BMW R1200C, Why wasn't it replaced?

The problem with the C is it is so damn comfortable on long rides.
I can put a 900 mile day on it with out thinking about pain in my knees or back.
It can't rip the twisties, like a sport-tourer, they came under powered, not enough gears, and after market parts availability sucks. Replacement parts are 3 times too high compared to other bike brands. Fuel tanks are too small, not enough range to be comfortable, I would prefer 300 miles minimum.
BMW choked down the throttle bodies, and screwed with the cam and computer to make a rolling tractor.

On the other side of the coin. They use many of the same mechanical parts as all the other BMW R models of that time period. I also can add a tour tank for range.
Adding a 6 speed was easy, changing the cams also easy. Finding a dual spark computer from one of those RT, GS for an 04, pain in ass.
BMW should have offered special order internals and the bike would have been one to contend with.
It also seems that the Japanese do understand the US market. They know that most cruiser riders want to make the bike their own through custom parts.
The Germans still want us to suck down what ever they throw at us and we "vill" like it. Idiots. Then when they fail again in a market, they fall back on the B. S. Claim, "it is a niche bike". Not that they screwed up again.

My Montauk was an excellent motorcycle. If I had the money I'd buy it back in a second (as a second bike (:).
And I'm on my 3rd completely different beemer : 12RT, 12GSA and the aforementioned R 1200 C Montauk.
And believe me , I don't take them for garage queens : I ride them hard and long, in all weathers. And they all put a smile on my face.

Impressive turning skills in that video, but it does sound like a food processor

A couple of weekends ago, crossing Texas, we hit a section of dirt. My friend says " oh you must have the K1300 O, the off road version."

Yep.

The C helped BMW realize they don't know shit about the American market and don't want to know anything about it.
They want to service the same customers in whatever location on earth they live, not expand to suit people who want a manufacturer to respond to them.

I was going to say "because they're one of the all time ugly bikes", but that would be mean.

Actually, cruisers dont' reflect the company's image in the least. BMW has long traded on horsepower, handling and sporting abilities.

Cruisers are exactly none of those.

Funny to see a thread I started years ago being resurrected here!

I disagree with you here. Historically, BMW has never been much of a leader in any performance category, whether horsepower, handling, etc. Their reputation was for well-built, reliable, and long-lasting lighweight sport-touring machines, with emphasis on the touring. With the exception of a few highlights in their history, like the R69S or R90S, they've hardly been taken seriously at all as a builder of performance sport motorcycles. You could really argue that the first true high-performance sportbike that BMW ever built was the current S1000RR. I have an HP2 Sport, and it's adequately fast, handles beautifully, and is a fantastic motorcycle, but except in the context of air-cooled boxer motors, it doesn't offer anything approaching world-class horsepower.

The R1200C had more in common with BMW /2's of the 50's and 60's than most anything else, and though it was labeled a cruiser, it was really more of a standard and modern interpretation of those earlier bikes than a true cruiser, which to me means american styled bikes by HD and their clones.

So, there is no replacement for the chromehead.
BMW doesn't care and doesn't want to care about the largest segment of American motorcycle sales.

But I would differ with you on the description of BMW. They've long offered quirky so-so bikes for people who don't mind paying more for something that may or may not offer more.
Horsepower, handing, and sporting abilities apply to the 4 wheel division, but not so much to the 2 wheelers.

Their reputation was largely based on those /2 thru /7 bikes, and they were all well-built, quality machines that have stood the test of many decades, and the fact that the vast majority of those bikes are still serviceable motorcycles speaks to that. Based on my experience with newer bikes starting with the first oilheads in the early '90's, they're probably average motorcycles in terms of build quality and reliability, though above average in cost to maintain. Just my $.02.

Its a shame..

They may turn out to become highly collectable in the future, like the Edsel.

My '98 R1100GS had over 260,000 kms on her when I sold her.

That's over 160,000 miles.

New owner is still racking up the kms/miles.

Not your average motorcycle.

I AM a cruiser guy, and the R1200C is the only modern BMW I ever liked. Probably because it was different. If you are going to ride a Harley, then get a Harley, not a copy of one. I never got the 1200C because I could not afford it. I actually don't know what happened to it. I had a subscription to Motorcycle Cruiser for years, it's like one day it was doing fine, the next it was gone. Art Friedman, Jamie Elvidge and crew were always putting it down, but it was very obvious that magazine was heavily biased toward Japanese Harley clones. I heard something about BMW not being able to compete in the cruiser market, but I also kept hearing how well the 1200C was selling. I still couldn't afford one, but I wish BMW would bring it back anyway. Just because it doesn't look or sound like a Harley doesn't mean it is not a great bike.

Harley does the same thing. They don't do market research. They build cruisers, and a couple of nice touring bikes, and that's it. They dropped Buell for some reason, maybe the same reason BMW dropped the R1200C. It just wasn't them. But apparently both Harley and BMW can do just fine building and selling only what THEY want.

:huh

I've always liked the R1200C. It'll be a must have collectors bike in 10-15 years time.

Loved mine so much... bought a 2nd one... even owned a CLC for a while. Was my wife's favorite for 2-up riding.
Ran my saddle sore 1000 in one.

Great bike... mostly misunderstood...

There are a few.

Diavel, Rocket, Vrod, Mean Streak, Warrior

Ummm, just sayin, that 1200c can be had for cheaper than ANY BMW,any age... One of the fugliest abortions that the motorrad came up with (JMO, of course) You know what they say about opinions....