For the life of me I don't understand. The bike should sell better. With a few mods ( bar raises / lower pegs) its one of the best
Z1000SX & Tracer 900 take the majority of sales in the sports tourer sector - a sector where most people have one bike and are very price sensitive. I owned a Tracer and rode the Z. They both have excellent engines but they have major flaws, mostly very cheap suspension and chain drive.
For those willing to pay BMW prices then you can choose from three bikes to use as a sports tourer - the RS obviously but more people opt for the S1000XR or GS. The GS is iconic and many people will want to own one at some stage so it is often the entry bike to the brand. When that itch is scratched I see more people change to the XR or leave BMW for KTM or Ducati. There is just so much choice nowadays with so many good bikes.
It is sad that the RS is overlooked but I quite like not having a popular bike. I do worry that BMW will drop the line as it has happened to the RS in the past as no RS model has been a big seller. I hope the current delay is due to some design technicality with a unique component that can be fixed rather than a decision by the accountants to phase out the model.