BMW S1000R
News1000rcouldhavebeen200bhp,butbmwsaythat’sdaftforaroadster…
‘I want to ride twisties. If I want to go fast in a straight line I use a train’
Given that the new S1000R’S engine comes from the latest 207bhp S1000RR, BMW could easily have made it rival hypernakeds such as Ducati’s 208bhp Ducati Streetfighter V4.
But they didn’t. Instead, BMW kept the power at the old model’s 165bhp and gave the new one an even wider spread of torque, the R1250R’S headlight, a new slimmer frame and all the latest electronics. They pared 6.5kg off too, getting weight down to a class-leading 199kg wet.
Though the absence of 200bhp will put off buyers desperate to win pub bragging contests, the decision makes sense, and not just because it meant BMW could use the same engine as the S1000XR. Project leader Max Renko: ‘It’s nice to show-off by saying you have 200bhp, but if you need to add a supercharger to get that and end up with a bike that’s heavier than a fully loaded S1000XR tourer, what’s the point? I don’t understand. And what’s the point in having 208bhp [like Ducati’s V4 Streetfighter] that’s only available in 5th and 6th gear at speeds over 135mph? I want to ride twisties. If I want to go fast in a straight line I use a train. ‘We could have given the S1000R 200bhp in 2014 when the first model came out. But we decided to build a designated roadster engine. Why we did that is pretty easy to understand: horsepower is just torque multiplied by revs, so to achieve big horsepower you push the torque range into the higher revs. But this is not something you want on the street – we all remember the old 600cc days, when you had to ring the throttle into very high revs to get any power. On the road, especially coming out of tight corners, you want more torque down low – that’s where you actually ride.’
This all makes sense – especially as the outgoing S1000R is a fantastic bike which scored a rare 10/10 in Bike’s last comparison test – but what about the latest S1000RR’S Shiftcam system, which is meant to give the best of both worlds? ‘Yes, the new RR with the Shiftcam combined the midrange torque of the R engine with the top end of the old RR,’ says Max. ‘But if you use the Shiftcam, you have to use lots of other elements of that engine – the exhaust cam profiles and header diameters for example. If you focus on the midrange and cap the revs at 12,000, you don’t need the Shiftcam and end up with a bike with the torque where you need it and that is more affordable. You’re not paying for stuff you will rarely use. We focused a lot on weight reduction because this is where you gain performance. What you feel with braking and steering is weight, not horsepower.’ There are many options, though if you want Dynamic Pro mode (adjustable wheelie control, engine brake and engine drag torque control, launch control, pitlane limiter) and a quickshifter you might as well get the M package, which comes with all the electronic baubles plus either forged or carbon fibre wheels (your choice), a lightweight battery, titanium exhaust and the fancy new Endurance chain that never needs oiling. ‘Carbon wheels save 5kg on top of a bike that’s already the lightest in its segment, and half the weight saving is in unsprung and rotational mass. It’s a massive agility boost,’ says Max.