Had the opportunity to spend the entire weekend riding the local backroads in the Santa Cruz mountains on a brand-new BMW S1000RR (putting in break-in mileage for a friend). The riding was done in real world conditions that included 500+ miles of sticky/dry asphalt, and 120 miles in the pouring rain .... on slick, traction-limited pavement.
There’s been lots of racetrack test reports and articles on the new BMW, but as that this riding was done in real world conditions (rain and shine) on local roads familiar to many folks here on the forum, I figured I’d jot down the highlights of my “Hit” and “Nit” impressions of the bike, for anyone that may have an interest.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HITS:
• Dynamic Traction Control (DTC):
Absolute science in motion. The efficiency in maintaining tire grip under all conditions (dry or wet) is so good, that it’s akin to having Valentino Rossi riding along as an invisible co-pilot controlling the throttle. “Pin it to the stops and trust the DTC to do its job” is truly an option when riding this bike.
There’s no question that DTC reduces the required skill level of the rider to get the bike down the road or track quickly. Some may consider it a bit like cheating, but it is the technology of the future and it does do what it’s intended to do; and extremely well.
• Brakes:
Very powerful, very linear, thanks to the Brembo calipers and solid brake lines. Total 1-Finger braking up front. There was zero rider sensory intrusion (pulsating) from the bike’s ABS system at any time while riding the bike, if it did in fact ever kick in. ABS was very transparent; even when riding in the rain. No tire slippage under braking was ever seen.
Trail braking deep into turns is possible thanks to the excellent chassis geometry that results in a total absence of the bike wanting to stand-up.
• Power:
Due to riding the bike exclusively within the 600 mile break-in period, where a mandatory 9K RPM rev-limit is in place, evaluating the true power potential was not possible. The primary take-away from that window of riding was as follows.
The engine is a bit of hybrid in having a solid dose of the expected hard midrange pull from a liter bike, but in a package that churns out a spin-up of power increase in the manner of a high-revving 600. Definitely not an engine that encourages short-shifting to tap into the potential of the bike.
• Chassis:
The stability of this bike is nothing short of amazing! Even at speed over the bumpiest sections of beat-up backroad, the bike tracked straight and true. The S1000RR never showed the slightest sign of a twitch at the front wheel.
The bike is fitted with a steering damper (non-adjustable), but I honestly never felt it needing to go into action. The bike steers quite quickly (though not 600 flickable), but retains rock solid stability. BMW really got the rake/trail numbers right in this package!
• Suspension:
The bike’s target focus as a track/race bike is quite apparent in the character of the suspension components. The smoother the road, and the higher the speeds, the better both ends of the bike performed. On rough, bumpy pavement that is common on public roads, the suspension gets the job done, but not without some penalty in the workout fed back into the rider.
Lots of adjustability. High and low-speed adjustment on the shock’s compression damping, and a flip-able eccentric insert in the top mounting point of the shock (for a real “ride height” change) reflect the bike’s track/race character.
• Instrumentation:
The gauge cluster is nicely positioned for unobstructed viewing. The large, easy-to-read analog tachometer, digital speedometer and gear selection indicator, combine to do a great job of relaying important info to the rider. The on-board lap timer is another bell-n-whistle that some trackday riders may find of value.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NITS:
• Shifting:
Using the quick-shifter, the bike’s shifting is pure magic. However the mechanics that provide that high-tech function seem to negatively impact the “feel” and consistency when making conventional clutched shifts.
The shift lever has a very short throw, and a vagueness that lacks the positive sense of “click” that is felt on most bikes, when pulling up to engage the next gear. As a result, I elected to use the quick-shifter almost exclusively; even when riding in city traffic.
• Clutch:
Pulling in the lever sometimes produced a clunky, two-step sensation. The first ½ pull distance produces an initial slack feeling, followed by a second phase of pull that lead to full release. I assume the nature of the bike’s slipper clutch mechanism is at the heart of this behavior, as my ZX-10R (which also had a slipper clutch) exhibited a similar clutch release action.
• Suspension:
The factory settings proved to not be ideal for performance riding, with a 170 lb. pilot.
The settings below improved things a lot (for the street), but was surprised to find that the zip-tie travel indicator on the front fork showed the bike used almost all its travel (only about 6 mm remaining) after a day of backroad riding,
Front Forks:
- Rebound: Too fast (ended up setting it a MAX = 10)
- Compression: Harsh on backroad bumps (ended up backing out to 2)
- Preload: Came from dealer at near MINIMUM, with 3 ½ lines showing. (ended up all the way out – 4 lines showing)
Shock:
- Rebound: Way too fast (ended up setting it at 7)
- Compression: Harsh on backroad bumps (ended up backing out to 2 on “High-Speed” adjuster, “Low-Speed” left at stock)
- Preload: Too much sag (ended up adding 2 turns clockwise – more preload)
• Comfort (Street Riding):
The riding position is very much racetrack-inspired. The combination of a seat that has a definite forward slope, and the low positioning of the clip-ons, makes it difficult to prevent putting a lot of weight on your wrists when riding at a real world pace on the street. This is especially challenging when riding downhill, where gravity and regular braking compounds the forward weight shift problem. Tightly squeezing your knees into the gas tank helps, but can’t totally eliminate the effects felt after a full day (400 miles+ in this case) in the saddle.
• Tight/Low-Speed Turning:
Getting the bike to hold the desired line when trying to navigate VERY tight (15 MPH) decreasing-radius, right-hand turns at low speeds, took some serious focus. The position of the clip-ons and steering stops brings the grips (and your hands) very close to the main frame when at full turn. The bike also has a long wheelbase feel to it when trying to perform tight turns.
• Owners Manual:
This document could use some serious help in the content, editing, and/or translation. Trying to reap useful benefit from the “Suspension” setup section was where I came to that realization. 15 minutes and I could seriously improve on the value/accuracy of the info in that section!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Overall Impression?
This bike is truly a "Time Machine", and worth the price of admission, for those that can afford it.
Why? Because it gives a rider a chance to experience the future of motorcycling (full electronics) in its purest form ....... TODAY!
There’s been lots of racetrack test reports and articles on the new BMW, but as that this riding was done in real world conditions (rain and shine) on local roads familiar to many folks here on the forum, I figured I’d jot down the highlights of my “Hit” and “Nit” impressions of the bike, for anyone that may have an interest.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
HITS:
• Dynamic Traction Control (DTC):
Absolute science in motion. The efficiency in maintaining tire grip under all conditions (dry or wet) is so good, that it’s akin to having Valentino Rossi riding along as an invisible co-pilot controlling the throttle. “Pin it to the stops and trust the DTC to do its job” is truly an option when riding this bike.
There’s no question that DTC reduces the required skill level of the rider to get the bike down the road or track quickly. Some may consider it a bit like cheating, but it is the technology of the future and it does do what it’s intended to do; and extremely well.
• Brakes:
Very powerful, very linear, thanks to the Brembo calipers and solid brake lines. Total 1-Finger braking up front. There was zero rider sensory intrusion (pulsating) from the bike’s ABS system at any time while riding the bike, if it did in fact ever kick in. ABS was very transparent; even when riding in the rain. No tire slippage under braking was ever seen.
Trail braking deep into turns is possible thanks to the excellent chassis geometry that results in a total absence of the bike wanting to stand-up.
• Power:
Due to riding the bike exclusively within the 600 mile break-in period, where a mandatory 9K RPM rev-limit is in place, evaluating the true power potential was not possible. The primary take-away from that window of riding was as follows.
The engine is a bit of hybrid in having a solid dose of the expected hard midrange pull from a liter bike, but in a package that churns out a spin-up of power increase in the manner of a high-revving 600. Definitely not an engine that encourages short-shifting to tap into the potential of the bike.
• Chassis:
The stability of this bike is nothing short of amazing! Even at speed over the bumpiest sections of beat-up backroad, the bike tracked straight and true. The S1000RR never showed the slightest sign of a twitch at the front wheel.
The bike is fitted with a steering damper (non-adjustable), but I honestly never felt it needing to go into action. The bike steers quite quickly (though not 600 flickable), but retains rock solid stability. BMW really got the rake/trail numbers right in this package!
• Suspension:
The bike’s target focus as a track/race bike is quite apparent in the character of the suspension components. The smoother the road, and the higher the speeds, the better both ends of the bike performed. On rough, bumpy pavement that is common on public roads, the suspension gets the job done, but not without some penalty in the workout fed back into the rider.
Lots of adjustability. High and low-speed adjustment on the shock’s compression damping, and a flip-able eccentric insert in the top mounting point of the shock (for a real “ride height” change) reflect the bike’s track/race character.
• Instrumentation:
The gauge cluster is nicely positioned for unobstructed viewing. The large, easy-to-read analog tachometer, digital speedometer and gear selection indicator, combine to do a great job of relaying important info to the rider. The on-board lap timer is another bell-n-whistle that some trackday riders may find of value.
------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------
NITS:
• Shifting:
Using the quick-shifter, the bike’s shifting is pure magic. However the mechanics that provide that high-tech function seem to negatively impact the “feel” and consistency when making conventional clutched shifts.
The shift lever has a very short throw, and a vagueness that lacks the positive sense of “click” that is felt on most bikes, when pulling up to engage the next gear. As a result, I elected to use the quick-shifter almost exclusively; even when riding in city traffic.
• Clutch:
Pulling in the lever sometimes produced a clunky, two-step sensation. The first ½ pull distance produces an initial slack feeling, followed by a second phase of pull that lead to full release. I assume the nature of the bike’s slipper clutch mechanism is at the heart of this behavior, as my ZX-10R (which also had a slipper clutch) exhibited a similar clutch release action.
• Suspension:
The factory settings proved to not be ideal for performance riding, with a 170 lb. pilot.
The settings below improved things a lot (for the street), but was surprised to find that the zip-tie travel indicator on the front fork showed the bike used almost all its travel (only about 6 mm remaining) after a day of backroad riding,
Front Forks:
- Rebound: Too fast (ended up setting it a MAX = 10)
- Compression: Harsh on backroad bumps (ended up backing out to 2)
- Preload: Came from dealer at near MINIMUM, with 3 ½ lines showing. (ended up all the way out – 4 lines showing)
Shock:
- Rebound: Way too fast (ended up setting it at 7)
- Compression: Harsh on backroad bumps (ended up backing out to 2 on “High-Speed” adjuster, “Low-Speed” left at stock)
- Preload: Too much sag (ended up adding 2 turns clockwise – more preload)
• Comfort (Street Riding):
The riding position is very much racetrack-inspired. The combination of a seat that has a definite forward slope, and the low positioning of the clip-ons, makes it difficult to prevent putting a lot of weight on your wrists when riding at a real world pace on the street. This is especially challenging when riding downhill, where gravity and regular braking compounds the forward weight shift problem. Tightly squeezing your knees into the gas tank helps, but can’t totally eliminate the effects felt after a full day (400 miles+ in this case) in the saddle.
• Tight/Low-Speed Turning:
Getting the bike to hold the desired line when trying to navigate VERY tight (15 MPH) decreasing-radius, right-hand turns at low speeds, took some serious focus. The position of the clip-ons and steering stops brings the grips (and your hands) very close to the main frame when at full turn. The bike also has a long wheelbase feel to it when trying to perform tight turns.
• Owners Manual:
This document could use some serious help in the content, editing, and/or translation. Trying to reap useful benefit from the “Suspension” setup section was where I came to that realization. 15 minutes and I could seriously improve on the value/accuracy of the info in that section!
----------------------------------------------------------------------------
Overall Impression?
This bike is truly a "Time Machine", and worth the price of admission, for those that can afford it.
Why? Because it gives a rider a chance to experience the future of motorcycling (full electronics) in its purest form ....... TODAY!
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