The 1997 MY BMW R 850 RT addresses riders who want to spend more time behind the bars, but also want to keep their fuel expenses to a minimum. It comes with features such as a large, adjustable windshield, a full-fairing, a dual seat, side-panniers, a rear trunk with pillion backrest, dual front disc brakes coupled to a single disc in the rear, die-cast aluminium wheels, a digital and analogue instrument cluster, and a large-capacity, 21-liter (5.5-gallon) fuel tank.
In the engine department, it sports a four-stroke, air/oil-cooled, 848cc, two cylinder boxer engine paired to a five-speed manual transmission and can reach a maximum power output of 73 horsepower and 77 Nm of torque.