New BMW S1000R joins the MCN fleet after a 7-year absence,
Neevesy welcomes another S1000R into his riding life
Back in 2014 I had a first-generation S1000R and adored it. It didn’t hang about, but it was as happy pottering to work or cruising around Europe as it was being a naked superbike. That’s what made it so special and even now it’s the best super naked I’ve spent serious time with. Sure, the Streetfighter V4 S I had last year was faster, cleverer and prettier, but the Beemer was more fun at road speeds and more practical. Now the planets have aligned again and there’s an S1000R back in my world. The engine, chassis and electronics are based on the latestgen S1000RR, which is good news, but it only makes 3bhp more than the original (and one more than the outgoing model) and doesn’t have the RR’s clever ShiftCam system, which on the face of it isn’t so good. I’ve been riding my Beemer for an upcoming series of MCN riding tips videos and first impressions are the power delivery isn’t as instant or dramatic as the new breed of big cube V4s, triples, V-twins and crossplane crank super-nakeds. Its performance, handling and riding position are similar to before, albeit slightly crisper and more refined, but the more time I spend with it the more I love its smooth delivery, appetite for monster wheelies and strong brakes (although reports from the recent Cadwell Park launch say they’re lacking on track).
In base trim the new S1000R is just £12,055 and for that you get lean sensitive ABS and traction control, three riding modes (Rain,
Road,
Dynamic), full LEDs and one of the best colour dash displays in the business. Mine is the £14,000 Sport with cornering and daytime running lights, an up/down shifter, an extra riding mode (Dynamic Pro, although it seems to be missing), cruise control, heated grips, keyless ignition (the fuel cap still needs a key), a USB charging socket, heated grips and engine spoiler.
On top of that mine has the additional £2800 M Package fitted with forged ali wheels, a sportier seat, Akrapovic can, GPS lap timer trigger, endurance chain and lithium battery. Add in the £225 alarm and £235 tyre pressure control and that tots up to £17,260, which isn’t cheap. You get a threeyear warranty, though. Whether all those add-ons are worth it is what I plan to find out over the summer, but right now I’m loving the keyless ignition, cruise control, heated grips and I’m always a sucker for a gold chain.
My BMW connect app works from when I had an S1000RR in 2019 and the built-in satnav still displays my favourite destination, which is a nice touch. Showing the places I visited in Europe, it’s also a sad reminder of the freedom we had to travel just two years ago.
This year’s trips will be closer to home with a few trackdays thrown in - I might even fit the wheels and slicks from my S1000RR race bike for one of them, just to see what it can really do. Lockdowns permitting, it’s going to be fun.