2011 BMW S 1000 RR Motorcycles

words - Mark Fattore

The latest homologated version of the German sports bike is now on sale, and there’s also a tasty HP power kit available to really increase the thrill of the hunt

Since January 2009, three BMW S 1000 RRs have been homologated for world Superbike competition, each one an incremental improvement over the other.

The latest homologation came in June, 2010 with BMW adopting a new crankshaft on its one-litre sports bike, as well as codifying further refinements to its ABS, DTC (Dynamic Traction Control) and Electronic Gear Assist packages. I thought they were already cutting-edge electronics, but there you go.

And true to form, Australia’s Troy Corser, a founding member of BMW’s factory world Superbike team, produced one of only two podium finishes of season 2010 in the round following the fresh homologation.

Corser will be joined by three brand-mates on the latest version of the S 1000 RR for the 2011 world Superbike title: his team-mate Leon Haslam and satellite riders James Toseland and Ayrton Badovini.

In standard trim, the 2011 model S 1000 RR is now on sale in Australia, and the Bikesales Network recently sampled it at Phillip Island -- along with a special souped-up version where BMW reckons “extremity meets exhilaration”.

I speak of the 2011 S 1000 RR with a High Performance (HP) Race Kit, which not only sheds 6.8kg from the standard machine, but it claims up to an 8Nm increase in torque (mostly in the mid-range), and more top end power (an extra 4hp).

Total cost for all the HP bits, with the full titanium Akrapovic exhaust the star of the show, is $6120.30.
PRICE AND EQUIPMENT
Just to recap, at the heart of the S 1000 RR lies a 999cc, liquid-cooled, 16-valve, four-stroke, in-line four-cylinder engine, fed by electronic fuel injection and controlled by an ‘E-gas’ (or ‘ride by wire’) electronic throttle system. The engine’s cylinders are canted forward 32 degrees to help lower the bike's centre of gravity, and the entire engine weighs a claimed 59.8kg – BMW says this makes it the lightest inline four in the class.

With a claimed 193hp (142kW) at 13,000rpm and 112Nm at 9750rpm, and a claimed 183kg dry weight, we’re talking about slightly over the hallowed one-to-one horsepower to kilo parity.

All this performance is backed up by what is arguably the most sophisticated electronics ever seen in a production motorcycle, blending four levels of operation – 'rain', 'sport', 'race' and 'slick' – with increasingly less intervention from the bike's Race-ABS and DTC systems, while throttle response is correspondingly sharpened.

In rain mode the maximum power output is restricted to 150hp (110kW), while the other three modes offer the full 193hp output. A banking angle sensor is in constant communications with the bike’s electronic brain, telling the Race-ABS and DTC how it should intervene, or not, depending upon the selected mode of operation. There's a ‘wheelie protection’ feature too, which prevents wheelstands in all but slick mode.

The DTC matrix is quite complex, and has different maximum lean angles for acceleration: 38 degrees for Rain, 45 for Sport, 48 for Slick, and 53 for Slick. Should you prefer to dispense with any assistance, the Race-ABS and/or DTC can be switched off, and you can switch ride modes on the fly.

All that power is relayed to the rear wheel via a six-speed gearbox fitted with a quick-shift feature (provided as standard in Australia and NZ), which momentarily cuts ignition for smooth, clutch-less up-shifts. It's a slipper clutch, too, which takes care of any rear wheel hop under fierce deceleration.

The Race-ABS system is incredibly refined and, miraculously, weighs just 2.5kg (Honda's system weighs over 10kg). As far as I'm concerned, the benefits of ABS on a road-going motorcycle are clear. Throw in the added safety of DTC, and I reckon you’d be mad to buy the standard model – spend the extra $2500 for the S 1000 RR Sport and take advantage of the best rider assist systems going.

The bore and stroke ratio (0.621) for the S 1000 RR is easily the lowest in the one-litre 1000cc sportsbike class, which BMW says “provides the foundation for an absolutely outstanding high-output power unit with supreme performance at all times”.

The engine has a 180-degree crank for a consistent firing distance at all times.

BMW claims a wet weight of 206.5kg in road trim, which includes ABS and DTC. It has an aluminium bridge frame made up of four separate castings, and fully adjustable Sachs suspension, where compression (low and high speed) and rebound changes can be made with the ignition key, clearly specified by numbers from one to 10 -- no more counting ‘clicks’. For the record, BMW issues three keys with the S 1000 RR -- two normal and one wallet.

The compression and rebound areas are also colour coded for even more functionality, with BMW providing some basic settings for the different riding modes.

The front brakes are Brembo radial mounted, and the aluminium wheels are a 10-spoke pressure-cast design fitted with Metzeler Racetec K3 rubber.
ON THE RACE TRACK
Nine months has passed since I first rode the S 1000 RR at the Australian press launch in March this year, also at Phillip Island.

And my opinion of the S 1000 RR hasn’t changed since then: it’s still pure hedonism on two wheels. As a means to an end (going as fast as you can around a race track), it’s got the tools to please all types of riders – from the beginner to that rare breed who skirt the boundaries of using all the available power on a one-litre sportsbike.

At the bottom end of the scale, there’s Rain mode, where DTC cuts in at a very early point, and the matrix moves all the way through to Slick mode where the S 1000 R considers the much greater level of grip of provided by slicks (or very sticky treaded tyres like the Metzeler Racetec K3 on the bike at Phillip Island) and “enables the rider to choose all-out racing performance.”

That means riders can still slide, spin the bike up, or engage in ‘creative’ brake drift to help the bike steer, much like you might do in the bush on an enduro bike – but at a much lower speed differential...

The S 1000 RR is just so damn versatile – and that also holds for the road where the seat is bordering on comfortable, the cable clutch actuation is light and smooth, the windshield works well, and the powertrain is impeccable.

At full blast, the top end on the S 1000 RR is pure adrenalin. It really kicks off at about 10,500rpm and continues to surge past the 14,000rpm redline, so the next click through the close-ratio gearbox ensures the bike never comes off the boil. Allied with this is a howling, spine-tingling aural sensation.

HIGH PERFORMANCE RACE POWER KIT
Plenty of gold stars in standard trim, but for my second session on at Phillip Island I was on the aforementioned HP Race Power Kit version, which adds plenty more pepper to the equation.

The kit, which is not homologated for use on public roads, includes the Akrapovic titanium exhaust system ($3400) and a special ECU ($1650). The other major cost is for the enabling codes ($781), which can only be downloaded at a BMW Motorrad dealer.

The weight of the entire exhaust system (including mountings and brackets) weights approximately 4.3kg, compared to around 12kg on the standard bike.

With the race kit, in all four riding modes full engine power is always available, and the ABS settings are identical in Sport, Race and Slick modes. Meanwhile, the Rain mode corresponds to the Race mode in the standard configuration, but in this case the ABS is active for the rear wheel.

And as for the DTC settings, the “focus is primarily on achieving fast laps times rather than safety”.

That probably says it all, and it was explicitly confirmed on my first lap out on the hottie. I wasn’t so much taken by the top end, but the extra torque in the mid-range, which has closed a fairly large dip in the standard bike and then added some again. The torque curve is certainly a lot flatter.

It’s not just a boon for those top end terrors, but also riders who may not have the highest corner speed. Revs inevitably drop, but the extra bite in the mid-range definitely helps out. And to be honest, it would be a shame if all the extra venom just sat at the top end.

Either way, when it started sprinkling rain in the second session I buttoned right off, as I didn’t want to see a busted S 1000 RR Sport being trucked back to the pits.

However it wasn’t a major issue, as I already had a good feel of what the HP version offers – and that’s plenty. The performance gain is beyond question, and it’s just a matter of whether a track day punter wants to spend 6K to make it happen.

After all, we’re talking about a base package that already pumps out a heady 193hp, so the “need more” argument probably won’t hold a lot of currency when you’re trying to slip 6K past your partner…

A retail price on the 2011 S 1000 RR Sport is yet to be set, but expect an announcement very early in the New Year.

GEAR WORN ON TEST

• Leathers -- Dainese Laguna Seca two-piece
• Helmet - AGV K4

 
SPECS: 2011 BMW S 1000 RR SPORT
ENGINE
Type: 999cc, liquid-cooled, 16-valve, DOHC, four-stroke, in-line four-cylinder
Bore x stroke: 112mm x 90.5mm
Compression ratio: 13:1
Fuel system: Electronic fuel injection

TRANSMISSION
Type: Six-speed
Final drive: Chain

CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR
Frame type: Aluminium bridge
Front suspension: Inverted 46mm fork, fully adjustable
Rear suspension: Monoshock, fully adjustable
Front brakes: Twin 320mm discs with radial-mount, four-piston Brembo calipers (with Race ABS/DTC)
Rear brakes: Single 220mm disc with single-piston Brembo caliper (with Race ABS/DTC)

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES
Dry weight: 183kg
Seat height: 820mm
Wheelbase: 1432mm
Fuel capacity: 17.5 litres

PERFORMANCE
Max. power: 193hp (142kW) at 13,000rpm
Max. torque: 112Nm at 9750rpm

OTHER STUFF
Price: TBA
Colours: Motorsport,
Bike supplied by: BMW Motorrad Australia, www.motorcycleds.bmw.com.au, (03) 9264 4000
Warranty: 24 months, unlimited kilometres

Posted in: BMW Bikes