Overall rating Next up: Ride & brakes 5 out of 5 (5/5) Author: Michael Neeves Published: 20 July 2020 Updated: 23 July 2020 The 2019 BMW S1000RR superbike is the fourth generation of a machine that first arrived on the scene in 2010. At a time when its rivals could barely muster a rear-wheel 160bhp, the German wonder machine made 190bhp, had MotoGP-inspired electronics and race-ready handling - impressive for a company best known for sensible tourers and adventure bikes. Watch : 2019 Superbike Shootout featuring BMW S1000RR vs Aprilia RSV4 1100 Factory vs Ducati V4S Corse

: 2019 Superbike Shootout featuring BMW S1000RR vs Aprilia RSV4 1100 Factory vs Ducati V4S Corse Long-term test : We're running a 2019 BMW S1000RR

: We're running a 2019 BMW S1000RR Long-term test video: Post-it pad review Refined in 2012 and updated in 2015, it’s a multiple TT winner, loved by racers and is the circuit weapon of choice for discerning track heads. Its long-awaited successor has been four years in the making and new from the ground-up. From its sultry looks and electronic gadgetry, to its fresh new easy feel, the 2019 BMW S1000RR is a major departure from the previous model. Only the name remains the same. Agile, accurate and refined, it handles like a lightweight 600cc supersport racer with the grunt of a V4 and the manic top end power of a competition superbike. A tricky-to-reach back brake and its late arrival in dealers are the only niggles we can find. The old RR was rapid to the end, but with a decade’s worth of lessons learned from it, the 2019 BMW S1000RR takes the superbike game to the next level. BMW S1000RR 2019: the best superbike of the year

Our testers rate the S1000RR so highly that it took the overall win in our 2019 Superbike Shootout in Sicily, beating the Aprilia RSV4 1100 Factory and Ducati V4S Corse along the way. Want to see an older BMW S1000RR version? Read MCN's review of the models from 2009, 2012 or 2015. Superbike group test video: Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP vs BMW S1000RR M vs Ducati Panigale V4S

Ride quality & brakes Next up: Engine 5 out of 5 (5/5) A new riding position is no less comfy than before, but the RR is more compact and airy-light, like a 600. It makes the old machine feel like a podgy tourer with a 20kg bag of spuds for an engine. Bars are splayed out further and you’re sat more in the RR, up against a taller, far slimmer tank. All-up weight is reduced by 11kg (14.5kg for the M version) - the motor alone is 4kg lighter and the exhaust weighs less than the single cylinder BMW G310R’s. Steering is lighter, crisper and BMW claims improved rear tyre wear on track. Gone is the old girder-stiff chassis that could make the S1000RR tricky to set up on track. A new ‘Flex Frame’ (with the engine as a stressed member), plush new Marzocchi semi-active suspension (replacing Sachs) and an underbraced swingarm, forcing the rear tyre harder into the tarmac on the gas, all give more feel and confidence. Powerful new Hayes calipers have a friendlier initial bite than the old designer Brembos and show no sign of fade under hard use. Riding the BMW S1000RR in the dry Since the bike's initial wet weather launch, MCN also got the chance to ride it in the dry on Bridgestone S22 tyres at Jerez, Spain, as part of their own seperate launch. This adds up to a significant leap forward in the handling department. The previous S1000RR was a formidable track weapon, but pushed hard it would struggle to stay tight in a corner at full lean and be prone to understeer on a fast lap. It was never the easiest to set up for serious trackday work or racing, either. Things couldn’t be more different now. Steering is racebike-crisp, light, accurate and even on the S22 street tyres we’ve tested the BMW on in the dry at Jerez (we’ve also ridden in in the wet at Estoril), you’d swear you’re on hot, sticky slicks that just want to lean and turn. On hot sticky slicks the BMW is going to be sensational. Being able to carve such effortlessly tight lines, you can attack corners faster, crack the throttle sooner on the exit and when you do the S1000RR treats you to another new trick – its advanced electronic riding aids. BMW has refined its traction control to a pretty decent level since 2010, but this is next generation stuff. Now when the rear tyre slips the electronics holds it in place, but still lets you drive smoothly forward at a ferocious rate. It’s like riding up against a soft, silicone berm. Electronics on road bikes generally slow you down on track (and you end up switching them off), but now on the S1000RR you can use them to go fast in safety. The same goes for the anti-wheelie, which was never refined enough to set quick lap time, but now the electronics let the front wheel gracefully hover over the tarmac while controlling the anger of 200-plus bhp. New Hayes calipers have a friendlier initial bite than the old designer Brembos, but they’re every bit as powerful. Just like the old Brembos they fade to a point after a few laps, then stay at a consistent level, so you’re best off setting the brake lever span too far out to begin with. BMW S1000RR: chassis technology deep dive "The main aim was to develop further enhanced riding dynamics as well as significantly reducing weight, compared to the predecessor model. We were able to meet this target by means of the new main frame: the engine is now much more closely integrated as a load-bearing element, and there are a whole range of optimised details," explained Marcus Mund, Project Engineer Suspension. Dubbed the 'Flex Frame', the concept behind the frame is similar to before; a structure of four cast aluminium elements welded together using the engine as a stressed member and integrated at a 32-degree tilt. But in order to save weight, the top tubes, steering head and engine mounts are reduced in mass, relying on the engine more for an increased load-bearing function but with special effort for the load paths to the engine being as short as possible. The new frame also benefits from being as narrow as possible, reducing the width of the bike by up to 30mm. All of this also reduces the frame weight by 1.3kg, which contributes to the claimed 11kg weight reduction of the new bike. The S1000RR also boasts a new swingarm now with under-slung bracing. Superbike racing S1000RRs (which are allowed aftermarket swingers) have been using under-slung bracing for years and there are a number of advantages to it. Firstly, when it comes to packaging, there is more space below the swingarm rather than above it and this means there is more flexibility with bracing design. Secondly, the way they flex allows a reduction of lateral tyre contact patch movement during flex. The bracing below has also allowed more freedom in the placement of the damper and spring unit, which can now be further away from the engine unit for reduced heat transfer. Amazingly, despite its complex structure, the new S1000RR’s swingarm is cast in one single piece before being machined for the chain adjusters and mounting points. It’s also 300g lighter than the previous bike’s swingarm. BMW have also played with the new bike’s geometry, lengthening the wheelbase by 9mm to 1411mm (Superstock racers have traditionally pulled the wheel back as far as it can go for the same effect) in a bid to aid stability. That extra wheelbase has allowed tighter, more extreme steering geometry as well, being 0.4 degrees steeper at 23.1 degrees while trail has been reduced to 93.9mm. All of which points to a machine that is lighter, more nimble and more stable all at the same time.

Engine Next up: Reliability 5 out of 5 (5/5) BMW’s screaming 999cc inline four never lacked top end power, but the new slimmer, lighter-cranked motor revs harder and faster, head butting its redline with the savage alacrity of a pukka superbike engine. The way it dispenses with straights, with a strange kind of violent calm, is a sign that few of its rivals, if any, will get close on the drag out of a corner. A lighter crank, hollowed-out intake valves and lary high rev inlet valve timing, helps it to a claimed 204bhp – stick a full race pipe on a you’re looking at over 215bhp. With all its power stuffed at the top of the revs, the previous RR was a peaky devil, like a big supersport 600, but not any more. BMW’s new variable valve timing system (Shift Cam) laces the throttle response with the kind of mid-range grunt and broad spread of power that would make a V4 proud, especially between 4300rpm and 8000rpm. Beneath the Shift Cam’s 9000rpm go-mental-threshold, BMW’s monster motor has a newfound level of smoothness and tractability, which can only be good news for S1000RR on the road. Official MCN BMW S1000RR speed test results Venue: Bruntingthorpe Proving Ground, Leicestershire, UK Weather conditions: cold, with damp patched 5mph headwind Top speed: 185.01 mph Acceleration 0-60mph: 3.29 secs 0-100mph: 5.98 secs 0-150mph: 10.42 secs 0-180mph: 20.13 secs Standing quarter mile: 10.29 secs @ 150.69 mph Top gear roll on 40mph-120mph: 8.04 secs Fourth gear roll on 40-90mph: 3.82 secs Braking 70mph-0: 3.55 secs in 52.08m BMW S1000RR engine tech deep dive Valves have a hard life. Whacked open by a cam then slammed shut by a valve spring, on a high-performance motor such as the BMW S1000RR, the inlet and exhaust valves go through this cycle at an incredible rate. At the old RR's redline of 14,200rpm, each valve opened and closed 118 times per second but for 2019 BMW have increased the limit on the new ShiftCam engine to 14,600rpm. To achieve this, while maintaining reliability, they’ve introduced a world-first in production bike design: hollow-bored titanium valves. Lightweight titanium valves have been used in production sportsbikes for over 15 years because they are 40% lighter than steel, so reducing valve-train inertia and the possibility of valve-float at high revs. Hollow-boring takes this one stage further. Reducing the mass of moving parts "On a sportsbike motor you need to reduce the mass of the moving parts due to the fact you can see acceleration G-forces of 5000G acting on a valve," explains Karl Viktor Schaller, BMW Motorrad’s Head of Engineering. "When you reduce a valve’s weight you can go higher with its acceleration. By using hollow-valve technology we have been able to raise the RR’s rev limit by 400rpm as

the valves are 10% lighter than normal titanium valves." But what would have happened if BMW hadn’t used this technology? "The valves themselves are capable of withstanding these forces, however the critical area is the disc that retains the valve spring," says Schaller. Changing the production process "The valve has a groove machined into it that two wedges (known as collets) sit in to retain the disc. Under high acceleration, these wedges tend to be forced through the disc, causing the valve to fail." To create this new valve, BMW have changed their production process. A standard valve is made in two parts (a stem and a base) and these two are then friction-welded together to create a valve. Now, in simple terms, BMW have hollowed out the valve stem before joining the two parts together. "The size of the valve shaft is the same at 5mm but we take 2mm out of its centre through a secret process," says Schaller. "To be honest, when I first saw hollow-bored valves I thought 'This can’t work', but it is fantastic technology. Steel valves are for normal motorcycles, titanium is for sportsbikes and hollow-bore titanium for top-end sportsbikes such as the new S1000RR." BMW S1000RR comes with launch control Ever since the HP4, BMW has installed a launch control system to the S1000RR. This works by thumbing the starter button when in neutral at a standstill, which drops the rev limit to 9000rpm, allowing you to use full throttle but restrict engine output for a good start. It's not as quick as a properly good manual dash away from the line, but it does stop you from making an obviously bad start...

Reliability & build quality Next up: Value 4 out of 5 (4/5) Early S1000RRs suffered minor engine and electronics problems, but they have been addressed by BMW over the years and all of those lessons learned have gone into creating the 2019 model. Dealer service is excellent, so even if there is recall, or warranty work to be done, it shouldn’t cause any major headaches. We don't have any owners' reviews of this generation of S1000RR at this point. Don't forget that you can learn a huge amount about the BMW S1000RR's reliability in our long-term test review. For a summary, check out Michael Neeves's video impressions of life with a 2019 BMW S1000RR here:

Value vs rivals Next up: Equipment 4 out of 5 (4/5) Superbikes have rocketed in price over the past few years, putting the base model out of reach for all but the lucky few, although PCP deals undoubtedly help. But the base S1000RR, Sport and M Package are comparable in price, or cheaper than their equivalent superbike counterparts from Italy (Ducati Panigale V4 S, Aprilia RSV4 1100 Factory) and Japan (Honda CBR1000RR Fireblade, Yamaha R1, Kawasaki ZX-10R). If you're looking for a used BMW S1000RR for sale in the UK, check MCN Bikes for Sale first. The verdict: BMW S1000RR vs Ducati Panigale V4 S vs Honda CBR1000RR-R Fireblade SP We pit the latest, fourth-generation S1000RR against two rivals with wings (Fireblade SP and Panigale V4 S), but the BMW does fire back with a raft of clever electronics. Its Marzocchi suspension doesn’t quite have the velvety ride of Öhlins, but the semi-active units are still as plush and controlled on a wet country road, as they are flat out on track. It doesn’t have Brembos, either, but own-brand Hayes calipers have more feel than the Blade’s brakes and are close to the race-level savagery of the Panigale’s. Its big and brash colour dash is simple to operate and even has a built-in sat nav, working via an app on your phone. This M Package model comes with every conceivable option, including carbon fibre wheels, a lithium battery, heated grips and cruise control. Fit and finish is more business-like than its more lavish rivals. Like the others it spews out over 200bhp, but thanks to its variable inlet cam timing it’s a Bavarian grunt-monster below 9000rpm. It makes the Blade feel like a highly-strung supersport racer at low revs and is more than a match for the Ducati anywhere in the revs. There’s always power when you need it and it’ll pull in top gear from as low as 4000rpm, like a big-cubed hyperbike. Venture past 9k and the S1000RR elegantly transforms into a rabid racer with savage acceleration to match.