IT’S NEW BUT IS IT WORTH IT? MMM… REALLY?
The new BMW M1000RR is their first ‘M’ bike, but is it worth more than 30 grand?
‘The M’s wings help you open the throttle wider…’
‘Brutal power is tempered by superb slide and wheelie control’
BMW’s new £30,935 M1000RR isn’t a machine for the discerning collector.
It isn’t made in limited numbers and there are no fancy levers, swathes of carbon fibre, or billet aluminium and it sits on mechanically adjustable Marzocchi suspension, just like the £15,950 base model S1000RR. It even comes on road-based Dunlop SportSmart TT rubber and not the trackday Metzeler Racetec RR K3 tyres on the £20,015 S1000RR M Package. It has one sole purpose in life: to be the starting point for a better race bike. After two years running the S1000RR in everything from WSB to superstock, BMW decided it needed changing around a bit. So, the M1000RR’s engine is stronger and more tunable, the steering geometry is tweaked and it’s sprouted wings, Nissin brakes and lots of M badges Based on the S1000RR M Package, it has the same carbon wheels, allsinging rider aids and even a satnavenabled colour display, heated grips, cruise control and three-year warranty, but does without its electronic suspension. That’s not a problem because most Ms will be bought by race teams who’ll strip them down to their bare bones.
More power
Most of the M’s newfound magic happens inside its 999cc inline four. Power is up from 204bhp@13,500rpm to 209bhp @14,500rpm, torque remains the same 83lb.ft@11,000rpm (up from 10,500rpm) and the redline is 500rpm higher (15,100rpm). A stronger, higher-compression head has new intake ports, alltitanium valves (intakes are hollow), exhaust valve spring assembly and narrower rocker arms. There are new forged pistons, longer and lighter titanium conrods (the S1000RR’s are steel), shorter variable intake trumpets and a lighter titanium Euro5 exhaust. It has a new anti-hop clutch to help with race starts, overall gearing is shorter (up from a 45 to 46-tooth sprocket at the rear) and it keeps its ShiftCam system.
BMW claim less torque than the S1000RR below 6000rpm, but better acceleration and roll-ons above. Here at its UK launch at Donington Park it’s hard to feel the subtleties of the M’s new power curve, or its extra 5bhp. All you feel is the face-meltingly speed of a high-revving race engine and brutal acceleration, all tempered by superb slide and wheelie control. It may be fractionally faster out of corners, but the wings make a noticeable difference to the way the BMW behaves along the straights. Despite the monstrous power, wheelies are almost nonexistent, letting you open the throttle wider.
More stable on track
The chassis is unchanged, but with longer forks and new billet aluminium yokes, the rake and trail have been kicked out to 23.6°/99.8mm (from 23.1°/93.9mm). The offset is reduced by 3mm, the wheelbase is shorter (from 1441mm to 1457mm), the swingarm pivot is adjustable and the rear suspension has new linkages and ride height adjuster.
The new geometry is designed to reduce wheelies on the throttle and stoppies on the brakes, but it’s subtle and doesn’t give a radical new feel. It’s still the same solidhandling S1000RR and one of the easiest and most flattering superbikes to ride extremely quickly.
It’s light (1kg less than the S1000RR M Pack) sure-footed and the Dunlops are very capable on track, but it isn’t crisp-turning, lithe and doesn’t immediately seduce, as you’d expect from something wearing that M badge. Instead, it has a slightly lazy feel, which could be dialled out with racier tyres and a day tinkering with suspension, not something you’d have a problem with on the S1000RR M Package with its electronic damping and sporty rubber. At trackday speeds, the new Nissin calipers, which are designed to give more consistent performance during a race, are hugely powerful but no different in feel to the S1000RR’s Hayes set-up.
Extra goodies
Apart from its aerodynamic wings, the new M looks just like a standard S1000RR and not as exceptional as it could for the money, but it’s transformed with the optional Competition Package. It includes tasty carbon goodies, racing levers, an unpainted swingarm (saving 220g), a low friction chain and a GPS trigger to allow lap times to be shown on the dash. That little lot will cost you £4100, but really for a 30-grand bike they should be included in the first place.
It’s clear the M1000RR has been built for racers, but for the rest of us the S1000RR in all its trim levels is every inch as impressive and a Ducati Panigale V4 S, or Aprilia RSV4 Factory are more luxurious, engaging and cheaper, too.