It is a remarkable feat, that for generations BMW has pushed two single letters to the fore and through a commitment to absolute excellence, ensured they have remained a true part of the zeitgeist. M has come to stand for sporting prowess in the world of four wheels, while in our realm of motorcycles, the R represents robust German engineering and the famed boxer twin. And in that long history of biking brilliance, few machines have captured the public imagination like the BMW R 90 S of the ’70s. A win on Sunday, sell on Monday beauty, the team at BMW Motorrad have added to their current heritage range with a stunning tribute to that most glorious of motorcycles, with the release of the BMW R 12 S, and of course its resplendent in orange.

The press release from Bavaria sets the stage, “With the BMW R 12 S, BMW Motorrad is expanding its Heritage range with a fitting tribute to the iconic R 90 S, which in 1973 not only set a sporty exclamation mark for BMW Motorrad with 67hp and a top speed of 200 km/h in terms of riding dynamics. Moreover, the then Chief Designer Hans A. Muth skillfully expressed the sporty ambitions in the design language and sent the BMW R 90 S, as the world’s first production motorcycle, with a handlebar fairing designed according to aerodynamic aspects and a red-laid “90” in the R 90 S emblem of the engine, successfully into the race for the buyers’ favour.”

The fruity language aside, there is a lot of truth about just how ground-breaking the R 90 S really was. If you wanted a super reliable utilitarian motorcycle, then BMW was the brand for you, but they weren’t exactly sexy and they never turned the heads of desirable members of the opposite sex. Coming out of the swinging ’60s and into the sexual revolution and mass marketing hype of the ’70s, the German brand knew they needed a motorcycle that met the culture head-on. And in typical BMW fashion, they absolutely nailed the mechanical package, while going way too restrained in the looks department. The first examples of the 90 S were offered in a dull smoke black/silver two-tone paint scheme with cheap stick-on gold pinstripes.

The feedback from the customer base was instant, and the iconic Daytona Orange with hand-laid red pinstriping was born. Those stunning good looks would help fly the flag as BMW proved they could build a serious sports bike, with wins on the track at Daytona, a class victory at the Isle of Man TT and a big prize in the American market when in 1976 Reg Pridmore won the inaugural AMA Superbike Championship. And as they say, the rest is history, the R 90 S is a genuine classic, beloved by the faithful, admired by all and fetching great money when one comes up for sale. So, with the release of the BMW R 12 S, has the tribute machine lived up to the well-deserved hype of the original?

The answer is yes! From the first concept back in 2013, to producing their uber-popular R nineT range, BMW has had a lot of lookers amongst their modern R crop. But the 12 S is to my eye, by far the most attractive motorcycle to roll out of the Bavarian factory in a hell of a long time. And straight from the horse’s mouth, there is no doubt the bike backs up the boast. “The defining design elements of our R 12 S include the handlebar-mounted cockpit fairing with the tinted windshield, the seat with contrast stitching, and the Lava orange metallic paint finish as a nod to the legendary R 90 S Daytona Orange from 1975.”

But it is a hell of a lot more than those most obvious of styling cues, the bodywork for example is simply flawless. The details are all there, the smooth lipless lines of the front fender, the subtle ridge in the tail section, the reliefs in the fairing, and the rear view of the tank shows there is some serious muscle to this machine too. The brushed aluminium finish contrasted with the quality pinstriping gives the bike a high-end feel, and even the rear fender with its, must have to be road legal lights and number plate bracket, manages to flow stylishly. And the billet bar end mirrors prove that BMW was not going to cut any corners.

Much of this extra detail is achieved with the company raiding their own options list and ensuring that all of the best bits find their way onto the R 12 S. “The handlebars and fork tubes are in black, and the components of the Billet packs Shadow and Shadow II set particularly high-quality technical accents. Components of the Billet pack Shadow are the left and right ignition coil covers, the oil filler screw, and the cylinder head covers coated in Avus black metallic matt. The Billet pack Shadow II includes the footrest system including foot brake and gear shift levers, the pillion footrests, the hand brake and clutch levers and the expansion tank covers for the front brake and clutch.”

The spoked wheels are BMW’s Option II items, but exclusively for this model, they’re given a stunning naturally anodized aluminium finish. Of course, you still get the best part of 110bhp from that torque rich boxer engine, the suspension is Marzocchi and the braking by Brembo. All of these huge ticks are backed up by the always impressive BMW electronics package, which is a PDF long and makes the machine nicer to ride, safer and simpler to operate, all with the great looks of the S spec classic gauges with micro TFT displays. Will the R 12 S win on the race track like its older brother once did? Of course not! That’s the realm of the S1000RR, but there is no doubt this machine will make you feel just as special, turn all the right heads and be an absolute joy to ride. BMW, job done.