BMW S1000R
If the BMW could be summed up with one example of how well thought-out it is, it would be the button on the left-hand switchgear that, with a single push, disables all the electronic rider aids and, in the process, transforms the bike from a mild mannered, comfortable and practical bike into a raving lunatic. The button should have ‘party mode’ stamped on it instead of some symbol that obviously means something to the person who came up with it, but not me.
Simple, effective, brilliant, and exactly what the bike needs. In fact, it’s exactly what all the bikes need but don’t have. On the other bikes, turning off the electronics so impromptu wheelies can be enjoyed is a multi-stage process that gets undone if you switch the ignition off.
The BMW has the simplest formula of all the bikes on the test. Its engine is taken from the S1000XR, so no shift-cam technology, meaning it’s a regular everyday bread-andbutter inline four-cylinder job that makes a modest (in this company) 160bhp, and the chassis is the same as the S1000RR superbike, so there hasn’t been a lot of imagination gone into the S1000R Sport other than to keep it simple, effective and easy to use – which is exactly what it is.
It is also by far the cheapest bike on the test, with the base model (not the one we had) starting at just £11,760, which is pretty much half the price of the Ducati, Aprilia and KTM, and more than half the price of the MV. The S1000R Sport is the next one up, getting the DDC electronic suspension, Dynamic Pro
rider modes and some other nice details for £14,525, which is still some way cheaper compared to bikes with similar specifications.
Then, if you really must, you can add the M Package, which is what our bike had. That gets you forged alloy wheels, a titanium Akrapvovic silencer, a fancy chain that allegedly doesn’t need any maintenance, a lithium battery, fancy paint job and a couple of other knick-knacks like a posh fuel cap and seat cover. That puppy comes in at £17,325; a bit of a problem, not least because of whether the extras that come with the M Package really add anything significant to the overall performance of the S1000R, given its purpose in life is primarily hooning about on the road and not breaking lap records... and there is another elephant in the room. As tested, the BMW is more expensive than the KTM and Triumph, and only a few hundred quid cheaper than the Aprilia and Kawasaki, which is hard to justify. Much better to spend £14k on the middle spec S1000R, safe in the knowledge that, pound for pound, there probably isn’t a better value bike on the market today, let alone in this test. If the M Package came with BMW’s brilliant ShiftCam technology that maintained the superb bottom end and mid-range power but boosted the top end to Kawasaki, Aprilia and Ducati levels, then the £17k price tag wouldn’t even be a thought.
Setting price aside, the S1000R is a joy to ride, and rides very much in the spirit it has been designed in – keep it simple. It’s got by far the best steering lock, and by far the best and easiest to read dashboard. Its riding position is instantly forgettable, which might sound strange but in the context of riding positions is meant as a compliment. It also has an uncomplicated power delivery that does what it is supposed to do – move the bike forward, really, really quickly, whenever the throttle is opened, regardless of revs or gear. The genius is in how uncomplicated it is, and riding it is the same. It is so easy to chuck about and position where you want to that Bruce actually rated it as the best bike in the test for handling. While I might have not agreed with him on that exact point (I preferred the levels of feedback that the Ducati gave),
I can totally understand why he ranked it so highly for this. It feels so light, and it’s so easy to position where you want on the road that it feels like a bike with much smaller capacity and much less weight; something like a Triumph Street Triple.
It really is a doddle to ride.
The engine doesn’t feel at all underpowered in the mid-range next to the others but, unsurprisingly, is a bit more wanting in the low end of the revs in comparison – except for the MV. It’s really punchy just where you want it to be and where you spend most of the time when out blasting round on the roads, which is an experience further enhanced by the really angry, sharp note from the exhaust and high pitch of the intake. For such a basic set-up and restrained look, the S1000R gets very shouty when it’s time to get a move on and be naughty. It’s loud, responsive at the throttle, and the quickshifter/blipper swops the cogs with a real urgency and a pop and fart from the exhaust that eggs you on. It’s hard not to get drawn into the theatre of the sounds coming from the motor and not get carried away. It sounds like it’s doing 150mph when it’s actually doing 70(ish)mph, and I love that it sounds like you’re working much harder than you actually are. Then there’s the toys…
BMW is, if nothing else, the standardsetters when it comes to toys on all of its bikes, and the S1000R Sport (with M Package) is no exception. Deep breath… adjustable traction control, anti-wheelie, engine braking, cornering ABS, launch control, programmable riding modes, GPS lap timer quickshifter, pitlane limiter, blipper, riding modes, electronic suspension, cruise control, tyre pressure monitors, heated grips, USB charger, keyless ignition, adaptive
headlight, hill start assist... and now breathe. What the Beemer lacks in outright power and presence it more than makes up for with toys that actually, for the most part, are all really useful and not there just for the sake of it. They’re all accessed via one of the simplest interfaces and clearest screens.
Although, just like on the S1000RR, the lack of engine temperature displayed is annoying. Call me old-fashioned, but I do like to know what temperature the engine is at.
The S1000R is a curious bike. It makes a strong case to be in this test by virtue of its power output, level of technology and refinement, but it also makes a case to be part of a ‘normal’ naked bike test thanks to its price tag and, yes, its power output; 160bhp is right on the cusp of what we consider qualifies it as a supernaked, and it means the BMW is – by a good amount – the least powerful bike in the test. It’s got just a bit more power than bikes like the Suzuki GSX-S1000, Kawasaki Z1000R, but a LOT more technology, so it also makes a good case to be counted alongside those bikes. I don’t think BMW has even thought about it that deeply; it’s just done absolutely the right thing and gone for an easy win by using a chassis and engine it already has, and a whole heap of tech it already has, and put them together.
The result is a fun bike that’s easy to ride at any speed. It goes fast when you open the throttle and stops fast when you pull the brake lever. It behaves over the bumps, is comfortable and looks okay, has loads of toys and certainly in the case of the mid-spec S1000R Sport, it is extraordinary value.
There really is nothing about the BMW to dislike, but because it is punching so far above its weight to even be in the test, it is playing with other bikes with much, much more firepower, much more presence, deeper reserves of performance, and much more capability on the track… and for those reasons it is realistically never going to bother the top four in this shootout.
Although, it has to be said that the fact it didn’t finish last speaks volumes of just how good the BMW is – and we didn’t even take its price into consideration.
The bike used in this test is Tim’s long-termer and I’d be lying if I didn’t say I was more than a bit jealous of him.
It’s a brilliant bike that I genuinely think I’d never get bored of. Each ride on it would be an event, which, when all is said and done, is all we want from a motorbike as a minimum.
That and a party mode switch on the handlebars that switches all the rider aids firmly off.