BMW S1000XR Sport SE

Launched in 2015, the S1000XR fuses the riding position and height of the R1200GS with the raw speed and sporty poise of the S1000R supernaked. For 2017 it’s been updated with a whisker more power (claimed output up from 158bhp to 162bhp), despite having a cleaner Euro4-compliant exhaust. More usefully, its payload (the total amount the bike can carry) has been increased by 10kg to 216kg. Price starts at £12,650 but we’re testing the Sport SE model (£15,010), which comes with everything except panniers (£510.20) and blue paint (£90).