First shown to the world in the Bond movie Tomorrow Never Dies the BMW R1200C is a Harley-Davidson rival with German engineering. Dynamically it’s better than many cruisers thanks to quality engineering and light(ish) weight.
The R1200C was designed by BMW head designer David Robb and from its inception, the R1200C featured a passenger seat that could fold up to become a driver backrest with three different angles which were adjustable while riding.
In 2005 a final special model of the R1200C was made, the “Montauk”, of which 350 units were built.
The BMW R 1200 C Montauk was a air/oil-cooled, four-stroke, boxer twin cylinder, 4 valves per cylinder Cruiser motorcycle produced by BMW between 1996 and 2005. It could reach a top speed of 104 mph (168 km/h). Max torque was 72.28 ft/lbs (98.0 Nm) @ 3000 RPM. Claimed horsepower was 61.02 HP (45.5 KW) @ 5000 RPM.
The BMW was stolen by Bond, and used in the chase sequence through the streets of Saigon, Vietnam, ridden by both James Bond and Wai Lin, a Chinese secret agent
In a breathtaking move, Bond jumps the bike from one rooftop onto another and over the whirling blades of a pursuing helicopter.
Apparently 15 fifteen R 1200 C bikes were used, 12 of which were destroyed in the making of the film.
A stunt man drove the BMW Cruiser R 1200 C at 60 mph to successfully make the 44-foot leap across the roof of the two buildings.
