S1000rr
S1000RR
BMW joins the Superbike Superpowers
DON CANET
PINNING THE THROTTLE WIDE-OPEN ON A LITER-CLASS SUPERsport machine while at or near full lean in a corner normally would spell certain disaster. Common sense rules out grabbing even half a handful of gas while at the apex of a tight bend. Yet despite survival instincts honed through nearly 30 years of riding and racing experience, I found myself at full throttle with my knee skimming the tarmac and wanting even more from the fuel-injected, dohc, 999cc four-cylinder engine that powers BMW’s new-for-2010 S1000RR.
Okay, that’s an extreme example of the Bavarian bike maker’s race-developed Dynamic Traction Control in action. But it was nevertheless my experience aboard a production S1000RR during the first of several 20-minute sessions at the world press introduction staged this past November at the Autódromo Internacional do Algarve in Portimäo, Portugal.
Per BMW’s direction, I spent my initial on-track stint in “Rain” mode, the tamest of the RR’s four selectable power-delivery modes that can be toggled on the fly via a handlebar-mounted switch. With a full day of warm, sunny track time ahead, I felt no urgent need to explore the more potent Sport, Race or Slick settings. There was plenty of time and, besides, I haven’t spent that much time at full twist on a road course since I raced a Kawasaki Ninja 250 back in the day!
The core function of DTC is that of comparing front and rear wheel speed gathered via conventional ABS sensor rings—the bike has anti-lock brakes, as well—then cutting spark and fuel accordingly. A particularly interesting aspect of the DTC strategy, however, is the use of an underseat module containing a pair of gyros that monitor cornering lean angle. When bank angle exceeds its mode-specific maximum, DTC restricts the ride-bywire controlled butterflies from opening farther, thus delaying acceleration until the bike is righted to a lean angle that’s shallower than the programmed limit. The lean threshold for Rain mode is 38 degrees, which made it quite easy to dip into a static powerdelivery state in dry, grippy conditions. This also naturally led to my dialing in much more throttle—um, full—than the norm, although doing so resulted in rather sporadic power delivery driving off the corner until the bike was nearly upright.
CW RIDING IMPRESSION
When I questioned a BMW technician about this somewhat unruly behavior, I was told that what I experienced was due to Rain mode’s aggressive DTC calibration dealing with a greedy throttle hand and abundant traction. I’m anxious to try this mode in actual wet conditions where it is claimed to provide more fluid traction-control intervention.
Switching to Sport mode unleashed in full the engine’s claimed 193 horsepower (Rain mode cuts back peak output by some 40 hp), providing a more telling impression of the bike’s performance capability. Moreover, the reduced level of DTC sensitivity and 45 degrees of unadulterated lean to play with allows more immediate and smoother acceleration off corners. Throttle response is also sharper yet remains more forgiving than the 1:1 response ratio of Race and Slick modes.
First off, I put in several relaxed laps of the circuit, shifting at midrange revs and partial throttle to simulate a street pace. The bike was equipped with the BMW HP Shift Assistant option ($450) allowing clutchless upshifts that felt seamless regardless of the degree of acceleration load on the drivetrain. On/off throttle jockeying in each of the six gearbox ratios revealed only normal drivetrain lash. Performing several roll-ons from basement revs on the track’s main straight showed generous low-end grunt and linear spread of power. Even at high revs, engine vibration never felt intrusive, and the big Four proved particularly smooth at freeway speed in top gear. I noted very little turbulence in the airflow over the windscreen while riding with an upright posture. The screen has slots along the sides where it meets the fairing, that are said to reduce the low-pressure zone between the screen and rider to smooth airflow; it appears they really work. An optional 1.6-inch-taller screen in clear or smoke tint is available.
The S1000RR is remarkably compact, with ergonomics more akin to a 600 supersport than those of its liter-class, inline-Four competition. It feels particularly narrow between the rider’s knees, allowing a weight-forward riding position that doesn’t splay the legs uncomfortably. The seat provides ample rear movement to facilitate a full tuck, but the saddle’s shape and mild forward incline held me secure during hard acceleration, allowing a relaxed grip on the bars. In other words, a good place to get down to the business of speed.
My bike’s Metzeier RaceTec K3 radiais had barely broken a sweat until I put in a series of hard laps in Race mode. Executing controlled slip-’n’-grip drives out of nearly every corner of the 15-turn circuit was remarkably easy with DTC watching my back and 48 degrees of unabated leaned-over acceleration potential. If you’ve ever wondered what it feels like to maintain the fine line of on-the-edge traction all the way off a corner but haven’t quite mastered the skills to pull it off, then the S1000RR is your ticket to ride.
The chassis delivers a solid level of both straight-line and cornering stability that quickly gained my trust. Turn-in is very precise, with excellent feel from the front tire. The Beemer’s willingness through side-to-side transitions leads
me to believe it may well be the most agile inline-Four in the class, although an upcoming comparison test will yield the definitive answer. Claimed dry weight is 404 pounds, with a ready-to-ride claim of 445, including the ABS system.
Braking performance was excellent and consistent. As for the ABS, I have to admit that I never once felt the front system trip, even on my quickest hot laps. When I intentionally hammered the front brakes during warm-up laps to invoke ABS, the pulse felt in the lever was subtle and the system cycled quickly enough as to not upset the chassis. Inducing rear ABS, on the other hand, was a given the few times I depressed the brake pedal while charging up to a corner. Since the system is linked front to rear with a modest amount of rear brake applied when pulling on the front lever, I found no real need to add my foot to the braking equation. Further stability while braking comes from the slipper clutch, which virtually eliminates any possibility of rearwheel hop entering corners.
As with DTC, the level of ABS sensitivity also decreases as you toggle upward through the four riding modes. Further, in Slick mode, rear ABS is disabled when the rider depresses the pedal, allowing racer-types the ability to skate the rear into corners if so desired.
DTC also provides a basic form of wheelie control. The feature proved beneficial in a few places of the undulating Portimào circuit, such as topping the mild rise leading onto the front straight, but it wasn’t without drawbacks. Powering over a crest that leads into a dip routinely promoted waisthigh wheelstands that were often followed with a jarring nosedive as DTC cut in. The pucker factor was worse yet driving out of an uphill second-gear right where the front would begin to float nicely while still partially leaned over, only to drop abruptly. At times, the bars would be a bit cocked as this happened, causing a moment of headshake.
Selecting Slick mode not only increases the acceleration lean limit to 53 degrees but also deactivates DTC intervention at lean angles of 23 degrees or less to allow up to five seconds of wheelie antics before cutting in on the action. If that doesn’t satisfy your desire for unshackled performance, BMW has seen fit to allow the DTC system to be toggled off entirely. I switched it all off briefly and was surprised to find I felt exposed and outside the comfort zone to which I had so quickly become accustomed.
I wasn’t alone, either, as perhaps the greatest testament to the rider aids the S1000RR has introduced is that not one bike was crashed throughout the press event that witnessed 160 journalists sampling the machine.
It’s apparent that the throttle control and sense for available traction that I’ve carefully honed during the past three decades has been rendered nearly obsolete. It will be interesting once we get a testbike in our hands to compare lap times in the various DTC modes versus the fully off position. A BMW tech did say that tester Jürgen Fuchs was able to lap slightly faster with the DTC and ABS switched off, so it appears there still may be some room for human talent—provided you are a rider of Fuchs’ level! But sportbikers with a button-mashing video-game background, at least, should feel fast, heroic and right at home on the $13,800 S1000RR, at least when it is equipped with the $1450 DTC/ Race ABS option.
One thing is certain: This is not your college professor’s Boxer. The S1000RR is the real deal. BMW has produced a full-on racer-replica that has the best sportbikes in the world firmly in its blue-and-white crosshairs. □
