“Utterly, utterly brilliant.”

Dear BMW Motorrad USA dealers,

All of us have been waiting with great impatience for the new S 1000 RR.   The preliminary praise for the bike in the motorcycle press has been very strong, but based entirely on the technical specs and racing performance.  There have been some riding accounts on the web, but solely on the pre-production bikes, or in the case of Alan Cathcart’s articles in Motorcycle Sport & Leisure (UK) and Sport Rider, on one of the backup WSB race bikes.

Finally, last week the S 1000 RR Global Press Launch in Portimao, Portugal took place on production street bikes.  Many of you have seen the three or four pre-production bikes we’ve had for the past few months at S 1000 RR Ambassador events.   All who have seen and ridden the production bikes say the fit, finish and riding performance of the production models far surpass this already high standard.

What follows are just a few key quotations from the press.   If this is the response from the hard-bitten journos whose wide experience on every kind of sportbike is unsurpassed, we can just imagine what the reaction from our customers and the potential converts is going to be!

S 1000 RR Global Press Launch – Portimao, Portugal

MCN UK 1^st Ride:

The over-riding impression so far is that the S1000RR is very, very quick – in fact it’s probably the quickest of any bike I’ve ridden here, and that includes all the Japanese superbikes, KTM’s RC8R, Ducati’s 1198 and more. At the end of the straight I’m just getting into top gear with the speedo registering well over 270kph.  Even though we’re still on road suspension settings, albeit with a couple more clicks of rebound on the rear shock, the S1000RR is very, very planted and stable. In fact, the chassis reminds very much of KTM’s RC8R. The traction control system is brilliant, too.

VisorDown.com:

The RR steers beautifully neutrally with pinpoint precision. The bike runs massive (biggest in class) 46mm forks and the feel and feedback from them is mint.  It feels closest to the last R1, not the big-bang one, but the previous model, it's not revvy like a Blade it's not peaky like a ZX-10R, it's smooth in the way it makes it power, like a big turbine, which makes it easy to ride hard.  I stiffened up the front forks in session two to minimize the weight transfer both on and off the brakes and it made a big difference to the turn-in.

MCN UK 2^nd Ride:

In slick mode the throttle response is so direct you find yourself barrelling into corners considerably faster than you ought to.  Needless to say, the Sachs front suspension and Brembo calipers always save the day. Then it’s a matter of throwing the bike in and turning the tap on.  Later in the session the rear ride height was adjusted to its max (an extra 10mm) which makes the S1000RR so much more agile into the turns.  It literally takes your breath away with how much throttle abuse you can get away with.  And that is the BMW S1000RR: an incredible track tool which bodes well for being one of the best 1000cc superbikes money can buy. 

Superbike.co.uk:

I'm cautious about telling you how good the BMW S1000RR is but to be honest I'd be lying if I told you I hadn't just got off it here in Portimao very impressed.  It certainly all works and in the right 'mode' to suit is flattering and rewarding. Just like the 1198's system you can nail the throttle hard and rely on the back wheel to drift but not slide you out of corners. It's slightly smoother than the Ducati system though, particularly early in the corner when you first get on the throttle.  While race results might not have come too easily the road bike should pitch right in the thick of the litre bike class. That ain't bad for a first attempt.

Marc Potter, Editor of MCN:

The S1000RR is utterly brilliant, the Superbike world has changed!  If the S1000RR was going to cut it in the hellishly competitive 1000cc superbike class it was going to have to be brilliant. Word from the launch at the Portimao circuit is that the bike is just that. Utterly, utterly brilliant.