WORD FROM THE TOP
Over a cold beer and even colder tapas, we caught up with the M’s project leader, Dominik Blaß, who filled us in on the following…
We did it because we could…
We wanted to make the M segment in motorcycling stronger. We also wanted to address people’s calls for a more powerful supernaked. We’re really pleased with how well the S 1000 R has been received, but we realised there was the chance to do something really special. We asked ourselves ‘why not bring the DNA from the racetrack to the public roads’? The idea to put the sportsbike engine in the M came about a long time ago. We have extensive planning periods – it’s not like we just wake up and think ‘let’s give this a go’. The M 1000 R project actually started four years ago, and it has required a lot of testing and development. You might think that we just slotted the S 1000 RR engine into the S 1000 R frame and that was the job done, but it couldn’t be further from reality. We had to understand how that change of engine altered the character of the bike and how it worked with the RR’s components. For example, to decide whether to keep the sportsbike’s gear ratios or come up with exclusive gears for the M. It all worked, but we decided, because this bike is a roadster, that it needed even more punch, so at the development stage we tried the bike with a larger rear sprocket to enhance acceleration. Another big part of the process was altering and bettering the damping characteristics of the DDC suspension. Because this bike is naked, it performs differently to a sportsbike and we needed to make sure the bike handled and rode as well as it could. Fine-tuning the suspension was a massive job.
The wings were there from the start…
We actually tested the bike with and without winglets to understand if the bike needed them, both from a performance and aesthetic point of view. We soon realised that the level of power we had was not manageable without the wings. They are designed to work from 60mph, and at 130mph the front end benefits from an added 11.8 kilos of downforce. At full speed (roughly 160mph), you are getting about 70kg of force. Not everyone sees the benefits of wings, but you have to imagine that the benefits they bring are huge – in cornering and braking, as well as keeping wheelies down. They are built for purpose. As for the design, it was a case of balancing the looks of the model with the performance we needed. We did consider the aero package of the RR, but it would have looked wrong. Our bodywork department suggested that we went down the route of an F1 design, which is quite similar to what we’ve ended up with. They are striking and perform so well and achieve almost identical results to the RR’s wings, despite looking very different.
It won’t kill off the S 1000 R…
It’s true that if people want more from a BMW naked that they will be drawn to the M over the S, but there’s a big need for the S 1000 R on the market. It’s not just more affordable, but also a little less focused too and will compete against similar output models on the market. In reality, it will probably mean that less people buy M Sport versions of the R because the new M delivers all of that spec, plus a whole lot more for about the same money. It’s amazing to think just how much technology and performance is in the new M 1000 R, what with the engine and M brakes alone. For those who want added exclusivity, we’ve got the Competition version, which is about 1.5kg lighter thanks to all the carbon; it’s the reason the model looks so special, and I think it will be very popular, but maybe it won’t sell in the same volume as the base M 1000 R.
time for those kinds of antics. In fact, I kept the bike in second and nailed it everywhere, basking in the buzz of the inline-four as much as possible. It was quick, no doubt about it, but lacked the sensation that went with the speed. Sure, the exhaust note would bark out a meaningful tune and I’d get a rush from the pace of the BMW, but it wasn’t bucking around, wheelieing everywhere or making me feel like I was inches from death… which I probably was considering the height of the cliff edges we were skirting. The point being, as per the S 1000 R, the M just delivered but without the soul of a menacing motorcycle. On the one hand, I think it deserves a massive pat on the back for that, but I know for the likes of Johnny Mac, who hated the strait-laced nature of the S, this just wouldn’t float his boat. It was floating mine, however, and the more I rode it, the more I came to realise the brilliance in its refinement. It was a properly polished motorcycle, with an engine that was ridiculously useable but potent, a chassis that was telling and agile, and brakes that were simply epic. As already mentioned, the anchors (that are actually Nissin but branded ‘M’) are awesome, with loads of feel on tap as you trail into corners. More to the point, the stopping power they harnessed was pretty special and would shame many a sportsbike. There are three tiers of ABS on
the cards, and even with the least sporty of the options, the ABS never showed its head on the road. Admittedly, I preferred the second tier, which meant I could dick around with the integrated endo function that allows you to lift the rear wheel just before you come to a stop. It works like wheelie control but at the other end, meaning you can’t get carried away and cartwheel this bike into your neighbour’s parked car. And if you do, apologies, but take it up with BMW, not me. It’s a cool system and adds to the pretence of the M’s naughty nature. Of course, if wheelies are more your thing, as you’d expect, you’ll be pleased to know it’s also got several levels of wheelie control, plus the usual ‘one button wonder’ tab on the left switchgear that allows you to bin off traction and ABS in one foul swoop – why can’t other manufacturers offer that?
By the time we’d reached our first photoshoot location, I’d also had a chance to grasp that the handling was much more consistent at speed. The weird hang-up I’d experienced at slower speeds was no longer an issue… hairpins aside. The bike actually pitched in with pace and felt planted on its ear as I forced the face of my sliders into the tarmac. I didn’t have a problem with the S’s handling or front-end feel, and all I can say is the same for this bike. Have the wings (and all the claimed downforce) really made that much of difference? I don’t know. Have the revised suspension settings revolutionised its characteristics of cornering? I’d be a liar if I said I could tell much difference on the roads – or at least without the bikes back-to-back. And I think BMW realised that too. The resolution came in the form of a racetrack.
Almeria is a cracking circuit. It’s fast, blind, and has loads of long sweepers that force you to load the front over long radiuses. It’s also the place where we got to stretch the legs of the M 1000 R. We didn’t get many