BETTERING THE BEAST

BMW S 1000 RR

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Compression: 13.3:1

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What do you give that special person in your life who already has it all? I imagine those were the thoughts of BMW’s engineers as they sat down to plan out this latest iteration of the S 1000 RR. It was already a re-breathing, tech-loving class leader, and despite being four years long in the tooth, it wasn’t exactly on the ropes or questionable when compared to its peers. But complacency is a fool’s game, as the likes of BMW know better than most, so something had to be done to the RR – and done it most certainly was.

Bucking the trend of most manufacturers this season, BMW’s actually gone to town on the new RR for 2023, but you’d be forgiven for thinking otherwise because it looks similar enough to the outgoing version... well, assuming you’re horrendous at ‘spot the difference’ and haven’t picked up on the model’s new winglets that are a direct hand-me-down from the outgoing M 1000 RR. As you’d expect, they’re there to add downforce as well as look pretty, with a claimed boost of up to 17.1kg of load being added to front wheel when you’re tootling along at 186mph. The other major aesthetic difference is to the rear of the bike, with a new subframe and seat unit... a combination to suit those of a loftier disposition, because the rider’s perch now towers at 832mm (it was 824mm before). Add to this mix a change of three colour options and some slightly different graphics and that’s your lot on the surface of the Beemer, but there’s so much more to talk about.

Naturally, power and weight are two parameters close to all our hearts, and while the latter hasn’t changed a jot (it’s still 197kg), the number of ponies the ShiftCam motor packs has gone up a few notches to 207bhp. The reasons for this are quite simple: it now revs higher, and the top end has been switched for one that pretty much mirrors that on the M 1000 RR. There’s also a new airbox to talk about that packs shorter variable velocity stacks to optimise the bike’s output, and on the nal drive side of things the rear sprocket is a tooth bigger to add a bit more zest to the bike’s acceleration.

So far, so good, eh? Well, it doesn’t stop there. Continuing with the theme of borrowed brilliance, the M 1000 RR’s geometry has found its way onto the S 1000 RR. The steering head angle is 0.5 degrees less (66.4) and the fork offset has been reined in by 3mm to better the front end’s feel and accuracy – a by-product of which means that the wheelbase is now longer (from 1441mm to 1456mm). There’s also more ex in the frame, and there’s scope to adjust the swingarm pivot point in case you’re ever bored on a Friday night and fancy something to do.

The magpies out there get shiny blue brake calipers that are, you guessed it, M brakes. And last but not least, there’s a load more tech on the BMW that takes some getting your head around. Luckily, I had time on my side when I sat down with the model’s creator, Sepp Mächler, at Almeria circuit, where he ran me through the major changes.

But before we get into that, it’s worth reiterating that the S 1000 RR has never been a Luddite and retains most of the systems of old, including launch control, hill start control and four programmable rider modes. You get the gist... it already came fully loaded, with the icing on the cake being the sector-leading 6.5-inch TFT dash that has been optimised for the 2023 machine, with a multitude of changes to make it clearer and easier on the eye than ever before. Working with a six-axis IMU, there’s another new toy in town that, quite simply, measures steering angle and relates that info back to the motherboard. It’s nestled down the left side of the cockpit fairing and to look at, you’d think it’s about as signi cant as a pebble on a beach, but this particular gizmo holds the keys to a new plethora of acronyms adding to the RR’s arsenal.

First off is brake slide assist, which, as the name suggests, helps you slide the BMW into corners, governing the amount of slide possible (actuated by the rear brake pedal). It limits the differential between the front and rear wheel’s alignment according to lean angle, so the more upright you are, the more angle (yaw) you can achieve going into a bend, essentially squaring off the entry of a corner. At the other end of the spectrum but using the same steering sensor is the DTC’s slide control function that allows you to gas the bike out of bends and rear wheel steer your exits to a lean determined angle. The other big feature is the MSR tech that controls engine drag torque regulation and is in place to keep the wheels in line when you’re hard braking into bends and don’t want the bike to back