All Tests – New BMW S1000R Test: Threatening Species! – One R less, more air!

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New BMW S1000R test: threatening species !

All Tests - New BMW S1000R Test: Threatening Species! - One R less, more air!

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.

One less R, more air !

Undressing a sports bike to make it a radical roadster, the idea is not new. But for some time now, the genre has become wickedly radicalized, to such an extent that distinguishing the border between certain hypersports and their declension in "underwear" is sometimes difficult….

Already in 2006, Yamaha crossed a milestone by stripping its YZF-R1 to create the FZ1 (read our). Since then, it has been overbid: the Aprilia Tuono V4R is barely less efficient than the RSV4 and reaches 180 hp! Admittedly, the Austrian follows a parallel path since it is not entirely from the RC8, thus joining the ranks of the CB1000R, Speed ​​Triple and other Z1000.

However, the result is the same: horses do you want it voila, a cycle part sharpened like the cabbage cutter of a barber and a technological content worthy of a motorcycle of Grand Prix. And this sulphurous family now has a new member, the BMW S1000R, whose arrival was both hoped for and feared..

BMW S1000R video test

In addition to this full test of the new BMW S1000R, also discover our !

Hoped, because the S1000RR has become in the space of only four years one of the main stars of the "scene" of the sportbike (read in particular our). Dreaded, because its 193 hp 4-cylinder is a real slap machine, capable of tearing entire patches of bitumen and rolling up the sleeves of a combarde when accelerating !

It is therefore with a legitimate apprehension that we discover the BMW "super roadster". And it is not the intimidating gaze cleared by its asymmetrical double optic that will reassure the most anxious … A quick glance at its general silhouette and a certain anxiety even begins to set in, as the roadster appears physically and technically modeled on the sportswoman…

At first glance, BMW seems to have contented itself with removing most of the fairing sides, redesigning the fork crown and grafting a large aluminum handlebar. Everything else looks exactly the same: the double-tipped fire, the 17.5 l aluminum tank, the short silencer, the enormous swingarm and the equally imposing aluminum perimeter frame, the 4-piston radial calipers and much more. heard, the 4-legged 998 cc tilted forward.

Even a priori simplistic approach to find a name for it: one "R" less, and voila! On closer examination, certain details reveal that in reality a great deal of work covering both substance and form was required..

The rear shell, for example, is slightly narrower and got rid of the mesh vents present on the "RR". Good for the look, much less for the carrying capacity since a disc lock and a pair of summer gloves only enter the forceps. The absence of a lug on the stand, angled valves, clutch lever spacing adjustments and the barge turning radius confirm the little interest given to practical aspects..

Good news, however: the rider seat has been widened on its rear part for the benefit of comfort, while a new particularly complete and readable on-board console now incorporating a fuel gauge and a consumption indicator has appeared (list of information in the "Instrumentation" part of our technical sheet on the last page).

In town, the rather effective mirrors and the warning control are also appreciated, while we note the presence of unusual practical options in this category – and yet interesting – such as heated grips or cruise control.

Seen from the side, the bike shows off the topsides of the fairings which are chunkier in appearance than those of the S1000RR, but which retain their asymmetrical "gills". The reverse of this undressing: certain mechanical parts normally hidden are found exposed to view, like the water pump and the hose connecting it to the radiator or the large "pot" serving as a stilling chamber for the exhaust gases.

This characteristic specific to all undressed sports cars is not enough, however, to mar an overall positive assessment regarding the quality of manufacture, with the exception of certain passable welds and a few moderately integrated cables and hoses..

Finally, technically speaking, the differences between the S1000R and the S1000RR also appear to be more numerous than they appear. For example, the triple trees have been moved, the pivot point of the swing arm has been lowered, certain dimensions of the chassis are changing (the wheelbase increases, in particular), while the engine comes out 33 hp less but has a torque curve more "beefy" up to 7500 rpm (all the technical details on the engine, the cycle part and the electronics on the penultimate page).

"To be honest, we didn’t think it would be so complicated to design and build this bike.", confesses Joseph Machler, product manager S1000R, explaining to MNC that several very different versions were tested during the two and a half years of gestation of the project..

Just to define the maximum power, engine manufacturers have had to review their copy several times: we tested prototypes developing the same power as the "RR" (193 ch, Editor’s note), but we spent our time on the back wheel", Joseph Machler tells us with a smile. On the other hand, this friendly German fan of sports motorcycles rejected a deflated 136 hp model, considered not explosive enough !

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