NEIL BMW S 1000 R
THIS MONTH I HAVE MOSTLY BEEN… “A scrubber.”
Threemonths of happy matrimony with the Beamer have mademe question why I’ve overlooked super nakeds in the past. Having owned just about every conceivable style imaginable, they just never seemed my kind of bike. But the S1000R’s makingme rethink my ways and I’m making up for it now having just clocked 4000 miles on the Bavarian beauty. From hooligan antics to more sedate duties, I’m truly blown away by its all-round capabilities.
It’s proving comfortable enough for long journeys, slim enough to slice through traffic and absolutely unquestionable in the power and handling quarters. Oh and it seems to look more awesome by the day. I say that because I’ve spent a good chunk of time staring at the old girl of late. If you caught my last column then you’ll know that I did the mother of all burnouts to send the bike’s OE tyres to an early grave. In hindsight, that wasn’t the wisest of actions as it meant I had a good few days twiddling my thumbs while the replacements got shipped out. Thankfully, I didn’t have to wait all that long before a pair of Dunlop SportSmart2Max tyres arrived at my door, which got fitted to the bike moments after arrival.
Mind you the forced break from riding wasn’t all bad; I don’t mind getting my hands dirty so while I was fettling with the back end changing tyres, I tweaked the chain while I was at it. Surprisingly, only a small adjustment was needed to bring it back into range and a good lathering of chain lube saw the job done. Likewise with the dangly bits on the front end, the calipers got cleaned and checking the thickness of the brake pads was a no brainer. Maintenance done and with new rubber fitted, I’ve been making the most of the long summer evenings, to the extent I reckon the missus thinks I’m having an affair.
I was impressed with how quickly the Dunlops scrubbed in and they’ve proven themselves to be a perfect fitment on the road, tackling all conditions without qualms and being surprisingly good in the wet, too. Okay, I can still get the TC light flashing if I’m riding a bit mental, but I’ve really had to push hard to reach that stage and that’s given me no end of faith in the bike and the rubber. I have noticed a weave from the front end occasionally when really hard on the gas, but to be fair the bike naturally feels a little edgy when I’m wringing its neck.
I’m keen to test Dunlop’s claims that these are the only tyres I’ll need for fast road and track days, which means I need to get a trackday sorted out. And with Cadwell Park being a stone’s throw away from me, it’d be bloody rude not to take her for a spin. This bike’s well sorted with trick bits, like decent suspension, a quickshifter and blipper, plus lightweight forged wheels. It’s got all the hallmarks to suggest its competence, to the extent that I’ve been left scratching my balls to think of what else would make the bike better. It might be a wise move to get crash protection fitted. Better safe than sorry!
THIS BIKE’S WELL SORTED WITH TRICK BITS.