50TH ANNIVERSARY M1000 RR

UP until the early 2000s, there was a real conundrum about BMW motorbikes. The German firm had been cranking out mega-powered nutter cars for years – including legendary 1500bhp turbocharged Formula One engines, Le Mans racers, and the mighty M-series of road cars (M standing for ‘Motorsport’).

Yet its bikes were, frankly, a bit pants when it came to going fast. Indeed, for the first decade of Fast Bikes’ existence, BMW’s bikes only really appeared on these pages to be mocked for their lardy, underpowered shaft-drive nature.

Of course, the K1200S and R put an end to all that in 2004, and the 2009 launch of the S1000 RR further established new BMW as a proper performance motorbike builder. The S1000 R, S1000 XR and even the latest Boxer range are all sweet wheels. And last year we finally got an M-series bike, the M1000 RR – a race homologation version of the S1000 RR with even sharper performance. And it was on an M1000 RR that Peter Hickman won three of his four TT races this year, taking the Superbike, Superstock and the Senior wins on the Gas Monkey FHO Racing BMW.

So, it’s great to see this special edition M1000 RR 50 Years M model launched to celebrate 50 years since the first M-series car. The BMW 3.0CSL was a race car built by the newly-formed BMW Motorsport GmbH subsidiary in 1972. It went on to compete in the European Touring Car series, making the firm’s red, white and blue colour scheme famous.

The bike itself is based on the production M1000 RR, with the M Competition package already fitted. That means you get the 212bhp M race-ready engine, with its two-ring pistons, titanium Pankl conrods and titanium Akrapovic, fitted into the M chassis: Carbon wheels, adjustable frame geometry, special M brakes and uprated electronics. But you also get all the sweet kit from the Competition package: A 220g lighter swingarm, carbon body panels, milled control levers, pillion delete parts, M Endurance final drive chain and GPS lap trigger activation.

The M1000 RR 50 Years also gets a unique paint job – it’s finished in Sao Paulo yellow, which is borrowed from the firm’s latest M4 Competition coupe, a 510bhp £80k compact supercar. There’s a special badge and 50th anniversary graphics, and the total cost is £35,200. You’ll need to be quick to get hold of one: Production is limited, and the bike is only available to order until November this year.

We’ll be riding it next issue – watch this space for more…