It would have been illuminating to be a fly on the wall at the board of directors’ meeting at BMW Motorrad’s headquarters when the company decided to build its first true superbike. The brief must have been simple: it needed to be the best. Practically, the task must have been a headache for the engineers and designers. With the Japanese quartet (Honda, Kawasaki, Suzuki and Yamaha) having dominated this segment for decades, BMW Motorrad had its work cut out.
A good start for BMW was to develop a DTC traction control system which had up to then been used only on World Superbike racing machines. To date, the latest Kawasaki ZX-10R is the only other superbike to offer a similar system.
In South Africa, BMW offers the base model at R160 700 and, with the DTC system, ABS brakes and gearshift assist included, the price is bumped up to this test unit’s R179 890.
Engine
BMW’s motorcycles are renowned for their horizontally opposed layout. This has the drawback of limiting a bike’s lean angle and also doesn’t run as smooth as an in-line unit. The answer? Develop a new in-line unit from scratch.
Between your legs sits a 999 cm3, in-line four-cylinder engine that develops an impressive 142 kW at 13 000 r/min and 112 N.m of torque at 9 750 r/min.
The design of the BMW also caused a stir. The asymmetric headlamps aren’t standard bike fare, while the lop-sidedness extends to the differently shaped fairings on either side. This left-of-centre design approach continues to the Batman-like rear light cluster, made of several LED lights.
The mode button on the right handlebar includes four settings (rain, sport, race and slick), while the left handlebar houses a lap timer and buttons to deactivate the DTC and ABS braking system. Riders who head to the track every other weekend can put a set of slicks on the bike and activate the slick mode.
On the road
Sitting in traffic, the engine’s water temperature rose to just above 100 degrees Celsius; superbikes aren’t meant to toddle in traffic. However, if you activate the rain mode, the engine’s output is reduced to 110 kW and 85 N.m, and offers a more homogenous power delivery, ideal for slow-moving traffic or slippery conditions.
In the saddle, the bike feels more compact than expected and is incredibly nimble and manoeuvrable. The lengthy seat allows you to early-on tuck in behind the tiny screen.
Once the tyres are heated, you can use the upper end of the rev range. Thumb the mode button to race, twist the throttle and hang on. Up to around 7 000 r/min, the difference compared with the rain setting isn’t really noticeable, but from there onwards it all changes.
The bike pulls unbelievably strongly all the way to 14 200 r/min. And we mean it when we say, “hang on”. If you don’t open the throttle smoothly, or do it too fast, the front wheel will lift and, with the DTC still switched on, it will cut the power for a fraction of a second to put the front wheel back on the ground.
Diving into a corner, the brakes feel strong while the bike changes direction with little effort. In race mode, the throttle is extremely sensitive, which helps in calculating precisely when to open it as you leave a corner. On the exit, you can simply – with the throttle still wide open – flip up your left foot and select the next gear without using the clutch.
BMW’s engine electronics automatically cut fuel supply and ignition for a split second while there is almost no interruption felt from the rider’s position. Ceaseless performance, uninterrupted joy; the S 1000 RR will keep both a novice and a skilled rider entertained for a very long time.
*Look out for the September issue of CAR where we publish acceleration results that we were able to measure during our test.