BMW’s latest baby, the R1200 RT proved itself more than worthy as Kent Messenger’s biking equivalent of the Stig, , gave it a thorough run-out of over 2,000 miles, taking in the Dutch Moto Grand Prix and soaking up the rich countryside of the Emerald Isle.

The brief was simple: Ride from Maidstone to Assen in northern Holland, take in the Dutch Moto GP – then over to Dublin in southern Ireland to watch the Skerries road racing. Simple but a lot of miles – what bike would make the best travelling companion? There really was only one choice – BMW.

Say what you like but the German marque is THE yardstick that all other manufacturers look to when designing long-distance machines, and so a call to their headquarters near Doncaster saw me heading up the A1 to pick up their R1200 RT.

Previously on the phone to BMW their PR lady had been a real gem to deal with; no stuffiness, ultra-efficient with e-mails and arranging insurance to take the machine abroad, even getting a machine that matched my leathers! Nothing was too much trouble and that from a company that sometimes outwardly gives the impression that it’s aloof – not so.

I’ve owned a number of BMWs – of the older generation – this was my first foray with the new-style machines. Lots of things had changed, but that ultra-efficient shaft-drive (sealed for life), horizontally-opposed, 4-valve per cylinder 1,170cc air-cooled twin cylinder block was saying to me "Welcome back"!

The return ride was uneventful and gave me opportunity to get a feel for the bike that was to be my constant companion for the next two weeks.

Immediately evident and different were the "paddles" that served as indicator switches, one on each handlebar, plus a separate switch to turn them off. Oh, I love the German idiosyncrasies... and they call us eccentric. Why use one switch when three will do!

Gone are the simple coloured lights for oil, neutral, etc, these have been replaced by the 21st century obligatory lcd computer, giving such info as oil temperature, gear indicator, mpg, clock, trip gauge, and so on, although BMW has resisted the trend to go digital with its speedo and tacho, these are conventional circular clocks, also fitted as standard is BMW’s immobiliser system, that checks the key and changes the combination each time it’s used. Heated grips also came with this model.

The six-speed gearbox mated to a single-plate hydraulic clutch was one of the biggest and best revelations I came across.

"Mr Clunk" has virtually been eliminated as each gear could be selected cleanly and without the much-vaunted crrrunch, so much so that the top two gears could be selected without using the clutch.

And so it was, next day at 3.30am five other riders plus myself, loaded up with camping gear, met at the Maidstone Services to begin our marathon that would take us over to France, through Belgium and up into Holland ultimately arriving at Assen, a trip of 700-odd miles.

Needless to say the bike was more than up for the job. If you’ve never ridden on the continent make it one of the things to do before you hang up your leathers or touring gear. The roads generally are in a far better state than ours, and drivers are far more aware of bikes and bikers.

Out of Calais we picked up the A16 then the A18 skirting round Brugge; A10/A14 bypassing Antwerp; A1/A27 and then the A28 to Assen, all dual carriageway, a bit boring at times – when was the last time you saw a hill or mountain in Holland? – although lots of cattle with the relevant smells punctuated the atmosphere!

At a steady 80-95 mph the Beemer never missed a beat returning impressive fuel figures in the mid to high 50mpg; with a 5.9 gall (27 litre) capacity fuel tank as standard.

Although I refuelled when the other guys did I was only ever just under half a tank used and the best I did manage riding solo was 282 miles before going onto reserve.

The saddle was firm but comfortable and the electrically-operated screen could be altered while moving. This simple but effective piece of engineering allowed the screen 5ins of movement re-directing the wind over one’s head alleviating any buffeting and wind noise, so much so that I could hear the radio or CD much more effectively, yes this BM came with a built-in radio and CD.

The clever Germans also managed to get the unit to automatically reduce in volume as your speed decreased so that in town you weren’t annoying the pedestrians – unlike some of the cars that pass my house, shaking the foundations.

With colour-coded 32-litre panniers as standard and built-in vibration-free mirrors (as per Honda’s Pan European) this R1200 RT does what is says on the box.

Should you have to brake at high speeds the linked ABS system twin-disc front, single rear is ultra-effective bringing the 571lb-plus (259kg) to a halt in ultra-quick time, with front fork dive virtually eliminated by use of BMW’s telelever suspension.

Having reached Assen it was a case of watching some excellent MotoGP in brilliant weather and then return ready for Dublin. Two days later, early morning saw a group of us making our way across to Holyhead in Wales to catch a ferry.

Again, if you’ve never travelled on the A5 through the Snowdonian National Park – do it! The scenery and roads are spectacular. This was my first time. I was blown away, it’s indescribable, but there’s a downside – the police are in evidence with all sorts of electronics to catch out the unsuspecting rider/driver even using helicopters to track you, but the ride is well worth it.

The ferry crossing to the Emerald Isle it gave us time to relax after a journey of some eight hours or so.

Ever tried to get out of a strange city with only one sign indicating the route required? Welcome to Dublin... 47mins later we stumbled upon the right road – did I say road?

I’ve never ridden in a city that’s got so many potholes and worn tracks, I began to wonder if I’d been better off asking BMW for their R1200 GS off-roader as the RT1200 lurched from one serious indentation to another.

The town of Skerries is a few miles north of Dublin, and each year has a road race around a 2.9 mile country road "circuit" (sic). I’ve been to the TT in the Isle of Man, but nothing, nothing prepared me for what I was about to witness!

Pace out 10 steps, not extra long, just your average 10 paces, that’s the width at the widest part of the circuit, in some places it went down to seven paces.

Then picture ditches, banks, the odd telegraph pole, brick walls and a 90 degree bend, as riders muscle for the same piece of tarmac!

Meanwhile, in two weeks the R1200 RT covered some 2,086 miles without missing a beat. A pleasure to ride, at £10,895 and with a plethora of aftermarket goodies and solid engineering, it’s the king.

FACTFILE

Tech spec: Air-cooled, horizontally opposed twin 1,170cc;
Transmission: Shaft drive 6-speed; 0-60mph 3.6 secs;
Top speed: 125mph+;
Rear suspension: Single unit multi-adjustable;
Service intervals: 6,000 miles;
Price: £10,895 otr;
Machine supplied by: BMW Motorrad GB