I am struggling to find the right words to express my reaction to the photos of the 2026 BMW R 1300 RT appearing on page 19 of the June issue of BMW Owners News. Several choices come to mind including horrified, grossed out and totally disappointing. If I were the CEO of BMW Motorrad, this bike would have never made it out of concept and the VP for Styling would be out looking for a job.

This has got to be one of the biggest backward steps I have seen with motorcycle design and styling. While I am sure the bike is a technical wonder and a joy to ride, it sure isn’t easy to look at. It is a total retrograde to clunkiness–talk about laying an egg! The RT models up through 2024 were aesthetically pleasing with their flowing design and paint schemes while the 2026 color choices and paint scheme is another “whiff” in my book. The artistry that once defined the RT has now been replaced with a utilitarian look. Sadly, this is probably the look for the RT for the next several years.

Oh well, perhaps someone with a low mileage 2023 or ’24 RT will decide they want one of these and then that bike will become available when I decide to upgrade from my ’18. One can always hope!