All Tests – New BMW S1000R Test: Threatening Species! – Technical update BMW S1000R 2014

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New BMW S1000R test: threatening species !

All Tests - New BMW S1000R Test: Threatening Species! - Technical update BMW S1000R 2014

Only four years after having blown up the sports motorcycle segment with the S1000RR, BMW fireworks are putting the powder back into the mix by investing the land of hyper-roadsters with an explosive decarenated version: the S1000R. Test.

Technical update BMW S1000R 2014

Engine: formidable efficiency

On the mechanical level, the S1000R is very logically propelled by the same excellent four-cylinder in-line 999 cc discovered on the "RR" in 2009. Very modern with its distribution by pawls (technology taken from the experience of BMW in F1) , this very "square" block (49.7 mm bore per 80 mm stroke) has a cylinder bank tilted 32 degrees forward in order to lower the center of gravity.

Spewing 193 hp on the sports car, this engine whose output from the two injectors per cylinder is managed by a Ride-by-Wire electronic accelerator has been wisely deflated to “160 hp” for the roadster.

This "amputation" is obtained by lowering the maximum engine speed by 2000 rpm, or all the same 12,000 rpm at the switch. The cylinder heads and cam profile have also been redesigned, while the injection has been reworked. The compression ratio decreases when passing a point, but still remains high (12: 1).

The goal is naturally to offer more consistency at low and mid-range: the maximum torque value thus remains identical to that of the S1000RR (112 Nm), but it is obtained 500 revs lower on the roadster (9250 rpm / m). And above all, the torque curve appears much better filled: up to 7500 rpm, the S1000R develops up to 10 Nm more than the "RR".

The ratios of the six-speed gearbox are unchanged from the Superbike, as is the gear of the final chain transmission. The anti-slip clutch is also retained, while an excellent shifter is optional.

Part-cycle: classic but proven

As for the engine, BMW opted for relatively conventional solutions when designing its sports car: a light aluminum perimeter chassis (11.98 kg) of very Japanese inspiration and suspensions which are certainly top of the range, but not so " original "than a Telelever.

Unsurprisingly, the S1000R roadster takes over the backbone of the sports car and its peripherals. The triple trees were however moved forward slightly, which allowed the steering head angle to be closed slightly (65.4 ° vs. 65.99 °) to increase handling and at the same time increase the trail ( + 5 mm) and the wheelbase (+ 16.3 mm) for the benefit of stability.

The distance between the two 17-inch wheels (120/70 at the front and 190/55 at the rear) thus goes from 1422.7 mm on the S1000RR to 1439 mm on the S1000R. The sports car’s steering damper is retained, which is not an insignificant detail insofar as the more upright position, the shrinkage – and therefore, weight – on the front and the large handlebars naturally tend to lighten the leading train.

The settings of the inverted fork and the mono-shock are similar to those of the S1000RR, with a few small details: Joseph Machler, S1000R product manager, explained to us that the pivot point of the swingarm has been lowered to improve traction and that the damping laws have been revised.

More surprisingly, the manual fork preload adjustment disappears on standard motorcycles, that is to say without electronic damping management..

The German manager explained to us that this decision was taken to prevent a bad choice of prestressing from jeopardizing the stability of the front. Which may suggest that the S1000R is approaching certain limits in terms of geometry…

Finally, braking is also resumed in the S1000RR: the roadster stops dead at its 207 kg announced in running order by means of two 320 mm floating discs clamped by Brembo 4-piston radial calipers at the front (single disc 220 mm, 1 piston caliper at the rear).

Electronics / piloting aids

To curb all this enthusiasm, BMW has renewed a large part of the electronic aids developed for sports cars, making the S1000R one of the most sophisticated roadsters on the market..

As standard, the roadster offers two driving modes on the handlebars: "Rain" and "Road". The first clamps the engine to 136 hp and 104 Nm and smooths its acceleration, while the second lets the 4-legged fully express itself..

These two "mappings" directly influence the degree of intrusion of the Race-ABS, a sophisticated anti-lock partially coupled (only front to rear) particularly light: 2.5 kg in all. The S1000R also comes standard with Automatic Stability Control (ASC). Less sophisticated than that of the S1000RR – because it does not have tilt sensors – this traction control is found among others on the K1300 or F800GS.

The most demanding can choose to replace it with the sophisticated – and optional – Dynamic Traction Control (DTC) of the S1000RR, and thus benefit from a more pointed device able to adjust its action according to the angle of the motorcycle..

Clearly, when the DTC detects a difference in rotation between the front and rear wheel, it regulates the distribution of power taking into account the inclination of the motorcycle. Full angle, its reactivity and its possible action are at the maximum, then decrease proportionally as soon as the machine is upright.

The "DTC" option includes two additional optional driving modes: "Dynamic" (more responsive accelerator, less intrusive aids and front-to-rear coupling deactivated) and "Dynamic Pro", a circuit-type mode that is activated in plugging in a specific encoder plug (like Slick mode on the S1000RR).

When the "Dynamic Pro" function is engaged, the electronic aids are reduced to a minimum: the ABS and the coupling are deactivated at the rear and the anti-skidding lets the rear significantly drift before intervening. The ECU (the electronic brain of the device) even allows wheelies and stoppies of the length and intensity of its choice !

Finally, the S1000R can receive – as an option – the electronic adjustment system in real time Dynamic Damping Control (DDC) inaugurated in 2012 on the exclusive HP4. Then declined on the new R1200GS, these "intelligent" suspensions are able to adapt their behavior according to the state of the road, and above all to significantly reduce the movements of attitude by hardening in particular the rear to the acceleration. and the front when braking.

In practice, the damping is optimized in a few thousandths of a second via an electrically managed damper valve which modulates the speed at which the oil passes through the valves through an annular slot. Three operating modes are offered to the pilot: "Soft", "Normal" (normal) and "Hard" (hard). Finally, a cruise control is available as an option.

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