Will the RS see a surge in sales and if so will there be enough supply?

[Becksy]

Yes, they should push this model more, it’s a fantastic bike. the motorcycling press always overlook it as well whenever they do a sports tourer comparison.

Lo and behold, the RS gets a mention in this month's Ride Magazine in the UK. In an article about 'Unsung heroes', but only as an honourable mention in an article about the Yamaha Tracer 7. But at least it gets a mention and they seem to recognise how good it is.

[Grumpy Goat]

Thank God for small mercies. At least it got a mention, and not only that but one that acknowledges that it is an excellent bike. Thanks for sharing this. I envy you guys over there with your selection of proper motorcycle publications.

[SoCalR1200RS]

Got new tires installed at West Valley Cycle Sales in Winnetka, CA. They claim to be the oldest BMW motorrad dealer in America. According to them, BMW is still having severe supply issues, most critically around technology. The bikes that arrive from the factory have been doing so incomplete. GTs from 2021 only just getting radios. They had several GSs side by side, one had a regular rear shock, not ESA. Another was missing Ride Mode Pro, and other things... We talked about the new updated 2023 R1250RS but wondered if there will be any that actually get built and delivered here. She said there are only 2 complete 2022 S1000RRs in the USA.

[Grumpy Goat]

That is indeed depressing. I would think that other manufacturers may be seeing similar issues ...? But then again, different manufacturers have different supply chain arrangements, and some may be affected more than others.

This could definitely impact sales as well since buyers wanting to change bikes may not be willing to wait until these issues get resolved and may just go onto a different manufacturer in the meantime. Best to not set expectations too high when buying and check carefully all that is supposed to be on the bike and what is actually on the bike in front of you when going to buy.

I know that it is difficult, in all the excitement when buying, to stick to what you want and not settle for the bike that may have features missing.

What 2023 promises is that, for the sport tourer market, the field is getting very competitive (2023 Mandello vs Tracer 9GT+ vs R1250RS being leading contenders) and if those other bikes are competitively priced and are actually available with all features intact, then it will be very challenging for the RS. We have to remember that aside from BMW owners (and even then, this is a stretch) the RS is a bit of an acquired taste and is a model that is not that well known. Both the Mandello and Tracer promise higher levels of tech.