‘S’ is for superlative - pick any
Words can’t describe the latest S1000RR from BMW, but he’ll try, says PAUL OWEN.
You’ll just all have to go to the nearest dealer and demand a test ride to fully understand what I’m banging on about here. You see, I’ve run out of superlatives. Even the term ‘superbike’ can’t cut it anymore, for it was first applied to the Honda CB750 that made its debut at the 1969 Tokyo Motor Show and ushered in the whole inline four-cylinder renaissance that still survives today. The superbike has gone on to sprout so much more power, performance and sophistication since then.
Compared with the latest S-Thousand from BMW, that ancient Cee-Bee might as well have a tank full to the brim of kryptonite. With bikes like this, and the new Yamaha R1 and Ducati 1299 Panigale S, superbikes have moved into a new realm that lies some way ‘beyond super’. What really amazes me is that not only have ‘superbikes’ become faster, they’ve also gained new abilities to flatter the skill of riders and look after their bodies as well.
The old torture-rack riding positions have morphed into something a lot more sustainable these days, and while I have yet to ride the new R1, the electronically-enhanced suspension systems of the S1000RR and 1299 Panigale S have backed this up with settings and selections that allow more bump absorption and compliance on our ripped-up road surfaces. Even old blokes like me can climb aboard such a bike these days, ride for hours, and experience little need to visit the bathroom cabinet afterwards. The pain killers can be reserved solely for days spent riding dirt bikes now.
The newest S1000RR takes this even further by being the first superbike to have cruise control as standard equipment. Now, before you ask ‘what’s cruise doing on a sportsbike?’, ask how many times you’ve witnessed sportsbike pilots riding with just their right hand on the bars while they give their left shoulders and left sides of their necks a rest? The new thirdgeneration S1000RR now allows you stretch out both sides while transiting down a motorway or boring section of state highway. It also helps keep the Highway Patrol umpires from interrupting play.
But the real progress displayed by this bike has nothing to do with the extra features that it sports. These include the standard-fit hand-grip heaters, the semi-active suspension that constantly adjusts damping to the occasion, the gearshift assistant that also blips the new ride-by wire throttle when chopping down through the box, the multiple riding modes, and the new sensors that refine the actions of the traction control, wheelie control, and ABS braking systems by allowing them to account for cornering lean angle as well. That’s quite some list, but what really impresses is that BMW saw so much more opportunity to refine the basic S1000RR package than I ever could. Heck, I’d have been happy if they’d just given that crazy-fast, slightly-hyperactive, second-gen S-thou a better rear shock. Instead, we’ve been gifted the full kitchen sink as well.
So let’s peel back all those layers of gizmos and gadgets and look at the basics of this upgrade. First up, the new engine: what a smack-down, home-run, three-point-basket, hit-forsix, try-scoring knockout!
Now the specialist motorcycle press will bang on about the new motor’s extra power and torque, and how if you have access to the Northern Territory, Montana, an airfield, or an autobahn, that you’ll find that the latest 199bhp S1000RR is some 5kmh faster than the old 193bhp bike. But the real value of the new engine’s revised cylinder head and new exhaust and intake systems is the extra power packed into the middle of the rev range. It thumps the bike forward at everyday revs where the old motor used to waft. The new doubleholed exhaust is 3kg lighter than the old system, and sounds decidedly racy with all the bangs and pops that it emits on the over-run.
Meanwhile, ride-by-wire throttles are often own-goals for manufacturers given their woolly responses at basement revs. Not this one – it’s absolutely sorted, like the wire extends all the way from the twist-grip directly to the rider’s brain. Couple this engine to what is now one of the sweetest trannies in bikedom and you have a powertrain tailored to please as much as thrill.
Then there’s the cage it comes in. I’ve always thought that steep, agile steering geometry coupled to a longish wheelbase is a great frame strategy to adopt for our roads, and the S1000RR complies.
There’s a bit more longitudinal real estate coupled to lighter, quicker steering, and the former promotes stability while the latter reduces rider effort when chucking the BMW into a corner. The semi-active suspension and the Metzeler Racetech tyres ice this fine handling recipe, although the front brakes could be sourced from further up the Brembo price list.
The latter are one reason the 2015 S1000RR costs less than $30K in this market, and the bike is effectively a limited-edition HP4 version of the second-gen version for same money as the previous base model. But don’t take any of these words for it. The latest S1000RR deserves far better descriptors than these.