After stagnating for some time in terms of new models—the Ducati Panigale three years ago was the last all-new such platform to debut in the marketplace—the two-wheeled hypersports sector is currently experiencing something of a revival, spearheaded by the long-awaited debut of the new Yamaha R1. Even if such bikes are ever increasingly purchased for track day use rather than ridden on the public highway, the resurgence in 200bhp street-legal superbike sales has been given an added kick with the debut at Intermot in October of the heavily updated BMW S1000RR that is effectively the limited-edition HP4 version of the original model transformed into volume production guise—and then some [see Technical sidebar in CN Digital Edition article].
Even if in a two-wheeled poker game of pricing, BMW is waiting to see what Yamaha will charge for its new bike before revealing its own prices for the new model.
The German manufacturer astutely got its retaliation in first by launching the new S1000RR on home ground at Intermot, one month before the advent of the Yamaha at the Milan Show opening on November 5. That’s its ploy in seeking to protect the 22% market share of the 800cc-plus global sportbike sector hitherto dominated by the Japanese, which it claims the S1000RR has built since its 2009 launch. With more than 50,000 such motorcycles now delivered in five years of production, this is a major profit center for BMW, and the chance to ride the new bike in southern Spain at its press launch on the twisty but well-surfaced 2.75-mile Monteblanco track near Seville, likewise before the Yamaha’s debut, showed just how serious it is about maintaining that supremacy.
It’s hard to think of any other motorcycle in the world today which is so loaded down with appealing features and attractive options, especially in the fully loaded form our test bikes were presented in—quite apart from the increased performance and uprated electronics incorporated as standard in this revamped model. Yamaha and its Japanese rivals will surely have work to do to counter this exciting and very authoritative new German model.
My first of five 20-minute sessions at Monteblanco underlined that very well, with the explosive yet brilliantly controlled performance of the new S1000RR immediately to the fore. I’m fortunate to be able to test ride each year’s crop of factory Superbikes, and I promise you that, even complete with street equipment, the new BMW has a level of performance in keeping with many of them. This is illustrated by the fact that at 199bhp this new streetbike is actually 1bhp more powerful than the factory-supported HP4 with which Sylvain Barrier and Leon Camier flew the BMW flag in World Superbike’s Evo class this past season, so has the same level of sizzling performance, yet is easier to ride because of its considerably evolved electronics.
The base model S1000RR comes with three riding modes—Rain, Sport and Race—and standard non-electronic Sachs suspension, with each mode having its own default settings for throttle response: TC, wheelie control, engine braking control, etc. But as part of the huge range of step-up options BMW is offering (prices for all of which are similarly TBA, just like the retail cost of the bike) there’s a Pro riding package featuring two additional modes—Slick and User—the latter a custom mode which allows you to create your own electronics package using any of the features from the other modes which you can essentially drag ‘n’ drop, then fine-tune at your discretion. So you can combine, say, the softer throttle response of Rain with all other parameters set to Slick simply by fingering the button on the handlebar, all without needing to come to rest. And when you switch off the ignition, those settings are preserved, ready for the next time you fancy another session in pursuit of electronic perfection.
To read Cycle News First Ride of the 2015 BMW S1000RR, click HERE
For more Cycle News Sport Bike motorcycle reviews, click HERE.
For more Cycle News BMW motorcycle reviews, click HERE.
