Q Does it still excel on all roads?
BACKROADS
Carving along quiet, twisty B-roads, in isolation, the new XR feels incredible. Mid-turn it’s plugged in and confident on its ear — light-steering, holding lines accurately and so stable. Steering geometry is sharper (less rake and trail) while wheelbase is longer, but the difference you notice is the aggressive riding position. The sculpted seat shoves you forwards into one purposeful position — there’s no room to shuffle back and forth, so it’s clear where BMW wants your bum to go. Right up by the tank, intimate with the bike’s front end.
The motor revels in any chance to cut loose. It surges sharply, with a proper sporting edge to its exhaust note, a gargling intake howl, and an awesome ferocity at piling on revs and speed. The two-way quickshifter is slick too. It feels every bit as capable as a superbike, just easier and more upright with it.
The biggest oddity is the suspension. In Road mode it’s incredibly soft — it bounces around as if all the damping has been wound off. Dynamic is excellent but it’s strange for Road to be set so squishy. It might not have the feedback of a superbike, but still feels great.
MOTORWAYS
At first you imagine the one-place riding position and slightly thin, firm seat could be problematic over distance, but it is actually a pleasant place to sit still for an hour or two. The windscreen is wider than before and now two-position adjustable, worked with a perfectly weighted lever to the right of the dash — just flick the lever down and the screen pops up into its higher position. It makes a noticeable difference too, improving protection and reducing wind noise. Fuel economy at 75mph is a sub-impressive 48mpg but gives a plentiful
(theoretical) range of 170 miles to reserve and over 200 to bone-dry. Cruise control is faultless, from less than 30mph to well over 100mph.
TOWNS
With its unadjustable and unchanged 840mm seat height, the XR remains a fairly tall bike but, for an average 5ft 9in rider, it’s not a problem. If you’re after a bit more confidence in stop-start traffic, you can specify a 20mm-lower seat for free, or a £195 lowering kit that cuts 30mm out of the suspension travel, giving a 790mm seat height.
The XR now has a slipper-gripper clutch, significantly reducing the effort to pull the lever — BMW says it cuts the force needed by almost a quarter. The superb quickshifter means you don’t really notice the lighter clutch much on the open road but when you’re stopping frequently for junctions and traffic lights, it’s a big improvement. The throttle response in Road mode is excellent too.
‘Every bit as capable as a superbike’