Bike_UK_July_2017

S1000RR basically
looks the same as
the day it was
launched. BMW
got it right, from
the off
(Above) Not as space age as some, but it’s all
there (Below) When it comes to buttons
chunky and simple are good things
BMW S1000RR
The S1000RR is eight years old. But there’s no middle-aged spread, even in this company…
WHAT A MACHINE this still is,’ says James, puffing as he
gets off the S1000RR. Eight years after its launch – and
still the best-selling sportsbike over 125cc – the
S1000RR has clearly lost none of its ability to give even
the fastest riders a surprisingly vigorous work-out.
We’re testing the best-selling version of the bike, the
Sport, which comes with the semi-active Öhlins suspension,
heated grips, LED indicators and an auto-blipper. For good
measure, our test bike has the £565 performance package, with
cruise control, two customisable riding modes and cornering ABS,
plus all the stuff the standard bike gets for this year – quickshifter,
ABS, Race, Sport and Rain riding modes, and a bigger catalytic
converter to get it through Euro4 regulations.
But though all this gubbins is impressive and makes the others
look rather sparsely equipped, at the heart of the S1000RR’s success
is the thing that was getting Mr Haydon all hot and bothered: the
engine. Ye Gods it’s a monster, picking up sweetly from miniscule
revs and then hurling you into the next
corner with all the subtlety of a howitzer.
Art editor Langy took several laps to
acclimatise: ‘Even with all that power it’s
so sensitive and simple to ride – it’s easy
to get on and as you open the throttle
you think, ‘oh this is going to be a bit of
a pussycaaaaAAATTT!!’ It goes from
docile to lunatic in a blink. I really noticed having to physically
hang on as it was accelerating to stop getting flung off the back,
whereas the others I felt like I was riding them. Maybe it’s because
it’s a slightly more upright riding position, so you’re less crouched.’
Given that he used to ride GP bikes for a living, James is less
blown away by the top-end rush, but is equally impressed by the
BM’s beautifully delicate throttle response: ‘The engine has the
best low down throttle connection. Out of the little hairpin where
you go up the hill, it was the only bike I could wheelie all the way
up the hill before the right hander. Even though the GSX-R has a
stronger motor up top, this has a bit more right at the bottom. And
you can use every inch of that engine, the control is superb.’
This ease of use translates directly to the road: the S1000RR will
happily toddle through town, easing you briskly away from traffic
lights on a whiff of throttle and then laying waste to all-comers
66
‘Even with all that
power it’s so sensitive
and simple to ride’
with its vast midrange. The top-end is, frankly, for track use only –
in two days of commuting and going batshit on my local back
roads I don’t think I got the throttle to the stop once. You can go
utterly ballistic without even getting close.
Back on track the semi-active suspension is getting much love
too. ‘I really pushed it,’ says James, ‘burying the front, because
I knew where I was with it. On the launch [of the revamped 2015
model] there was a corner where the semi-active suspension felt as
though it was holding the front end up, but I didn’t get that today
– I guess it’s been refined [it certainly has – Ed]. The system feels
really natural. I got so confident in it and was having so much fun
that I turned off the traction control and ABS to see what it was
like and it was just as lovely, drifting beautifully. The semi-active
suspension complements your riding approach, whether you are
going fast or not.’
Boastie agreed. At Rockingham there’s a fast right hander with a
change of surface and bumps on the way in; a test of composure
for bike and rider. ‘The suspension feels
sophisticated,’ says Boastie, ‘it handles
those bumps the best – you can feel
them, obviously, but the bike is settled.
Some of the others are nervous’.
On the road you get the same plush
feel, though there isn’t the huge benefit
you might expect from suspension that
can adjust its damping all the time – the BMW doesn’t suddenly
change from floaty tourer to sports nutter as the road surface
alters. It just stays firm yet plush. Where you feel it most is with its
control of weight transfer – no matter what you do with the brakes
or throttle you’ll only get a restricted amount of dive or squat.
Which is a good thing, considering the power of the brakes. The
Brembos are stupendously strong, and in a different league to all
the others in terms of initial bite and progressive power. ‘They’re
mind-blowingly good,’ says Boastie. ‘If it was wet you’d be glad
you’ve got ABS because they’re almost too powerful – would you
want to tip in just feathering the front brake?’
But because of the ABS and anti-rear-lift electronics, none of us
had problems. It was a case of bracing yourself against the tank
and, in my case, feeling my glasses pulled off my nose by the
incredible G-force.