Ridefast Online Nov 2020

The engine produces 205 horsepower
at 13,500 rpm, and 83 ft/lbs of torque
@11,000 rpm. BMW reports that the engine
has at least 73 ft/lbs of torque from
5500 to 14,500 rpm.
A standard feature on the 2020 RR is the
powershifter and autoblip, which provides
for clutchless upshifts and downshifts.
This one has BMW’s latest generation
electronic suspension or Dynamic
Damping Control (DDC). The suspension
itself is manufactured by Marzocchi to
BMW specifications. Up front is a 45 mm,
inverted telescopic fork, and in the rear
is the new Full Floater Pro shock, both
with electronic compression and rebound
damping adjustment and manual adjustment
for spring preload.
The braking system is manufactured with
components from Nissin, Hayes, and
Brembo. The front master cylinder is a
Nissin unit attached to two radial-mounted,
four-piston Hayes calipers that bite
onto on 320 mm steel rotors. The rotors
are each 4.5 mm thick and together they
weigh less than their predecessors. At
the rear there is a single-piston Brembo
caliper and a 220 mm disc.
On any Sunday you’ll see hundreds
of motorcycles of all shapes and sizes
making their way to favorite breakfast
run spots all over SA. In the JHB area,
Harties has always been popular, the
route out to Bronkhorstspruit is always
full – Cullinan, Vaal dam and so-on. One
of our favourites is out through the Cradle
and onto the Hekpoort pass and then a
blitz down the satellite road – and there
are a few reasons for this. The roads
are generally in great condition. We
can laugh at all the cyclists toiling away,
great eateries dot the landscape – and
the roads are twisty and fun to ride with
lots of places where you can really open
up. If you don’t ride a bike – you’ll never
understand.
Bikes were collected and promises made
that we would not be mad hooligans.
We turned the bikes towards Mulderdrift
– and those promises were very soon
forgotten you see – it was a Wednesday
– and the roads were just sooo quiet…
That year, the Bavarian motorcycle
manufacturer built 1000 units to satisfy
World Superbike homologation rules. The
following year the first-gen S 1000 RR went
into full production, changing the supersport
landscape with its superior electronics
and its nearly 200-horsepower engine. Unheard
of - and, to be frank, they caught the
Japanese manufacturers with their pants
down in the horsepower department.
For 2020, BMW had two main goals for the
S 1000 RR’s ground-up redesign: To put
the customer first and to beat the competition.
The plan was to make the bike more
approachable and friendlier to use. We are
not going to run through all of it coz there
is a lot, but here are some of the main
features…
The bodywork has been redesigned and
while it retains the shark gills on the right
side of the engine, the asymmetrical
headlights are gone. The gills were retained
not for styling purposes, but rather
because it allowed the engineers to
reduce overall engine heat by 10 percent.
The bike includes BMW’s very latest
cutting edge technology with more
electronic aids than Battlestar Galactica.
Razor Sharp with oodles of very useable
horsepower on tap.
The engine was revamped, and features
BMW ShiftCam Technology (variable
valve timing) for more linear power
across the low- to mid-rpm range, along
with more power on top.
The XR. A big, comfortable mile eater.
Fully loaded with all of BMW’s High End
Tech.
The XR was designed to fill a void for the
rider who didn’t want an all-out adventure
tourer like the GS, or the sportsbike
positioning of the S 1000 RR or roadster
models. For 2020, BMW revised the bodywork
and ergonomics for more wind protection
and comfort. The riding position
is upright and relaxed, there’s no weight
on your palms, and you have excellent
leverage on the handlebar. Built for hours
in the saddle. The seat is sculpted and
firm… it takes a bit if getting used to…
The Bikes:
The bikes share so many tech innovations
and components. We appreciate
that you probably know just about
everything about them. Both have been
ridden and written about in great depth –
but we’ll run a quick re-cap, just so you
know what the bikes are about.
The RR – Race, Sports. Fast.
The S 1000 RR, was first launched in 2009.