BMW S 1000 R

The new BMW S1000R might not have an asymmetric design language which made its predecessor such an attention-grabbing motorcycle. However, in terms of visual appeal, this new version is not too far behind and continues to have a charming appeal.

The BMW S1000R has got an all-new front face, with a simple-looking hexagonal headlamp, which has curved edges on its sides and has a full-LED arrangement with daytime running LED in between. The upper corners of the headlamp cowl are flanked with LED turn indicators, thus rounding up the all-new front fascia of the motorcycle. The front forks finished in a theme of gold add a premium touch to the front profile.

From the side, the BMW S1000R looks exactly like what it is – an S1000RR without the full fairing. Out goes the fairing of the S1000RR and in comes a more minimalist design towards the front above the fuel tank. You get L-shaped fuel tank extensions with sharp edges, which cover the upper part of the engine pretty well. These fuel tank extensions flow towards the down and merge with the large engine cowl, giving the BMW S1000R an aggressive appeal even without a fairing. Apart from these, the fuel tank, grey-and-copper themed engine, single-sided exhaust, multi-spoke alloy wheels, copper-themed sub-frame and split seats are sourced from its fully-faired counterpart, the S1000RR.

The tailpiece of the BMW S1000R too is shared with the S1000RR, with the pointy tail section accommodating the pillion seat above it and a proper rear fender attached to its bottom. On the rear fender, you can find the turn indicators mounted, which serve the dual-functionality by being the main tail lamps as well.

The BMW S1000R shares its premium switchgear and the full-TFT instrument console with the S1000RR. However, it misses out on sportier clip-on handlebars for a more conventional single-piece long handlebar. The instrument console has multiple display modes and shows out readings of speedometer, tachometer, odometer, trip meter, fuel gauge, temperature gauge and more information related to MID.

The mechanical structure of the BMW S1000R under the skin is similar to that of the S1000RR. The motorcycle is armed with a suspension setup of 45mm upside-down telescopic forks with spring preload and adjustable rebound and compression at the front, while at the rear, the motorcycle gets an aluminium under beam swing-arm with full-floater pro-mono-shock which has an adjustable rebound and compression damping and adjustable spring preload. For braking, the BMW S1000R has got dual 320mm discs at the front and a single 220mm disc at the rear.

The BMW S1000R shares its four-stroke, liquid-cooled, inline-four, 999cc engine with the S1000RR. However, to suit its roadster characteristics and offer a friendlier performance in urban settings, the engine has been tweaked heavily. Here too, the engine is coupled to a 6-speed gearbox, however, it makes lesser power and torque figures – 165 bhp of power and 114 Nm of torque. The BMW S1000R is one of the fastest litre class roadsters and can touch a top speed of over 200 kmph.

The BMW S1000R is equipped with a decently long list of safety features, like dual-channel ABS Pro, dynamic traction control operable via a six-axis IMU, three riding modes (road, rain and dynamic). The motorcycle can also be specced with optional features like dynamic damping control, additional riding modes (dynamic pro, wheelie control, HSC Pro, MSR and DBC), shift assist pro, keyless ignition, tyre pressure control and E-Call.

The BMW S1000R has moved up in the game by offering a bunch of new-age technologies, which make it one of the most desirable motorcycles in the litre-class segment.