Test rode an S1000RR

I attended a BMW open house today - complete with the BMW truck with all the goodies. I had planned on trying to ride a GS1200 and an S1000RR, but the schedule was pretty booked, so I went for the S1000RR.

I approached the whole litre bike thing with some trepidation. Besides riding two up with Jason Pridmore on his GSXR 1000, I've only ridden a handful of 1000's and this one, by all accounts, is the HP king.

My concerns were unfounded as the S1000RR was undoubedly the most manageable sportbike I've ever ridden - bar none.

The ergos were perfect for me. Setting up for turns was second nature from the outset. There was no learning curve.

Power delivery was outstanding. No hiccups in the fueling at all. The midrange was strong and flexible. I never got anywhere near the peak, but it really wasn't necessary.

The guide told us he would take off at some point in the ride to give us the opportunity to explore the bikes. True to his word, while we were cruising down a straight back road - boom he took off. I was cruising at about 55 mph in 3rd gear directly behind him. I rolled on the RR's throttle and was immediately transported through time and space . . .. Well, not really. But, lets just say the bike is F A S T. Real fast. And real smooth. Did I mention it was fast?

As I said earlier, the handling was awesome too. It took little effort to hustle BMW though turns marked 15 - 25 at double or triple those speeds.
In all, it behaved much like my GSXR with one crucial difference. With the GSXR, I almost always feel the rear wheel sliding just a bit. With the BMW, I never felt any wheel slide whatsoever.

On at least one occasion, I whacked the throttle open and was met with a brief lull followed by a smooth power buildup. That must have been the traction control kicking in. Awesome and almost seemless.

Oh, and this bike was equipped with ABS and a power shifter. Thankfully, I never had an opportunity to test the ABS, but I really dung the power shifter.

Before the ride, I thought if I ever got one of these bikes I would skip the power shifter, but after using it, no way. I want it. I want one on all my bikes. It was absolutely awesome.

To upshift, you just stay on the gas and lift the shift lever. The bike matches revs and upshifts faster and more precisely than most riders can WITHOUT UPSETTING THE SUSPENSION. The same with downshifts.

For obvious reasons, i.e., the desire to maintain my license and bodily health, I never approached the bike's full potential. But my initial impression is that BMW has a real winner here.

Obviously, this is not a beginner bike. However, insurance issues aside, I would recommend that anyone who is considering stepping up to a 600 or 750 consider this bike.

Yes, its stupid fast, but aren't they all? And the 600s and 750 do not have traction control and wheelie control to keep you from stupidly whacking the throttle open and landing on your arse.

Well, that's about it. I really have nothing negative to say about the bike - except that sportbike ergos suck. I had a sore neck 15 minutes into the ride and we were only 1/2 done. Helibars would probably take care of this though as they did for my GSXR.

Stupid Luke,

Is you HM quickshifter one of their strain guage ones or a conventional mechanical one? You think it's good for the raod - or really for the track?

i am keen to test one of these... but only when i have sold my hypermotard... cant afford to have 3 bikes and a car

In most spirited riding situations, I do not use the clutch for upshifts. It seems a natural to me at this point to slightly close throttle shift , then back on the gas. It must be a real training period to give up the throttle down time on a quick shifter. As I am not ever going to need the extra , or should I say less time per lap on the track. I like the things that are built into my muscle memory that make a motorcycle a motorcycle. Traction control is my right wrist. Anti-hopping, a little clutch slippage and non panic braking before entry. I am not saying that the technology that takes a motorcycle further down the evolutionary path isnt helpfull or creating safer conditions and be damned with it. But I am liking the idea of riding with all the inputs that are needed from the bike the way it was delivered is still a cracking experiance. The biggest most usefull piece of kit the has come from racing is the slipper clutch and a big twin can use one more so than any other bike.

I'm also not keen on too much being taken away from the rider with regards to traction control and launch control and all that type of thing but I don't really view a quickshifter in the same category, anyone can close the throttle briefly and open it again while they change gear, there is no real skill involved that is being taken away as such, it is just an enhancement that all riders can utilise. It was a shock to me at just how smooth it made things at low revs for normal riding as opposed to just shaving a few seconds off at track days.

I do still find myself closing the throttle every so often though while I'm still getting used to it.

I'm not in any rush for an auto blipper though, I think it'll make it pretty simple to jump down a gear without thinking and lock up the back, unless you have a slipper clutch which you could argue also takes the skill away from the rider.

In some sense both slippers and quickshifters do the same thing at opposite ends, the slipper helps keep everything stable coming into the corner and maintaining constant traction and the quickshifter keeps everything stable accelerating out of a corner and maintaining almost constant drive from the rear wheel

That said, I don't think technology is necessarily bad. Today's litre bikes are monsters. I mean, come on - 193 bhp for a 410lb bike? In that instance I don't mind having a little technology watching my back. ditto crotch

This is also the case where the SD is the perfect steed. Whatever the horse power that it is 120 ,106 measured on my cousins Dyno or not. The true measure is how ridable the steed is. To that case the SD stacks up nice. If you need traction control and ecu trickery to keep the thing upright, then what is the since in all those horses. I think the SD comes out of the box a perfect motorcycle. It didnt play the HP game the Slipper game the steering damper game the abs game it just flat came out as a smashing bike that would thrill anyone who ever threw a leg over a two wheeled land craft.. To that effect I say that the bells and whistles are icing on a cake than can stand allone and make no apologies.

Twisted:
The auto blipper remark is very close to what I was saying kinda in reverse. When upshifting it is the auto blip in reverse. as quick and reliable, and is second nature in a quick fashion. I had a VTR1000 for a while and the flywheel was very heavy. The skidding and hopping before corner entry was a bear to get used to and required considerable attention on my part to keep me from freakin out. This attention needed to be at the appex and was spent on too much of the now, and not enough of the future. When getting the SD, the lighter flywheel and probably the few less torques from the motor was a Godsend on moving my attention to where it was needed. Which in turn would probably lower my lap times. Now I can ride this bike with the confidance that is allready built into me without any rider helpers. this is good enough to excite me and I could live with this much bike and only this much bike for a considerable fashion. I'm not saying don't go for the items that help direct your attention to the next corner, Im saying I am already well pleased

My old man just put down a deposit for a S1000RR to be delivered in May.

Ah knew it; BMW's = Old Man's Bike

This is his K5 - which he's keeping.