R 12

BMW first used the R 12 name in the prewar motorcycle era, when the original model arrived in the mid-1930s and remained in production through the war years. That machine became an important part of BMW Motorrad history, remembered for introducing a hydraulically damped telescopic front fork to the brand’s series-production motorcycles and for helping define BMW’s early touring and sidecar-capable roadgoing motorcycles. After production ended in 1942, the nameplate disappeared for decades. BMW revived the R 12 in 2024 as part of its Heritage lineup, this time as a modern classic cruiser that draws on the brand’s boxer-engine tradition and retro styling cues while using contemporary chassis and electronics. Because the same nameplate was used in two clearly separate eras, the model’s history is best understood as an interrupted lineage rather than one continuous run.