38
JULY 2022
By Tony Gray, Member #3905
THE VENERABLE R1200C
T
he BMW R1200C obtained fame as the James Bond a.k.a 007 motorcycle in the 1997 movie TOMORROW NEVER DIES. Pierce Brosnan and Michelle Yeoh co-rode the BMW (they were handcuffed at the time) through the chaotic streets of Saigon while being pursued by a helicopter and several Range Rovers. Reportedly of the 15 used in the movie, 12 examples were destroyed in the making of the chase scene. Here is a Youtube link to the chase scene in case you need to clear some cobwebs off the memory cells. Of particular interest to me when researching this story is that the scene where the bike is jumped from rooftop to rooftop above a rotating helicopter rotor was actually staged – not computer generated. That is some effort on any bike let alone on a cruiser style bike. https://www.youtube.com/ watch?v=vFm4ZlgjjGc
BMW R1200C Independent: Single seat, new aluminium wheels, windshield, foglamps, white indicator lenses, BMW rondel on alternator cover. BMW R1200C Montauk: Overall ‘beefier’ design. Extra wide front end and wheels from the R1200CL, braided brake hoses, additional vertically stacked headlight. BMW R1200CL: Full dress touring model based on the R1200C. There was also a smaller sibling R850C which is
Overall there were five variants of the 1200C as listed by Motorcyclist Magazine in the UK during its seven year model run. There may have been some variations to this list for the Australian market. BMW R1200C Classic: Rebadged R1200C sold from 2003. BMW R1200C Avantgarde: Less chrome, medium height bars, ABS a cost option.
