Bruce’s bluff...

Having ridden the Triumph and Yamaha before the BMW, I’d inadvertently saved the best

’til last. Here was a bike that looked and felt completely alien to its adversaries, being of a completely different disposition in every way conceivable. Its sharp lines and aggressive styling made it stand out for all the right reasons, and it was nice to see the ‘loaded’ switchgears, with features such as rider modes and traction control. To sit on, it felt big and menacing, with wide bars, accommodating pegs and a huge screen nestling a simple but effective dash. While I wasn’t a fan of its aftermarket Lextech exhaust can, the Beemer did sound the part when it burst into life and kicked out a deep and authoritative note… that was after it’d been bump-started. Used bikes and duff batteries go hand in hand, and here was another victim of a long, lonely, lifeless winter. All was forgiven the moment the riding experience commenced and I was reminded of why this bike blew the market’s brains when it first arrived on the scene 11 years ago. It felt every bit your modern sportsbike, with good power from low down and a delivery that got more and more electrifying with added revs. The stock fitment quickshifter was a nice touch too, and having spent the day riding on bikes without brakes, I had to reaclimatise to the realities of a machine that actually stopped on demand. For me, the BMW’s anchors felt unbelievably good, with great purchase and feel, and no issue with its ABS to note. There were four rider modes on tap, spanning from ‘Rain’ to ‘Slick’, with the latter pairing nicely with the ex-BSB scrubbed Pirellis that were fitted. Being just three years old, they were the least aged tyres on our trio of test bikes and I planned to exploit them when we got to our first set of bends. The BMW’s set up had other ideas. Some people shouldn’t be allowed near suspension, and that’s a notion I’d pin firmly on the last person who ‘set up’ this bike. The general feel was supple, low at the rear and lacking the inclination to turn into corners unless you really muscled it. I know from first-hand experience that’s not how these bikes should feel, so it was frustrating to have the riding experience hampered in this way. Another annoying thing was being unable to turn it off, for fear of having to bump -start it again… which was easier said than done. Consequently, it was always running hot unless you kept it moving. Again, it was a niggle, like the handling, that would be easy to rectify with a little bit of time and money invested, so I can’t really be too harsh on the bike. Overall, I had an absolute blast on the Beemer that felt every bit as fast and sophisticated as I hoped it would. Yes, time has moved on and the Gen4s we’re now blitzing around on are on yet another level, but I’d be more than happy if I were to open the garage doors and see this beast staring back at me.