The not-so sensible BMW

BMWs used to be sensible. Durable, utilitarian and definitely not showing off, the boxers and early K100s of, say, 40 years ago were typically ridden sensibly by sensible dads and accountants. Times, however, have changed

- Adam Child

Today, an M series BMW has fairings designed not so much to keep the wind and rain off its rider as keep the front wheel somewhere near the ground as 200 rampant horsepower are fed to the rear tyre. It has state-of-the-art electronic rider aids that optimise grip and stability and, on a racetrack, can elevate ordinary people with ordinary skills to a level of riding that, until recently, was the preserve of pro racers alone. And this particular M BMW, the all-new M 1000 XR, also has the potential to cover the ground with more real-world speed than any machine before it.

The M 1000 XR is the third model from the German manufacturer to receive the high-performance M treatment. And if the M 1000 R and M 1000 RR that came before it are lighter, faster, brain-twisting versions of the S 1000 R sports-naked and S 1000 RR superbike, the M 1000 XR, which adds over 30bhp, an aero package, acres of carbon fibre and the most sophisticated rider aids available on a production machine to the S 1000 XR crossover, looks set to redefine the meaning of sports touring. Sensible it is not.

MSL can't recall any of its readers complaining that the base S 1000 XR is underpowered or lacking in excitement, but the M nevertheless arrives in showrooms with a near-200bhp peak power output and downforce-generating wings. Like Ducati, who recently unfurled the utterly unhinged Multistrada V4 RS, BMW have clearly concluded that in 2024 a distance machine can be, and have, anything that breathtaking engine performance and World Superbike aerodynamics can sit alongside all-day comfort once found only on luxury distance machines.