BMW S1000R ‘No windprotection is a virtue’

Contributor Jim takes over the S1000R but it takes some figuring out…

IT’S TAKEN A surprisingly long time to gel with the S1000R. I’ve had the keys for a month now but the truth is, for the first part of my tenure, I was frustrated. You see, I’m a fan of naked bikes and I love race-replicas but I’ve really struggled to get my head around this unfaired superbike.

BMW refers to the S1000R as a ‘dynamic roadster’ and, on paper, the numbers look amazing: 165bhp, 84lb·ft and under 200kg juiced. Hardly surprising, given that the 1000R is effectively an S1000RR minus its fairing but therein lies this bike’s glaring contradiction. Most of that power and potential is out of reach due to the bike’s distinct lack of aerodynamics.

Cruising above 80mph becomes tiresome quite quickly. I’m 6ft, so my upper body has no escape from the windblast. Editor Matt has already tried a fly-screen on it but says all it does is direct wind-blast at your head.

So, as a bike, the S1000R has limitations that I wasn’t sure I could live with long-term. The previous S1000R was better for wind protection — it had a fly-screen as standard and there were lots of larger options available too but long-term I’d have to fit some type of fairing or, when they come onto the aftermarket, some kind of touring screen. But in that case, wouldn’t an S1000RR actually make a lot more sense?

Honestly? No. The key is to accept the fact that the S1000R isn’t a race rep or a sportsbike in the more-familiar sense, as I’ve started to do and the lack of aerodynamics actually makes sense in a way I hadn’t considered when first swinging a leg over the thing.

Because I can’t ride it like an S1000RR, this BM forces me to get my kicks at more sensible speeds — and that’s no bad thing. My licence is currently clean, and I’d like to keep it that way. I’m not sure that’d be possible if I were riding an RR on a day-to-day basis.

Indeed, there’s much fun to be had sub-90mph on the R. Handling is light, neutral, accurate and accessible, as you’d expect of a race-bred chassis but, with flat bars, it’s easier to manhandle and far more comfortable at real-world speeds than a clip-on-equipped superbike, even if the high pegs aren’t really positioned for long distance. That said, I managed a 200-mile-plus day on the bike (mainly A-roads) without experiencing any real discomfort.

Now I’ve changed my approach to the S1000R and all it can offer, I feel we’ve clicked and I’m starting to really like it. Maybe less can be more after all. I’ve got another big-miles day planned so I’m hoping the relationship between the BMW and I will continue to blossom.