AM I THE FIRST MEMBER TO RIDE THE S1000RR?

[K1200S]

Well, just ent through the "Did you pick up your S1000RR?" thread and no-one seems to have ridden the bike (sorry if I'm wrong).

I had a 30 minute test ride on the demo bike which was in motorsport colours, fully specced but without the3D dash. I would have had longer but I had to get home and it was starting to rain.

OK, What's it like? Well having spent the last three years on a K1200S it was a nightmare getting on this bike. The one in the showroom which is propped up on a plinthh was easy to sit on. However, I'm 6ft tall, and an athletic 182lbs. The standard footrests were a bit close for me as I had a serious wobble on the forecourt when I couldn't get my left foot up!

The brakes are race brakes, far too sharp for road riding. The clutch is very light and the quickshift is much smoother than the HP2 Sport which I tested for over two hours. The upshift is almost imperceptible. The standard clocks are brilliant, in terms of quality, layout, etc but the digital speedo is rubbish. That's just an opinion, a needle is far better because you can catch it in the periphery.

I hate the Jap Crap indicator switch with a vengeance. I can't forgive BMW for changing the 3 button layout. The bike is sprung perfectly for UK roads, and if it can cope with them, everyone else should be ok. My lower back was a bit sore from the riding position, maybe I'm too old, but considering I'm very fit and strong, I wonder how many others will find it intolerable for longer rides? If you're under 6ft you'll be alright. If you're over 6ft then get the adjustable rear sets. What is good though is there isn't much going through the wrists, but that was probably because my knees were holding me on.

The engine, yes, the engine, what everyone wants to know about! Well, the dealer told me that they were instructed to keep the bike to rain mode which gives 77% of the power or 153bhp at the crank. I rode this for five minutes and in truth in rain mode it was no quicker than my K1200S. Now, please bear in mind I had a few 10000 rpm plus excursions in 2nd, 3rd and 4th. However, I didn't use more than 1/4" to 1/2" of throttle which is what I use on my bike on the same road. OK now, sport mode or full fat computer controlled mode!

I'm afraid if I owned this bike I'd lose my licence. I have never ever been on anything so fast. Even using my 1/4 and 1/2" throttle strategy it was amazing. It wass like I had 3 K1200S engines underneath me. If you can find a quicker bike than this I'm the Pope! It acceleartes in any gear like there is no tomorrow. The torque figure maybe down on the K12/13 but it's so light that it takes off like it had been shot from a gun!

There were only roundabouts and there is a nice motorway, main road intersection roundabout with a an S bend on it. On my K I have to push on the pegs and countersteer to get it round because it's so tight. Howvere, on the RR it was look and the bike went there.

This bike is easy to ride fast. My only criticism are down to the cheap standard tim designed to make you dip into the parts catalogue. The levers are anodized metal and if the even had a lick of black paint they'd look infinitely better. The plastic around the fuel tank is awful and in fact makes the bike look like a cheap eastern european offering. Personally, I tghink BMW should offer a cosmetiocs pack with carbon etc and nice levers. The levers on the showroom display model are beautiful but cost £120 each. They're worth it though! Will I buy one?

Well I have a wad of cash coming in in March, but it s going on the K1300S. IF I had the money, I would buy one for trackdays, but then I'd get a touring RT too, and an MV Agusta to look at. It's not going to happen, so it's a K1300S for me.

I hope that everyone who bought one enjoys it, but I'll stick to my all weather K bike. (SHIVA, please sort out the posting area, everytime I try to type after a certain amount of text has been enetred it keeps hiding what I've typed, so if you can't read this post, I'm sorry.)

[Bernardo]

Nope.... Teach McNeil, BOOS1000RR, JonnyBBM, Welshman... and You!!! Congratulations

NIce report, Thanks

[GeeBee]

Bernardo was quicker but let me just congratulate you with the test drive. Sounds like you had quite some fun despite the restrictions!
From your comments it confirms once more how much the bike is also aiming at the aftermarket. Unless if you would opt for the Carbon Special edition referred to in an other thread and available in a few markets only. Let's make that, for a while....

[K1200S]

Thanks for letting me know!

Difficult to go through them all!

I don't want people to think I don't like it. I think it's great, but not practical if you ride all year round and in all weathers. I don't like BMW's Japanification of the bikes. I didn't manage to express what I meant about a cosmetics package. They could offer 3 packs, sport= levers, tank and front and rear hugger, race = all the above plus belly pan, rear sets and exhaust and Championship = everything in the catalogue! LOL!

If I win the lottery or manage to convince my other half that I need two new bikes not just one, I'd buy one. However, I'd saw the apple green one and it grew on me. I haven't seen a black/graphite one, but perhaps that's the best option. When the weather gets warmer I'm going to have a longer go on one and write a longer review.

Happy riding to all who have now taken delivery.

[mfettara]

I just test drove the S1000RR this morning.

The weather is cold (0°C) but dry so not the best conditions, roads are a bit slippery. I never owned a super sports bike therefore I don't know how to use one.

I went through rain mode at the start of test (the town bit) , sport and race modes in the country side on rolling roads. I can only comment as a comparison basis vs my K1300R and due to the conditions, I couldn't ride the twisty mountain road for the cornering.

The first thing that comes to mind is the ergonomy: when I got on the bike at first (just off the K13R) the position felt a bit cramped (I'm 1.85m) but after 5 minutes it feels so natural you get to wonder if it wasn't custom built. The seat feels a tad higher than the K13R (probably a couple of cm). The handling is just superb, very precise and extremely agile (I felt just like on a bicycle so to speak).

Engine : rain mode offers plenty of confidence for cold (slippery) city riding and to be quite honest, there is more than enough power for that kind of driving. Sport and Race modes with full power : impressive power delivery - brain has a slight tendency to hug the back of the skull. The exhaust works well to give a great sound.

The mirrors are well designed and correctly placed: there is no need for elbow gymnastics to use them.

The breaking power is astounding (again compared to the K13R that already has outstanding braking capabilities) yet very easy to manage.

This bike is a natural: it really gave me a ton of confidence (which I didn't expect from a category of bike that I am not familiar with) with excellent road feedback, great steering precision. Really easy to place it exactly where you want it in a curve.

The clutch cable was catching a bit, it may be that it needed a bit of oil or maybe the cold. Other than that, just perfect.

The KR felt a bit sloppy after the S1000RR ride (it still has tons of torque though)!

I guess the next step will be to learn to use it on a track ...

[Omer]

Very nice report, thanks for sharing.

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The standard footrests were a bit close for me as I had a serious wobble on the forecourt when I couldn't get my left foot up!
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When reading this a question arose in my mind. With my K1200S I have the similar problem, the bike wobbles a little when I'm trying to lift my left foot up after changing the gear and while putting the ball of my foot to the pegs. Does this mean I should lower the pegs a little (if at all possible), or does it mean I am doing something wrong? I am 183cm (6") and 95kg (209lbs). Any input is appreciated.

Omer.

[Bernardo]

....I just test drove the S1000RR this morning...
...The KR felt a bit sloppy after the S1000RR ride (it still has tons of torque though)...!

Hi Marc

The question is: After that, would you change your K13R to S100RR ?

My thought: No, La Gorda is an "All in One" , but I consider that S100RR is a fantastic Track bike, better than any japanise in the actual market

[mfettara]

The question is: After that, would you change your K13R to S100RR ?

My thought: No, La Gorda is an "All in One" , but I consider that S100RR is a fantastic Track bike, better than any japanise in the actual market

Hi Bernardo

Exactly so. I'd argue that in my 20's 30's I'd replace the K13R by the S1000RR because at that time I wouldn't have cared less about comfort and heated grips and pillion GFs. Now I'd have the S1RR as second bike for track and the occasional fun blast. My GF now rides and loves it so much we've registered for our 1st track days this summer so if we like it we might get 1 for the both of us (in addition to our K13R and F8R).

[FreedomRider]

C'mon Lotto!!!!

[Bernardo]

C'mon Lotto!!!!

[jewilson]

I'm 6' and weight 225 and I feel that I'm almost to big for the bike. The S1000RR is about the same size as a RSV4 or a Triumph 675 so a I look a little large for the bike, like of like wearing a shit that does not fit but is very cool. In local dealer ship has a RSVP and it looks like a large bike compared to the three mentioned bikes, so this is something that standout too me. On the other hand I am considering really hard on whether to buy one or not but I would not buy one as a track bike. The reason I say that is because you can have plenty of fun on a used 600 jap sport bike bike on the track and the parts for when you crash it can be purchased off Ebay. This is not saying that I might not take it to the track, however the track is a place to push a bike to the maximum of your capabilities and my capabilities will not match the performance of the bike.

I know a number of guys that have multi bike plus one or more track bikes and most of that have shed there expensive Super Bike and switched too used Super Sport bikes. The reason is cost of repairs, upgrades and performance levels that they can control. Having said that, I feel you really should be able to do most of the work on your bike if you regular attend track days. So having said that if you look a the difference in lap time between the Super Bike and the Super sport you will realize it is only 2-4 seconds. Also, the difference in repairing a crash jap bike from part off Ebay is huge compared to what the S1000RR will cost. Well all that said the appeal for a very cool S1000RR is very high, with its HP and it cool features plus it has the ability to over power to over power our capabilities and those of the track-road. Of course we can always rationalize this buy telling ourselves we can change the mapping and it more like a 600, to that I dam that my reasoning.

[robertbentley]

I test rode the S1000 this morning, while my 2004 K1200S was having it's annual service at the dealer.
I'm 6'3 and 230lbs so a big lad like me fits nicely on the K.
I've previously had 3 Honda CBR600's - and I tried a couple of fireblades when I was thinking of a change. I found the blade too small - very cramped, so I stuck with the last honda until I tried a K1200S and fell in love with the combination of massive power in a comfy bike. OK the K is a big bike, so it's not as flickable as the blade or the CBR600's, but you don't have to change gear much on the K, and the extra performance was what I was after.

I had a test ride on a K1300S last September, and although it was improved in all areas over the K1200S, it wasn't a ground-breaking change. I haven't got the cash to change bike anyway at the moment, but if I did, the K1300S would be top of the shortlist. Or it was yesterday...

I digress.

So today the opportunity arose to take the S1000RR out for an hour, so of course I jumped at the chance. It's a bright sunny day in southern england today, but at 9AM it was 1 degrees C, and I had the usual combination of 2 T shirts and a jumper under my jacket. I'm usually a fair weather rider, so a 45 minute ride in the cold to the nearest BMW dealer was a bit of an adventure. Usually it's 10 mins to work, since the kids came along. I expected the S1000 to be like the blade : uncomfortable, and especially so today, as I had multiple layers of tight T-shirts on, and thick gloves that don't instill confidence. How wrong was I.

The S1000 is a joy to ride. It's more comfy than the Suzuki GSXR 750 (which I rode recently) - but obvioulsy not as comfy as the CBR600F. The bike is stable and boy is it fast. I went straight to SPORT mode and below 7K it is slightly down on power from the K, but above 7K it is a monster.

The gearshift is excellent, and the quickshifter makes it even easier. The brakes are very very sharp : almost too sharp for the road really. The finish is a little cheap in places - the plastic tank cover is thin and begs to be replaced by the carbon HP option. The shift light is neat too, but you can tell by the noise it makes where it is in the rev range.

Some cons now though, to balance out the praise that I (and everyone else) is dishing out.

First, being a short bike, it wants to wheelie. I have never intentionally pulled a wheelie in my life, and I know that the K won't wheelie unless I really wring it's neck, and then it is only an inch off the ground. The S1000 feels much shorter, and so a couple of times it tapped back down, and at that point I knew it had been up an inch or so. This is a bit unnerving - but I guess it's my fault for wringing it's neck!
Second, there are no heated grips. Having had them on the K, I have found that it does tempt you to use the bike on dry cold winters days, especially if I'm just hopping 15 mins to work. This is not an option on the S1000 - and it will be sorely missed.
Third, it's £13000 for the bike, and so I'll reallistically be in the market for one in a couple of years, hopefully I can spot one for sale outside the dealer network (as I did last time).
Fourth - no panniers. I was lucky enough to buy a K that came with the expensive but fantastic panniers, and when I toured spain they were brilliant. They are occasionally handy in the UK for weekends away, and the only way you could do it on the S1000 is to buy some aftermarket panniers, which would be crap by comparison.

So personally I'd find myself using the S1000 less than I use my K1200S, which (if I was ready to change bikes) I would find a worry.

So would I buy one ? Heck yes, before I get too old! I can always get another K when I'm done with the S1000.
But I'll miss the warm hands and I'll have to get a whopper rucksack for weekends away.

[Bernardo]

Thanks Bob...

[robertbentley]

I've added some more to my writeup above - I hope it helps someone.
bob

[dazoo]

Test rode the beastie Sat morning, it was -1.5deg.

First impressions are that it fits. You are well over the front of the bike without being so far it feels wrong. The pegs are high but not extreme, there does not seem to be much weight on the wrists considering what it is. Seat is firm but wide and there are no bits of bike sticking into your inside leg. All in all, sporty but instantly familiar and comfortable.

Performance is very civilised when you ask it to be, left in Sport mode (Rain below, Race and Slick above) and the throttle response was quite gentle. Nothing scary, just silky power that keeps coming and keeps building.

Just to reiterate how 'familiar' this bike feels, I was comfortable 100 yards down the road. I have been on bikes that have felt downright awkward for miles, but the BMW just seemed to fit.

Due to the cold, there was no heat in the tyres, I was crossing some very rough overbanding between lanes and the bike didn't notice. Most of my other bikes would have given a wiggle given how deep the tracks were. So the suspension seemed very confidence inspiring.

Winding it on a bit, the bike surges forward in third until I realise I'm doing 112. Effortlessly in third with half the rev counter still to go. This thing is barking, no sense of speed at 110+, just felt like cruising.

Then I play with the quickshift and by christ if that isn't the most wonderful thing ever. The gearshift lever has virtually no swing whatsoever - closest thing I can think of is the flasher for the headlight - just the lightest of touches and, well, nothing? No jolt, no real feeling of a gearchange, just a change in exhaust note and another wave of power. I really was blown away by just how slick this thing was. I've never used any other quickshifter, if they are all as good as this then why are we not all using them??

Couple of roundabouts emphasised how strong the brakes are - they are incredibly powerful, frankly I would want ABS on brakes this strong. Having said that, I never got to test them with anything other than gentle braking, but the power was there, instantly.

Change to Race mode and the throttle response is sharpened noticeably. Still perfectly usable on the road because the fuelling on this bike is impeccable. I mean as in you never ever think about it because you know that the engine will do exactly what you tell it with your wrist. Certainly better than my GSXR750, and I always thought it was good.

Have a play winding the power on and it just keeps coming, but so smooth that you just never get that frantic feeling. Change to fifth and it is an overdrive gear at 90mph, with a gear to go.

Given that I now had terminal frostbite, I could hardly use the brakes or clutch. At a roundabout I give up trying to find an appropriate gear and leave it where it is. Slow almost to a halt and then pull away effortlessly. Check afterwards and it was in third.

All in all this is the most unthreatening superbike I've been on. The bike does not feel stupidly extreme, but is when you tell it to be. The sales guy I am dealing with is over 50 and is not and never has been a sportsbike rider - and he found it perfectly fine to ride. But when you wind this thing up, you need to be aware of just how much power is there and just how quickly it takes you speeds which are very difficult to handle.

Faults? None. I was delighted with the test ride and am now even more anxious to get my hands on one. This felt like the most rounded and complete package I have ever ridden - usually only Honda get the accolade of having a bike where everything seems to work well and in harmony, but from what I experienced BMW have cracked this superbike thing first time round.

Disclaimer - all of the above is written by someone who has already ordered one of these bikes - however I did have the option to cancel if the test ride was horrible. Also, it was freezing cold and so I didn't get to test handling, I went round roundabouts like a granny. Nor did I have the thing flat out - these were public roads and I was not dialled in enough for my brain or responses to work at anything over 120. Also, the test ride was about 30 miles, so all of this is just initial impressions.

So all I would say is if you get the chance to test ride this bike (and BMW dealers are very keen for you to try them out) you really should.

[Bernardo]

Nice report dazzo

Is almost coincident with the other guys... definitely amazing