BMW Motorrad S 1000 RR Review

Having shed a few pounds has made the S 1000 RR a lot of good, since now it feels almost as light as a supersport bike but without sacrificing any control. Fast Bikes were left feeling quite impressed by the raw power on offer here, although they said it needs to be approached with care due to the high rearsets. It's a shame that it's not all carbon, though.

Although Fast Bikes were annoyed at the S1000RR's intrusive electronics and high price tag, they had to admit that you do get a lot of bike for your money and that few rivals can stand up to it when it comes to handling and wreaking-havoc-potential. It does so with refinement too, thanks to its superb motor which allows the fun to start at much lower rpms than most competitors.

The successor to the original S 1000 brings along a cartload of small changes that make it a superb update and one of the best sports bikes you can get your hands on according to Fast Bikes. True, it's not very comfortable, but its superb suspension, new TC and redesigned geometry more than make up for it. Unfortunately, the extras are expensive.

Info: This product was retested here May 2012 by Fast Bikes and received the same final score.

"Sportbike of the Year - fourth place"

It is a pity for BMW that they have produced such a superb bike as the S 1000 RR, and it is still beaten in Fast Bikes' awards, particularly as they thought it was 'utterly brilliant'. The price is a bit high and the electronics are a little jaded, but it is nicely aggressive with a great top-end and a superb chassis.

"Plus: Pace, motor, track skills, pure thrills.
Minus: ZX-10 makes the electronics seem old."

Info: This product was retested here August 2011 by Fast Bikes and received the same final score.

"Plus: Everything. How can you fault it?
Minus: Well, you can look at the bills."

"Top dog in 2010 and the way the Japanese manufacturers are running scared with few 2011 models, it looks likely to stay that way for some years to come. A marvelous machine. ... Forgetting the incredible electronic spec of the top-of-the-range model, BMW got the fundamentals right first time, creating a bike whose dynamics are uniquely brilliant. ..."