All Tests – BMW S1000RR Test: German Hypersport to the Test of the Road – Castration à la française

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BMW S1000RR test: German hypersport to the test

All Tests - BMW S1000RR Test: German Hypersport to the Test of the Road - Castration à la française

Salivating mixture of sophistication and bestiality on the track, the S1000RR now had to convince on the French road …: deprived of 86 horses out of 193 and a few electronic aids, the BMW pales but manages to save the furniture. Test.

French castration

Revised and corrected by French legislation, the German engine loses horses by entire stud farm, but also 23 Nm of torque: already concentrated in the high graduations of the tachometer with 193 hp, the performances obviously take for their rank by passing the border…

Correctly restrained (no jolts or holes during acceleration) but little present below 4000 rpm for a 1000 cc, the S1000RR wakes up around 5000 rpm and it is above all 2000 turns further as the thrust becomes sustained. The block then lengthens the pace without weakening up to 10,000 rpm, before knowing the logic, but oh so frustrating, lethargy in high speeds common to most hypersports restrained.

No need to draw the reports between 10,000 rpm and the 14,000 rpm breaker: the times are bland and the turns taken as convincing as an electoral speech. Fortunately, the propeller-driven sports car is equipped with well-staged gear ratios (the first takes 145 km / h all the same!) And correct protection at legal speeds, which helps to make driving pleasant and dynamic at failure to be sensational.

Especially since the German is based on a rigorous chassis: the sturdy curve entries are perfectly accepted by the 46 mm fork and if the beast requires a little skill in the event of trajectory correction, the mobility offered by its aluminum tank allows to accompany it well with the legs.

Already sufficient on the circuit, the ground clearance offered by the toe clips is simply unfathomable on the road: a pity that BMW did not take the opportunity to install height-adjustable plates like on the Suzuki GSX-R, in order to relieve some little road trips.

Benefiting from a traction above all suspicion with 107 hp, despite the lack of traction control, the S1000RR also offers suspension settings (the bases of which are mentioned in a table placed under the saddle) sensitive and easily understood : ten positions are available and the end of the ignition key is bevelled to allow it to operate the dials !

Mixture of genres

Less exclusive than many European motorcycles but more tiring than a CBR or a GSX-R, the S1000RR passes the road test with the honors. Admittedly, its mill does not have the torque of the Suzuki nor the demonstrative side of a 2009 R1, but for a test run we can certainly speak of a nice success !

Nevertheless, the BMW is not exempt from criticism, starting with a certain sensitivity to the tires offered as original equipment: tested on the Metzeler circuit, the machine seems more difficult to agree with the Continental available during this road test ( the front becomes sensitive on bumps and falls at the chord point), while other models mounted in Bridgestone BT-016 were much more reassuring on the angle.

The German also displays a certain roughness: working superbly on bumps, the suspensions are however a bit firm from the outset and above all, its hard clutch and the remote grip point fatigue the wrists already considerably put to the test…

Finally, although undoubtedly "placed" in the court of the four Japanese thanks to its well studied price (15,990 euros without option), the BMW is not quite up to the standards of finish of its rivals: plastics around the tank look cheap, some adjustments would benefit from being fine-tuned – just like the welds – and the surface treatments are puzzling (the exhaust pot of a model with 1500 km was already starting to oxidize)…

The propeller brand’s initiative remains nonetheless exciting: imagining senior executives eyeing this technological showcase alongside "D’jeuns-ki-n’-don’t" within the is worth its weight in pretzels ! Above all, the S1000RR demonstrates a certain open-mindedness (even a certain open-mindedness) on the part of the German manufacturer and in this period of recession, this deep and necessary change can only provoke respect.

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