revs like no big-bore flat-twin should. We’re not talking KTM 1290 levels of stupidity here, but the days of Boxer twins as the slowpokes of any ride are definitely over. Rev it or lug it, it’s impressive either way.

It’s also deliciously smooth and wonderfully civilized in either case. Impressively vibe-free — save for a patch around 5,500 rpm – until redline, it also doesn’t chug or throb when cruising at low rpm in a higher gear. Wide-open throttle may bring out its best side, but even just noodling about, it’s obvious it’s the best BMW Boxer there’s ever been. It’s even frugal, with my tester posting consumption of as little as 4.5L/100 km when I wasn’t revving the nuts off it.

AUTO SHIFTING TRANSMISSION

It also boasts (as an option) BMW’s novel Automated Shift Assistant (ASA) which is basically the standard transmission…