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BMW S1000RR

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A few days ago, we sat down with Peter Hickman to figure out what it takes to find the limit at the Isle of Man TT. Now today, we get up-close and personal on the machine he is campaigning in the Superbike and Senior TT races.

A 2020 BMW S1000RR, the race bike is put together by Smiths Racing BMW, with the hope that the German superbike’s supremacy on the Mountain Course continues with this next generation of the machine, and thus add to Hickman’s two-win tally at the Isle of Man TT.

As we can see from Steve’s photos though, this is not your ordinary BMW S1000RR…in fact, it is not your ordinary superbike.

Greetings from a very warm Birmingham, Alabama where we are about to swing a leg over the new BMW S1000RRagain.

After a disappointing and inadequate international launch in Portugal, where the rain got in the way of our two-wheeled fun, BMW Motorrad USA has invited us out to the famous Barber Motorsports Park to ride their new superbike for a second time.

That is just fine by us, because yours truly has been keen to swing a leg over the 2020 BMW S1000RR, and see how it compares to the offerings from the other top brands, not to mention I have always wanted to ride this popular American track.

The 2019 BMW S1000RR is one of our most anticipated motorcycles for this model year, and for its media debut, BMW Motorrad set up a press launch at the esteemed Circuito Estoril in Portugal. Unfortunately, BMW Motorrad didn’t think to invite Asphalt & Rubber to this superbike’s press debut, but we showed up anyways.

This is because BMW Motorrad did invite our friend Jonathan Balsvik to the launch, despite his publication – Sweden’s Bike magazine – recently shutting its doors. With Jonathan looking for a place to publish, and us eager to share what this new S1000RR is all about, we bring you this ride review. Many thanks to Jonathan for helping us bring the good word of the “Double-R” to the sport-biking masses.

It should be noted though, that because of the heavy rains during the press launch, Jonathan’s review is a bit limited in what it can cover, both because of the rain-soaked track and because of BMW’s control riders, who slowed the pace of the track sessions quite considerably.

With these limitations in mind, we hope to bring you a follow-up review in the coming months, assuming BMW Motorrad USA can provide us with a bike to ride. -JB

Greetings from a very wet Portugal, where we are about to swing a leg over the new BMW S1000RR, at the Estoril track.

One of the most anticipated motorcycles for the 2019 model year, the new S1000RR sees BMW Motorrad going back to the drawing board and developing a whole new superbike for the track.

On paper, the 2019 BMW S1000RR looks to be a potent weapon, and we are hoping that the weather gods will allow dry conditions at Estoril so we can thrash this machine properly.

With a bevy of press launches going on right now, we have implemented our Scandinavian connections and enlisted Swedish journalist Jonathan Balsvik (formerly of Bike.se) to help with the testing duties today.

One of the more intriguing story lines we are following in the coming WorldSBK season is the arrival of BMW Motorrad in the superbike paddock. For the 2019 season, BMW has partnered with the Shaun Muir Racing team, with riders Tom Sykes and Markus Reiterberger.

With an all new superbike platform to develop and work with, our attention is on what this machine can do, especially with such a high-level team and duo of riders.

With SMR officially unveiling the team at their preseason test in Portugal, we sent our man Steve English into the pit box to get some up-close photos of the WorldSBK-spec BMW S1000RR for the 2019 season.

As you would expect, the details on this bike are very interesting.

It is an odd passion in life, but I find the international pricing schemes by various motorcycle manufacturers to be simply fascinating.

While this will surely mean that I will die alone (so very, very alone), this odd curiosity is bringing up some interesting thoughts about the new BMW S1000RR superbike.

And the signs point to the Bavarian brand’s newest liter bike costing quite the pretty penny in the US market. Let me explain.

It has been a very long time since we last recorded a Two Enthusiasts Podcast show for you, but Episode 86 is out in the wild now, and in it we discuss all the new bikes that debuted at the EICMA show in Milan.

As you will quickly notice, friend of the show Shahin Alvandi fills in for Quentin on this episode, as we figure out what the future holds for the podcast.

It has been a very difficult 80 days since we last recorded an episode for you, and we didn’t want to have EICMA go by without some sort of commentary from the show, so here is something to tide you over while we get our sh*t together.

We should have more news available for you on what is happening with the podcast shortly, until then, enjoy this show where we talk some of the bikes for the 2019 model year and beyond that caught our attention.

The wait is finally over. The 2019 BMW S1000RR is finally here. Perhaps the most eagerly anticipated motorcycle for the next model year, the BMW S1000RR is so important that it is taking the German brand back into WorldSBK racing, with help from Tom Sykes and the Shaun Muir Racing team.

There is reason to be excited too, as the 2019 BMW S1000RR makes a big splash on the spec sheet. Most notable is the 204hp (152 kW) at the crank, with 83 lbs•ft of torque, which is aided by the new ShiftCam valve train that debuted on the BMW R1250GS and other “R” models from BMW Motorrad.

This marks an 8hp increase over the outgoing generation of the BMW S1000RR superbike, but that’s not all. The 2019 BMW S1000RR also does away with 25 lbs of bulk at the curb (albeit, with a liter less of fuel onboard), for a wet weight of 434 lbs (197kg).

The new BMW S1000RR hasn’t even officially debuted yet, but it feels like we already know a great deal about this new superbike.

Photos and details of the machine have already leaked ahead of the EICMA trade show, giving us a good idea of what to expect from the German brand, and now more photos have leaked online.

Found on Reddit, and first posted by the Instagram account @S1000RRgram, these photos appear to come from the catalog for the 2019 BMW S1000RR, giving us a good perspective on how the bike compares in size to its rider.

The photos also give us a strong look at the S1000RR’s front fairing and headlight design, which finally features symmetrical lights.

Our Paddock Pass Podcast colleague Neil Morrison is reporting on Crash.net that Tom Sykes has signed with the Shaun Muir Racing team for the 2019 World Superbike season, and that the team is set to switch machinery from Aprilia to BMW.

Markus Reiterberger will join Sykes on the factory-backed BMW team, as he has the correct passport to appease the German brand.

Of course, all of this came as a surprise to Eugene Laverty, who talked about his surprise at the news, which is set to be announced at next week’s EICMA show in Milan.

Some of the technical details of the 2019 BMW S1000RR have been leaked to Facebook, which show the upcoming superbike to make some considerable gains over its predecessor. We first saw the leak from US tuner Alpha SBK, which posted a photo of the basic specs on its Facebook page.

The goods? 204hp (152 kW) at the crank, with 83 lbs•ft of torque, which is aided by the new ShiftCam valve train that debuted on the BMW R1250GS and other “R” models from BMW Motorrad.

Curb weight is 434 lbs, when 4.35 gallons of fuel is in the bike. That weight can be reduced to 427 lbs, when the option “M Package” is installed, which includes a bevy of carbon fiber pieces and forged wheels.