BMW’S NEW BEAST READY TO POUNCE
ARE you hanging up those one-piece leathers and your superbike for good? Tired of hunching over that tank and stretching to those low clip-ons?
Age catching up fast but still feel the need for speed?The thought of missing those galloping horsepower of your litrebike holding you back? Well, BMW has the answer for you. It’s called the S1000XR.
What exactly is a S1000XR? Well, when it came out in 2015, it was basically the superbikers’ continental mile-muncher. It was fast and wild, with a penchant for eating up any dawdling superbikes on the weekend blast. It remained unchanged until last year and this latest iteration.
The engine, derived from BMW’s uber-sportbike S1000RR, is now Euro-4 compliant. If you must know, it’s a 999cc inline four cylinder with DOHC and 16 valves. Retuned for use in the XR, it now produces 165hp at11,000rpm (up five horsepower from the previous XR) and also makes 84 ft/lb of torque.
It’s unavoidable that the DNA of the RR would trickle down to the XR. Thus, the engine dominates the whole makeup of the bike.
This is a seriously quick motorcycle, by any standards. It is also extremely flexible, allowing you to use top gear in town easily. The combination of these qualities makes the XR’s engine almost perfect.
Haul that horizon backwards as fast as you dare or trundle along at 20kph, it’s your choice. However, being a long-legged tourer, the XR is not as fast up top as the RR, but that’s a given anyway.
The point being, the XR has the power and speed, should you choose to utilise it, and that is a nice choice to have.
The XR is a tall bike. Seat height is 840mm and the (very comfortable) seat is wide in the bargain, making tippy-toes necessary at a stop. I even stopped to look if the XR had an option to lower the seat height at first, like the GS has, but it doesn’t.
The XR is 228kg with fuel but well balanced despite of it. Low speed handling is easy and precise and town work does not faze it. The flexibility of the engine and the smooth fuelling helps in this regard, as
well.
This particumodel, lar the Sport
XE, comes with BMW’s semi-active suspension and provides two modes, Road and Dynamic. The difference between the two is quite small, but Dynamic is definitely more taut and quickens the steering.Either way, both modes are definitely on the sporty side and will not provide you with GS levels of comfort.
However, the XR carves corners with aplomb and provides levels of feel the GS doesn’t.
Stability in the corners is exceland lent the sportbike-sized wheels and tyres are easily swapped for stickier ones should the need arise. A track day is not a problem for the versatile XR.
The riding position is GS-familiar though. The ergonomics and the two-stage windshield are excelThe lent. handlebars still vibrate, though, but very much less than the outgoing model.
The Brembo brakes are excelas lent, usual, and now equipped with cornering anti-lock braking system as well. The Sport XE also comes equipped with luggage, cruise control, heated grips and the best quickshifter/blipper ever.
Called the Gearshift Assist Pro, it even works well at slow speeds, making the clutch lever quite redundant (don’t forget to use it when you stop, easy to do).
BMW’s optional Motorrad Naviis gator an option, and operated with the thumbwheel on the left grip.
The LCD dashboard is easy to read and displays plenty of information clearly. The cruise control is simple to set but accessing the menus require familiarisation as there are lots of buttons on the switchgears, no big deal once you get used to it.
The styling of the XR is sharpened up considerably over the old one and the finish is up to par. That small “beak” may even be an aerodynamic aid.
The panniers use the same key as the ignition, and are big enough for full-face helmets or a fortnight’s worth of clothes. The 20-litre tank will suffice for any long-range trip (especially if you take it easy on the throttle but difficult, I know).
One point to note is that the airbox and exhaust are quite “vocal”. The airbox groans and thrums while the exhaust pops and burbles on the overrun. Quite entertaining and unlike most BMWs.
The XR is an adventure sportbike par excellence. Wild or mild, you choose and it delivers. Choose your mode of riding, road or track, and the XR will accommodate.
The fact that it will carry luggage, and hustle through corners while laden, is just icing on the cake.
It is hard not to like the XR, especially if you still have sportbike DNA still coursing through your veins. The S1000XR is now priced at RM99,930.85 with GST at zero per cent, a savings of almost RM6,000.