Bike India – August 2019

Precision

Perfection

The Germans upgrade their superbike,

and we take it to the track

Story: Anosh Khumbatta Photography: Sanjay Raiker

T’S FINALLY HERE. TEN YEARS AFTER THE ORIGINAL SHOOK UP THE SUPERBIKE

scene and sent other manufacturers back to the drawing board, the 2019 BMW S 1000 RR is finally

here. Four years in the making and all new from the ground up, the idea behind this motorcycle was to

make it lighter, faster, and easier to ride than the outgoing bike. Did BMW Motorrad succeed in this

quest to build a better motorcycle? We head to the Buddh International Circuit a day after the new S

1000 RR’s Indian launch to find out.

Let’s get the obvious out of the way first; that distinctive asymmetrical face is sadly now a thing of the

past. It has been replaced by a sharp new visage with a pair of small matching LED headlights placed on either

side of the central air intake. BMW officials claimed that the

idea was to convey that this is a completely new machine, with

no parts carried over from the outgoing bike — we also believe

that saving weight played a major part in this decision. The old

projector headlamps are a lot heavier than these tiny LED

units, and their discontinuation would have made a sizeable

contribution to the extensive weight loss that is a highlight of

this new model.

Since we’re on the topic of weight loss, think about this:

while the old bike tipped the scales at 208 kg wet, the base 2019

BMW S 1000 RR weighs in at 197 kg. That’s a whole 11 kg

shaved off, while the M Sport variant that you see splashed

across these pages drops a further 3.5 kg courtesy a lightweight

lithium ion battery in place of the standard lead acid unit, and

the first ever carbon-fibre wheels to be offered on a series

production motorcycle.

The new S 1000 RR looks a lot more compact and tightly

packaged when compared to its predecessor and also feels a lot

slimmer in the saddle. The old bike used to splay the rider’s legs

quite wide, but this is no longer the case due to the slightly smaller fuel-tank as well as

the narrower aluminium perimeter frame. Seat height has gone up from 815 to 824

mm, the clip-ons are now slightly wider for a bit more leverage and the foot-pegs,

although sportily set, aren’t inordinately high. I have always found the S 1000 RR to

be an extremely comfortable sportbike, and hopping on to this new machine I once

again find the slightly revised riding position to be spot-on. Sporty and focused

enough to properly slay at the track, yet relaxed and roomy enough to not need regular

breaks if riding on the road, with enough space to move around and find your sweet

spot. I think this is the ideal riding position for a motorcycle that will see regular street

use, especially for riders who want superbike thrills without cramped, hunched-over

race-bike ergos.

The liquid-cooled in-line four that powers this German missile still retains the 80 x

49.7-mm bore and stroke dimensions as the outgoing bike for an unchanged 999-cc

displacement; however, the new engine is now smaller, lighter, and puts out more

power. BMW claim that they have saved four kilograms just on this motor, most of it

by employing a lighter crankshaft and integrating the oil and water pumps. Higher up,

the rocker arms that operate the valves are now 20 per cent lighter than before and, in

I

http://www.bikeindia.in August 2019 BikeIndia (^59)
BMW S 1000 RR M SPORT