Motorcycle Mojo – July 2019

J ULY 2 0 19 MOTORCYCLE MOJO 35

LIST PRICE

$18,900

WARRANTY

3 years, unlimited mileage

CONTACT

bmw-motorrad.ca

ENGINE TYPE

Liquid-cooled, inline four-cylinder

DISPLACEMENT

999 cc

POWER

207 hp (152 kW) at 13,500 rpm

TORQUE

83 ft-lb (113 Nm) at 10,500 rpm

BORE AND STROKE

80 x 49.7 mm

COMPRESSION RATIO

13.3:1

FUEL DELIVERY

EFI with 48 mm throttle bodies

TRANSMISSION

6-speed

FINAL DRIVE TYPE

Chain

FRONT SUSPENSION

45 mm inverted fork, adjustable for

compression and rebound damping,

and preload; DDC is optional

REAR SUSPENSION

Single shock, adjustable for compression

and rebound damping, and preload;

DDC is optional

WHEEL TRAVEL

Front: 120 mm (4.7 in.)

Rear: 117 mm (4.6 in.)

BRAKES

Front: Two 320 mm discs with

radial 4-piston calipers

Rear: 220 mm disc with

single-piston caliper; semi-linked ABS

WHEELBASE

1,441 mm (56.7 in.)

RAKE AND TRAIL

23.1 degrees/94 mm

TIRES

Front: 120/70ZR17

Rear: 190/55ZR17

WEIGHT (WET)

197 kg (434 lb)

SEAT HEIGHT

824 mm (32.4 in.)

FUEL CAPACITY

16.5 L

FUEL ECONOMY (CLAIMED)

6.4L/100 km

FUEL RANGE (ESTIMATED)

258 km

2020 BMW

S 1000 RR

i

For additional photos of the

2020 BMW S1000RR

visit: motorcyclemojo.com

have both wheels on the ground most

of the time. The difference between

wheelie control levels 1, 2 and 3 is the

amount of lift the bike will permit

before intervening; Level 2 allows

about 5 cm of lift.

Grip was much higher on the slick

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also quickened turn-in. And despite

going faster through the same right-

hand sweeper where I’d experienced

a slide earlier, this time I felt no slip

whatsoever. Throttle response was

aggressive yet still manageable in

Level 1, and although the front wheel

lifted off the ground occasionally while

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that occurred very smoothly, returning

the front wheel to the ground with

no further intervention on my part.

None of this was felt from the rider’s

seat, although the level of some of the

electronic intervention was set a bit too

low for me to trigger. I saw the traction

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sessions when I was riding on the OEM

tires and in the non-Pro Race mode; set

at a lower level of intervention and on

the slick tires, lighting it was beyond

my skill level.

Still a Favourite

Fortunately, I have some experience

on various S1000RR models on this

very racetrack, so I can make direct

comparisons among the old, the new

and the exotic. The last time I rode

a bike on this track was to ride the

$95,000, carbon fibre-framed HP4

Race model. I also rode the previous-

generation S1000RR during that

test. While the S1000RR always has

been my favourite of the open-class

supersport machines because it is

easy to ride fast, it felt almost truck-

like next to the ultra-lightweight

HP4 Race. This new S1000RR –when

equipped with the M package

electronics and DDC suspension, at

least – sits somewhere in between.

That’s a big leap from the previous

model and insures that – for now, at

least – the BMW S1000RR will remain

my favourite litre bike.

The bike was equipped with the OEM

Bridgestone Hypersport S21 radials

for the morning track sessions, which

were switched to Bridgestone racing

slicks for the afternoon.

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Jürgen Fuchs, a former 250 cc and 500

cc GP rider, at a much faster pace than

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However, with the bike set to Race

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spiring feedback, allowing me to go

from zero to 95 per cent of my capabil-

ity with remarkable ease. We rode fast

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OEM tires squirm around through the

very fast and long right-hand sweeper

that opens up onto the kilometre-long

front straight.

Trust in Technology

During my second session, I

experienced a 160 km/h rear slide

when riding through that sweeper

on those same OEM tires. Skill has

taught me to stay on the throttle

when experiencing a rear-wheel slide,

which is what a rider must do now

on open-class supersport machines

that have advanced traction-control

systems. Closing the throttle when in

a slide throws off the system, so you

must learn to trust the intervention

and, in the case of the S1000RR,

adjust to your riding style and let it

do its work. Despite the eye-opening

slide, the rear tire just came back into

line and the bike straightened out

with no indication that electronics did

anything to intervene, although they

most likely did.

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emphasised what I’ve always

appreciated about BMW’s S1000RR:

it is forgiving, it is easy to ride and

it is blistering fast without being too

demanding. In comparison, a Ducati

Panigale is also blistering fast, but

it taxes your mental and physical

strength.

After lunch, I hopped onto a bike

equipped with slicks and I selected

Race Pro 2 mode, which doesn’t

back off traction control and ABS to

minimum, but backs them off enough

to allow traction to give in a con-

trollable manner. I reset the wheelie

control to Level 2 because I prefer to