Marketing of the R 12xx RS by BMW Motorrad

[Grumpy Goat]

This issue has come up time and again on the various fora, where it was clear to the people involved that BMW Motorrad are not really interested in marketing the RS. As a matter of fact, that was one of the very reasons for the creation of the RSWasserboxer.com website, as well as this Forum Community - to help bridge the gap and "spread the word". The ignorance about the bike is such that even among BMW owners there is a lack of knowledge about this model and in some cases that it even exists. I have met some of these people. Anyway ...

I got a piece of [spam] email regarding a broken link on one of the RSWb ...com pages and when I went to investigate it was a link to a BMW Motorrad video on YouTube about the "new" (at the time) R 1250 RS. The video was online when I linked to it 6-Nov-2018, and now if you click on the URL it says "Video unavailable ... The video is private".

Okaaayyy ... as a webmaster I know that links get broken for various reasons over time and so I did a search, on the BMW Motorrad YT Channel to see if it might still be there but under a different URL. Nope. If you do a simple search for "R 1250 RS" on their channel you get nothing specific to the RS. On the other hand there are videos for the RT, GS, GSA, etc. in addition to videos about the engine itself.

Now BMW Motorrad YouTube channel is probably not the only outlet for BMW Motorrad marketing strategy, but lets not fool ourselves, BMW does not push the RS anywhere close to where it pushes all the other boxers, or the K-bikes (more profit, in it, I get it), or the S-bikes (popular with the younger riders who imagine they are VT) and even the F-bikes.

To say that this irritates me is an understatement, and is mainly the reason why, after several years of RS ownership (and even S1000R) ownership I am not a full-fledged fanboy of BMW. I understand that the R 12xx RS would get less push than the GS or the RT, but none is a bit hard to take. Still pissed after all these years.

Thank goodness there are some YouTubers putting up videos and doing the blasted work for BMW that they should be doing from their own bikes!

[MrVvrroomm]

The RS is the best BMW no one buys.

[Lee]

To say that this irritates me is an understatement, and is mainly the reason why, after several years of RS ownership (and even S1000R) ownership I am not a full-fledged fanboy of BMW. I understand that the R 12xx RS would get less push than the GS or the RT, but none is a bit hard to take. Still pissed after all these years.

Doesn't bother me.
I don't want to see the RS being a top seller.
I like owning a bike that's a little different.

[Grumpy Goat]

The RS is the best BMW no one buys.

Ain't that the truth. Such a shame. It's a vicious circle - no sales push, means no one knows, and hence no one buys and so forth ... I have seen me stand on the showroom floor in a BMW dealership selling the RS to another customer who wanted to know more! Another time outside that same dealership as I was getting ready to go, same thing with a different person.

I get it that the RS is a little bit of an oddity in that it is lumped in with the other "Sport" bikes in the BMW lineup alongside the likes of the much-vaunted M1000RR and the "lesser" S1000R ... a lineup where an R bike cannot match the sport performance of the RR bikes, while at the same time there is no "Sport Touring" category for the RS to slot into.

But if they have a need to make this model in the first place, they should stop giving it short shrift and actually make a decent attempt at promoting it. They like to spout about "heritage this" and "heritage that", but at the same time they overlook the importance and significance of the RS in BMW motorcycling history, and neglect paying homage by showing some pride in the model, FFS. Why bother making it? At this rate it may be better to save all the engines wasted on the RS for the GS/GSAs and focus on the RRs for carrying the Sport torch.

Disappointing indeed.

[Grumpy Goat]

Doesn't bother me.
I don't want to see the RS being a top seller.
I like owning a bike that's a little different.

I fully understand that an feel the same way, actually. But shouldn't the marketplace decide that for itself starting from a bit more of a level playing field?

This issue with the lack of corporate attention for the RS always bothered me, and is nothing new. Sorry for the rant today.

[Duckbubbles]

This reminds me of a situation almost 15 years ago, talking with one of the owners of the local BMW bike dealership. At the time he was blaming BMW marketing for the "failure" of the R1200ST. Almost exactly the same market niche as the present RS. No one knows about the bike so sales are slow and BMW pulls the plug. Thankfully this hasn't happened to the present RS YET! I understand that the bottom line rules all in the corporate world, but why release a product that you aren't willing to promote to give it a chance? Frustrating in that the RS is the only R-bike I am interested in.

Frank

[Lee]

We've owned BMW bikes since 1984 and I never paid attention if BMW promoted the RT or GS more or less than the bikes we owned.
I think most people buy what they like and don't make their decision based on advertisements.
I would not be surprised if BMW drops the RS in the next year or two in the US because of low sales.
It's one reason we bought 2022 bikes.
We're used to BMW dropping models we like. BMW dropped four different models while we owned them.

[Grumpy Goat]

... I understand that the bottom line rules all in the corporate world, but why release a product that you aren't willing to promote to give it a chance? Frustrating in that the RS is the only R-bike I am interested in.

My point exactly! And the corollary ... if you do take the time to produce the bike why not stand by it and be proud. Baffles the mind. Maybe they are only interested in bottom line on a per-model basis as opposed to the bottom line of the brand.

[Grumpy Goat]

I would not be surprised if BMW drops the RS in the next year or two in the US because of low sales.
It's one reason we bought 2022 bikes.

All the more reason to hold on to our RSs ... they will most likely become collector's items even if not to the same degree as the R100 RS.

[Motorhead1977]

I agree with all the sentiment. I ended up with my 1250 RS after stumbling on one at my dealership in Worcester MA while getting my 1200 RT serviced. Only after asking about it did anyone fill me in. Took one out for a demo and was hooked. Since no 2021's were available new anywhere in the NE USA I ended up buying an ultra low miles 2020 fully kitted out. Sold the 1200RT for a very tidy sum. Couldn't be happier with my choice. Glad to have found this site and it's resources.

[mojoguzzi]

I completely agree, Grumpy If the bikes aren't marketed properly they won't sell...and BmW wills top making them AND stop innovating them. Seems like what's happened to the FJR in the Yamaha world.

I also agree that it's improperly segmented. To me, it should squarely fall in the touring category, not the sport category.

[Grumpy Goat]

I completely agree, Grumpy If the bikes aren't marketed properly they won't sell...and BmW wills top making them AND stop innovating them. Seems like what's happened to the FJR in the Yamaha world.

Its a vicious circle, sometimes. Get the marketing down right and you get more sales and it is a big success. Do no marketing or have crap marketing and you'll have to wait for pressure from other manufacturers before you make a decision to either get the marketing right or get out of the kitchen. I have heard lots of comments about how motorcycling as a whole is on the downturn, yet still they choose not to effectively market the RS. Makes no sense to me.

I also agree that it's improperly segmented. To me, it should squarely fall in the touring category, not the sport category.

Funny you should say that ... now that I have the Tracer as well, there is no question as to which of the two is the sport bike. Compared to the Tracer, the ergonomics, suspension, throttle response all say sport bike. Contrast that with the previous 2nd bike (S1000R) which, although a naked, almost pushed the RS more into the tourer end of the spectrum.

The RS is truly unique in the BMW lineup and for that reason alone it should be well marketed. BMW Motorrad needs to show its pride in their product.