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Big thanks to Daly Motorrad<br />
Klerksdorp for loaning us their<br />
Demo M Sport model to test.<br />
The bike is available for sale so<br />
contact them as it is a gem!<br />
World of Carbon<br />
BMW S1000RR<br />
couldn’t supply them with<br />
their latest goods because of<br />
some contract with Ducati, so<br />
BMW went elsewhere. While<br />
suspicious to begin with, they<br />
do stop the motorcycle faster<br />
than hitting a concrete wall<br />
and will serve it well during an<br />
emergency. The problem is that<br />
braking on a racetrack is less<br />
about grinding to a halt and<br />
more about control.<br />
The rider squeezes the brake<br />
hard in a straight line and then<br />
slowly releases the brake as<br />
the bike leans more and more<br />
into the turn. There’s a lot of<br />
feel required, a problem when<br />
the brakes feel more like a light<br />
switch than a dulling knob.<br />
The electronic suspension<br />
will cater for various roads<br />
and tarmac but tend to get<br />
somewhat overwhelmed when<br />
braking hard into a bumpy turn,<br />
especially when the brakes let<br />
go a little too suddenly.<br />
These matters of concern<br />
manifest strictly when ridden<br />
hard on the race track, whereas<br />
the public road should be<br />
nothing but bunnies and<br />
rainbows. However, we are<br />
not on the public road, so let’s<br />
move on to something a little<br />
more fitting.<br />
Here we have the race bike of<br />
Bert Jonker, the man behind<br />
World of Carbon, who nervously<br />
let Rob and I lap Red Star at<br />
speed mere days before the<br />
start of his racing season. No<br />
pressure.<br />
From a technical point of<br />
view, this bike remains mostly<br />
standard with no performance<br />
mods to the motor, the frame,<br />
the brakes and the electronics<br />
beyond what is “standard”<br />
in the M Package. What it<br />
does have is an addition that<br />
improves the handling, the<br />
brakes, the acceleration and the<br />
lap times more than anything<br />
else: an aftermarket fairing.<br />
The improved performance<br />
is partially down to the lighter<br />
weight of the thinner panels<br />
and the removal of lights<br />
and flickers, but it is mostly<br />
down to how much less the<br />
racing kit costs. Have you ever<br />
priced a standard road kit on<br />
“Where some<br />
manufacturers seem<br />
to base their superbike<br />
ergonomics on the<br />
dimensions of smurfs,<br />
BMW has hired Hans,<br />
who moonlights as a<br />
heavyweight kickboxer,<br />
to model theirs. There’s<br />
enough room to<br />
conduct a gymnastics<br />
tournament.”<br />
RIDEFAST MAGAZINE MARCH <strong>2020</strong> 3 5
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