Superbike ownership in India is perhaps the greatest example
of a love-hate relationship, on the one hand, these things are the most
desirable motorcycles on the planet and they have the kind of performance that
only a million-dollar hypercars can be hers on the other hand, they're probably
also the most painful motorcycles on the planet with riding positions from Hell
heat from the depths of hell and firm short travel suspension that demands
nothing but perfect roads, and in India, all of these negatives can get so bad
that they easily become deal breakers.
Meet
the new S 1000 RR
Fortunately,
I've been lucky enough to write the previous version of the S1000RR at the Bic
a few years ago and I can tell you with confidence that this is easily the most
friendly and encouraging of all the Superbikes for you as a rider to push to
your limit for 2023 BMW has only taken that same formula and made it even
sweeter but before we start let's be honest bikes like this are completely wasted
on the public road and they deserve to be taken to a racetrack, unfortunately,
most Superbike owners in India tend to spend most of their time on the public
road.
What’s
nice on the road
So what we're going to do today is to see what this bike is like to live with on our road system and why not the S1000RR has built a reputation over the years for being the nicest of the Superbikes on the open road that's because the original S1000RR was the first Superbike to bring convenience is like heated grips and cruise control which this one also has and in fact this bike even has luggage straps underneath the pillion seat but what I love about the S1000RR is the riding position of all the Superbikes currently on sale in India today this is by far the roomiest and comfortable now don't get me wrong this is still a pakka superbike riding position and it makes you feel like a crushed up ball of paper but compared to the Panigale this is a little Kinder and compared to the Kawasaki ZX10R.
This
foot position is a lot nicer the big problem with this bike is its seat it
feels like a thinly cushioned slab of granite and while that's great for giving
the rider maximum feel on the racetrack the only thing you'll be feeling on the
road is pain replacing the seat will surely improve the bike's comfort the
biggest make or break aspect of owning a bike like this though comes down to
the kind of roads that you will ride it on the suspension has reasonable
compliance in it and it can take on reasonably smooth tarmac roads without too
much of a hassle but this bike really hates bumpy jarring concrete roads the
kind that you will find all over the city of Mumbai on those roads.
it's
constantly trying to whack you out of the seat and it gets so bad that you will
soon start to question whether it makes sense to have a bike like this at all
now I must be clear that that holds true for all Superbikes and all motorcycles
basically that have your backside almost as high as your wrists with limited
suspension travel if you want to own a bike like this that is one aspect you
really need to consider,
Where
the fun begins
Thankfully
your frown will turn upside down when you make the effort to find a good road
suddenly it all makes sense.
Changes
for 2023
For
2023 the FW has given the bike a few chassis updates including tweaks in
steering geometry and more Flex engineered into the chassis now it is hard to
see how much of an improvement. this has made but what I can tell
you is that this is a very encouraging Handler on the road it follows your
every instruction beautifully and you never feel like you have to fight the
bike the S1000RR does not pack your typical Ultra high-end brand names like
Orleans Brembo and Pirelli but everything on this Bike Works beautifully in
unison and at an extremely high level the electronically adjustable Yamazaki
suspension is really impressive in the right environment the Dunlop Sports
smart TT tires were super grippy.
At
these speeds and the Nissan brakes have mega performance in terms of pure
handling the bike simply feels a little lighter and easier than what I remember
most of its Rivals surely significant credit for that must go to the chassis
but a big part of it is also because of the wheels like before if you buy the
top M sport version of the S1000RR you will get it with carbon fiber wheels and
these things are amazing the benefits of having a lighter wheel even compared
to a forged aluminum wheel is immense the suspension gets to work better the
brakes work better but what you do as a rider will feel the most that the
initial turn-in is really fast and it feels very light it's a wonderful feeling
however there is a real sense of anxiety with such special and expensive Wheels
you want to be extra careful to look after them you have to be very careful
when you change the tires and you've got to remember to keep a constant eye on
keeping the right tire pressures.
Thankfully
this bike comes with a tire pressure monitoring system as part of its huge
Electronics package in fact one of my favorite aspects of the S1000RR has
always been its Rider assists and for this year BMW has taken them to the next
level as with all bikes in the class you get a party pack of features including
multiple riding modes multiple screen display modes and many riding assists
that are all adjustable by many levels.
This
bike even brings things like Hill hold Bluetooth connectivity and navigation
there's so much in there that it can become a little overwhelming if you're not
the tech-savvy type one of the cool new additions this year is a new sensor
that monitors how much the steering angle is changing now the idea here is if
you're leaned over in a corner you get on the gas and the rear steps out it
checks how much the steering has changed and it holds the bike in that slide at
that angle to make you feel like a riding God now to give you a personal
example of how good the electronics are on this bike.
The
last time I wrote it at the Bic I came back home and went through the footage
and saw that the bike was laying down long black strips of rubber when I was
leaned over with my knee on the tarmac, I had no idea it was going on the
systems didn't give me any strange feelings and it just made me feel awesome
all these amazing Electronics also allow you to safely access a truly explosive
amount of power from the 1000 cc inline for an engine for 2023 the bike makes
three more horsepower and it can now rev as high as 14 600 RPM.
But
with its variable while timing shift cam system the mid-range is also
surprisingly strong it definitely has more low-end performance than the
Kawasaki ZX10R riding around in Rain mode puts the bike in a calm State Of Tune
and while it gets a whole lot more aggressive in the higher modes the throttle
response always feel smooth and predictable.
Exhaust
sound and engine character
As
for the sound it's worth mentioning that this engine sounds a little Gruff and
rough at idle and it doesn't have that smooth hum of a Japanese inline 4.
There's even some buzziness that you will feel in the bars and foot pegs
usually this would be annoying but it actually gives the bike a raw and
aggressive feeling and even the stock exhaust screams out a surprisingly loud
tune at high RPMs that is all very good because this engine certainly
doesn't have the same drama and sheer emotional appeal of an Italian people.
But
its overall performance is undoubtedly up there with the best the performance
of this engine is just immense to the extent that you can barely hold the
throttle fully open for more than a second or two, yeah you could enjoy the high
RPM Performance in first gear and maybe second but to fully exploit what this
engine has to offer on the public road well that's nearly impossible without
taking on a huge amount of risk both for yourself and other Road users that's
one of the things that makes bikes like this a little frustrating and
unfulfilling on the road because they really beg to be wrapped to the red line
ultimately yes the S1000RR is a little Living with it on the road.
Nicer
to live with than its Rivals because of its riding position and more flexible
in line for the engine but this motorcycle also gets burning hot in traffic,
especially around your thighs and feet and it has a heavy clutch as well yes it
will handle being ridden into a traffic jam but it certainly won't be a pleasant
experience for the rider and that brings us back to the Love-hate relationships
original point of love-hate relationships.
Every
time I ride one of these thousand CC Superbikes on the road I end up telling
myself I'm not doing that again it usually feels like a pointless exercise and
there's generally more pain involved than pleasure but then enough time passes
and the excitement of riding a Superbike starts to build up again so when the
next opportunity presents itself I'm all excited to do it all over again it's a
very similar story with this new S1000RR.
This
is an astounding motorcycle but it performs at its best when it's in its happy
place which is at the racetrack however if you do insist on buying one as a
road bike please ensure that you have nice roads around you to make something
like this a pleasurable experience and buy a better seat Prices, rivals in
India. but what about where the S1000RR fits in against its Japanese and
Italian rivals in India with prices ranging from 20.2 to 24.5 lakh rupees it
slots neatly between the ZX10R and the Panigale V4 and for the sort of
performance and kit that this bike offers that price is actually quite
reasonable as for the looks the new Angry Shark looking face is menacing and it
really stands out with that huge Wing but the redesigned tail section is quite
unremarkable this M sport version also has some beautiful kit.
I
like the carbon wheels and those lovely Billet adjustable rear sets with carbon
fiber heel plates but then it feels a little too plasticky in other areas and
there is way too much black plastic is used all over which is a downer at this
price ultimately this may not be the most beautiful of the Superbikes and it
certainly isn't the most emotional one to ride however if you want a really
fast-track bike but also one that's easy and makes you feel like a better Rider
than you actually are this is the one I would have it really makes you feel
good and ultimately don't we buy these expensive toys to make ourselves feel
good.
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