BMW Flex Their Muscles

BMW step into the super naked market with their most powerful naked bike in this highly competitive class. The Germans are flexing their muscles, showing what they can do. Welcome to the 210-hp M 1000 R. On looks alone, it is already a winner for some

-  Joerg Kuenste

BMW'S STANDARD S 1000 R IS A B great bike. I tested one for a whole year and loved its everyday versatility and fuss-free ability on track. But when up against the more powerful Italian competition, the 200hp hyper naked beasts from Ducati and MV, it was, on paper at least, slightly lacking.

Ducati's Streetfighter V4 and MV's Brutale 1000RR are both in the 200-hp club, with Kawasaki's super-charged Z H2 SE just a couple of horses shy. In the world it hardly matters that the S 1000 R makes a peak of 165 hp, 35 hp lower than the big boys, but sometimes the real world does not matter. It is the numbers that count. Hence the introduction of BMW's new M 1000 R, with 210 hp.

BMW have taken the new ShiftCam engine from the 2022 S 1000 RR superbike and inserted it into the S 1000 R's naked chassis. It has the same power and torque and the same gearbox.

ShiftCam engine from the S 1000 RR superbike; with the same 210 hp, 113 Nm, and gearbox; only the rear sprocket is different

BMW have not stopped there. Aerodynamic wings help to reduce wheelies by adding II kilograms of downforce at 220 km/h. New stoppers, again taken directly from the S 1000 RR, facilitate improved braking. Chassis dimensions remain the same but the standard electronic suspension (DDC, that is, Dynamic Damping Control) has been re-calibrated to deal with the 45-hp increase in power. A manually adjustable steering damper is also new.

Electronic rider aids also get a substantial upgrade and recalibration to deal with the improved engine and braking power and are linked to a six-axis IMU (inertial measurement unit). New for the M 1000 R and S 1000 RR is the new Brake Slide Assist system which allows some drift on corner entry before the lean-sensitive anti-lock braking system (ABS) kicks in.

We headed out to southern Spain to see if the BMW M 1000 R lives up to the hype.