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.
SPORTSBIKE GROUP TEST Monster engine picks up sweetly from bob all revs then hurls you towards the next bend 67
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