22 July 2024

Circuit-trained bikes added to BMW M line-up

Some might say that the very best bikes are circuit-trained.

That is to say they are put through their paces, in a very proper fashion, on the track, before being refined for the road.

Now we’re taking a look at one recent addition to the genre, offering more horses than a lifetime at Fairyhouse.

For a very long time the ‘M’ moniker from our friends in the car world was the reference for a special range of  motors that were built to be used on the road, but developed, very much, on the track.

A few years ago we finally saw the first of BMW’s bikes too bear the M badge: the M1000RR.

The machine was, and is, fantastic, being pretty much a WSB spec bike with lights fitted and a price tag a shade over 36 grand.

It’s safe to say that if it was a lollipop, you’d lick it.

However, the fact that it has heated grips and cruise control is, and always will be, a shade troubling.

M & M

Now the German titans of motorcycling have added another two M bikes.

Unsurprisingly they’re the M1000XR and the M1000R.

All three Ms feature the same engine and chassis.

The single R is the high spec version of the company’s already well proven roadster.

As a road-biased bike it has a staggering specification. The engine is based on the MRR and puts out a staggering 220bhp and does so with a wet weight of 199kilos!

That’s a staggering 45 ponies more than the standard bike and it’s quite the beast in its own right.

Add to this a revised gearing that allows for even harder acceleration and it’s not difficult to see why those downforce-increasing winglets are a lot more than decoration.

Its aerodynamic properties cleverly add 11 kilos of downforce on the front wheel at 220kph. This is achieved with a little help from a redesign of the wind deflector over the instruments.

Carbon cycle

Having a set of carbon wheels not only add to the bikes’ exclusivity, but they also keep the weight down and reduce steering speed.

Keeping it all nice and tidy is the fully adjustable suspension set up that features BMW’s Dynamic Damping Control setup.

The stopping comes from a full set of M spec brakes directly from the RR which were, in turn, developed from WSB.

These brakes even feature a system that allows the bike to be drifted into corners in a consistent, controlled manner. That last one is perhaps better kept to the track…

An adjustable steering damper rounds out the setup.

Rather interestingly, the price for this two-wheeled work of art starts at only €23,000. Give Dee at Keary’s a call on 021 500 3600 and ask if you can test ride one…

BMW motorbike insurance quote? Call our specialist two-wheel team on 0818 945 950.

 

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