BMW Expands M Line to Motorcycles with the Powerfully Fast M 1000 RR
For the first time in its storied history, BMW has placed its fabled M badge onto one of its motorcycles, and what a motorcycle it is – the M 1000 RR.
You may have already been impressed with the S 1000 RR, the superbike-like screamer that has been in the BMW Motorrad stable for years, but the M 1000 RR takes the S and cranks it up to M.
Imagine 212 hp on a bike that weighs just 423 pounds - the rest is almost immaterial. That’s a power-to-weight ratio of less than 2:1. The best supercars are in the 5:1 range in power-to-weight and only a very few achieve that. So this thing is crazy fast, ridiculously reactive and has enough electronics that a fair number of riders will be able to ride it fast.
Of course, sticklers for detail will point out that the existing S 1000 RR on which the M 1000 RR is based does almost as much as the new M for half the price. We’ll get into the details of that in a second but in U.S. specs the M 1000 RR makes the same power and torque as the S 1000 RR: 205 hp at 13,000 rpm (!!!) and 83 lb ft of torque at 11,000 rpm. SAE curb weight is only four pounds lighter in the M, and the S has almost as many ride modes and electronic riding controls as the M. Yet, while the S 1000 RR costs $16,995, the M 1000 RR stickers for $32,990.
You have to be a really good – no, make that a fantastic - rider to appreciate the difference.
The reason the U.S.-spec bike makes only 205 hp (ha! ONLY 205) is “to meet U.S. sound regulations/restrictions,” according to BMW. Regardless, the differences are slight. In fact, you’ve been able to buy M optional equipment and M performance parts for BMW motorcycles since 2018. When you start adding up the price of those parts, you start to understand why the M 1000 RR sticker is so high – it’s loaded with M parts and then tuned to make a higher output.
What makes the M special is what’s in the four-cylinder inline engine. While it gets the same ShiftCam technology as the S, with variable valve timing and valve lift, that feature has been modified in the M. Peak power comes on at 14,500 rpm instead of the S model’s 13,000, though it’s not clear yet if the increased peak applies to U.S.-spec M engines.
But the M engine does get: lighter two-ring Mahle pistons, adapted combustion chambers, an increased compression ratio of 13.5:1, longer and lighter hollow Pankl titanium connecting rods on the exhaust side, narrower and lighter rocker arms, new intake ports machined with new duct geometry, and improved camshafts and “intake area.” The titanium exhaust likewise saves weight. The M’s engine gets more power in the range between 6,000 rpm and its 15,100-rpm redline for an easier feel in both canyon carving and around town.
BMW seems very proud of the carbon fiber winglets on the M, which produce 35.9 pounds of downforce at 189 mph.
“World Superbike is a production-based championship,” said BMW Motorrad motorsport director Marc Bongers. “That means that many of the components of the production bike must be taken one-to-one to the World Superbike and cannot be modified. A very good example for that is the beautiful winglets. I can only use winglets on the World Superbike if they are mounted on the production bike in the exact shape and exact form.”
The brakes are another unique feature, representing the first time brakes from World Superbike have been put on a road bike. With optimized fluid balance for better pressure point stability the brakes provide maximum fading stability and controllability. They’ll pull you down from 189 mph to zero in 10.7 seconds.
Think of the M 1000 RR as a World Superbike for the street. You get many of the S model’s options as standard, plus you get many engine and brake refinements unique to the M. Is it worth it? If you are cornering at the edge of adhesion and lapping faster than anyone else, but still want more, well, here’s more.
BMW is said to be making only 500 of these worldwide, so head down to your dealer now. Look for availability in the spring, just in time for riding and racing season. Maybe you could try World Superbike?
