BMW had filed a European trademark application for the name 'R12', a cruiser model sitting below the BMW R18 in its line-up, back in May 2022. A few weeks ago, however, BMW has filed fresh trademark applications in Germany, Australia and the United States via the World Intellectual Property Organisation.
The trademarks appear to be successful in Germany and Australia, while in the US, the company has filed a fresh trademark with the name ‘BMW R12’. These fresh applications have fuelled speculation that BMW may be readying a new 1,200cc cruiser.
In all of the applications, the name R12 is intended to be used for motorcycles only. In fact, besides trademarking the name R12, the company has also filed a German application for the word 'R12 S', which could be a sportier version of the R12 cruiser.
At present, the BMW R18 is leading the charge for the Bavarian giant in the cruiser space. The positively gargantuan cruiser, with its 1,800cc Boxer twin engine, (the largest at present) may be fun to ride, but it is not everyone’s cup of tea, and hence, a smaller displacement BMW cruiser may be in the works.
If and when the bike is launched, it will go up against the likes of the Harley-Davidson Sportster S, Triumph Speedmaster and the Indian Scout.
Tell us if you’d like to see a 1,200cc BMW cruiser in the market.
Azaman Chothia
Vishal Venugopal
