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BMW S1000XR

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Not to let Ducati have all the half-year fun, BMW Motorrad too is posting impressive sales figures for the first half of the year, with the German marque reporting a 10.5% sales increase in the first six month of 2015, compared to the equivalent time period last year.

BMW has sold 78,418 motorcycles and maxi-scooters, from January to June, with sales up 31% in June alone (15,490 units) — another record month for BMW Motorrad.

With last year being the best ever for BMW Motorrad, this news of course means that the German company is on-track to have another record-setting year of sales.

Attending BMW Motorrad’s launch of the 2016 BMW S1000XR, our friends from Testmotor.nl have been kind enough to share their thoughts and a short review on BMW’s new “Adventure-Sport” motorcycle. – Jensen

BMW Motorrad admits that the S1000XR is a combination of the S1000RR and the R1200GS…a pedigree to be proud of, but also one that creates a lot of expectations.

The German company would like to join the party of all-road focused adventure bikes, which has conquered the market these last couple of years.

BMW calls this the “adventure-sport” segment and hopes to steal some sales from bikes like the Ducati Mutistrada, Suzuki V-strom, Honda Crosstourer and Kawasaki Versys.

In turn, BMW is trying to avoid in-house competition with its own GS, by giving the S1000RR more sportive looks and less rugged, more vulnerable construction.

One of the highlights of the 2014 EICMA show, the BMW S1000XR is Germany’s direct assault on the Ducati Multistrada 1200 et al. That move is an interesting one, considering bikes like the Multistrada 1200 were in response to the popularity of the BMW R1200GS — thus making the adventure-touring-sport segment one big dog chasing its tail, but we digress.

The S1000XR officially splits the adventure segment in two, making a clear distinction between adventure-touring motorcycles like the BMW R1200GS(A) and KTM 1190 Adventure, and the adventure-sport segment, which includes the Ducati Multistrada 1200 and MV Agusta Turismo Veloce 800.

Built for speed and long-distance travel, the adventure-sport machines mimic the sport-tourers that they are replacing in sales, with their added offer of longer suspension travel and at least some gravel-road competency (whether you’d take any of these machines off-tarmac is another debate entirely).

All of this means that the BMW S1000XR is an important machine for the Bavarian brand, as well as the motorcycle industry — we are already seen other manufacturers respond to this new segment.

The S1000XR is also on A&R’s short list of new bikes to try this year, and it looks like BMW is finally close to granting us that wish. After rumors of production delays, the 2015 BMW S1000XR finally seems ready for showtime. As such, we have a mega gallery of 302 hi-res photos for you, after the jump.

In the past decade the ADV segment has been a confusing amalgamation of differing interests, and over that time-period, two distinct groups have boiled to the surface.

First there are the “Long Way Round” hopefuls, who invariably own a BMW R1200GS/A, and seem to be on some sort of perpetual preparation for an African safari, regardless of how much dual-sport experience they actually have.

And more recently, a second group has appeared: those riders who look to these big ADV bikes as more versatile Sport-Touring machines, that have at least some credibility in continuing the trip beyond where the sidewalk ends.

All these riders, and their bikes, have been wedged into a single “Adventure” category, and it has created a bit of confusion for the segment. So, I want to introduce the concept of the “Adventure-Sport” and how it differentiates from the previous “Adventure-Touring” category.

First, let us make some definitions. Adventure-Sport bikes are “middleweight” and “heavyweight” motorcycles, with longer off-road styled suspension. They have an on-road bias, with their 17″ front wheels, and they make sport bike horsepower from their lightweight engines.

Adventure-Sports usually have an abundance of rider aids, which are typically aimed at taming these bikes’ powerful and peaky engines for mixed road conditions.

The Bosch MSC system isn’t the only game in town when it comes to cornering ABS systems and anti-lowside technology, as another German company has entered the fray, Continental.

The Continental Optimized Curve Braking system factors into account roll, pitch, lateral acceleration, and lean angle and then modulates the brakes accordingly to slow the motorcycle down when the brakes are applied, while keeping the motorcycle upright.

The BMW S1000XR is the first production motorcycle to use the Continental Optimized Curve Braking, and we can expect other BMW models to follow.

One of the motorcycles we’ve been anticipating at EICMA, the 2015 BMW S1000XR has finally debuted. As the name suggests, the S1000XR borrows from the S1000RR superbike’s 998cc inline-four engine platform, and its derived heavily from the S1000R roadster, thus it makes a cool 160hp and 83 lbs•ft of torque.

Like the Ducati Multistrada 1200 it competes against, the BMW S1000XR is seen more of an adventure-sport motorcycle, than an outright tourer. Built to satisfy the go-fast needs of on-road riders, the 502 lbs (wet) S1000XR still has the chops to go where the sidewalk ends, but is more at home pounding pavement.

We already know that BMW Motorrad has a bevy of new machines coming out for the 2015 model year, and now the Germans are ready to admit as much. Confirming that a new BMW S1000RR superbike will debut at the INTERMOT show, BMW has also teased that two more new models will also debut at EICMA.

From the spy photos that we obtained, we know that the 2015 BMW S1000RR features modestly updated bodywork, a restyled exhaust, and likely features a mild engine reworking. We will have to wait a couple more weeks to get the full details though, but expect a modest hp boost, semi-active suspension, and the Bosch MSC cornering-ABS system as standard — much like the BMW HP4.

As for the two new machines debuting in November at the EICMA show, BMW Motorrad is surely referring to the S1000XR adventure-tourer, which we have spied on several occassions, as well as the expected new water-cooled version of the R1200R.

It has taken various names in the press (e.g. the BMW S1000F), but trademark applications in Germany and in the USA tell us that the Bavarians have settled on calling their new sport-tourer the BMW S1000XR — and it is debuting in just a few weeks’ time at the INTERMOT show in Cologne.

Luckily for us, a spy photographer has caught the 2015 BMW S1000XR out testing ahead of its debut, with only the badges and headlights covered in tape. While we already had a good view of the BMW S1000XR when it was testing, these photos reveal the off-the-assemblyline shape of the latest Bavarian machine, and we like what we see.

Once again the folks at Wunderlich are readying themselves for another BMW model, and the German company has enlisted the services of French designer Nicolas Petit to render the upcoming BMW S1000F sport-tourer, which we are all eagerly awaiting.

Based off the BMW S1000RR sport bike, the S1000F features an upright handlebar design with a more touring-oriented sitting position, to make for better long-road travel. It’s not clear if BMW will follow the lead of Erik Buell Racing, and choose not to detune its superbike engine, but it does seem that BMW wants a bigger piece for the sporty end of the touring market.

Just last month we brought you news about BMW Motorrad working on a possible sport-tourer that was based off the company’s BMW S1000RR superbike. Well today we get confirmation of that machine, with the BMW S1000F being caught in the wild, panniers and all.

The S1000RR’s motor and exhaust are clearly visible in this side profile picture, as are the mounting points for side bags and a top box. With the S1000F sporting noticeably taller suspension than its sport bike sibling, one has to wonder if BMW isn’t trying to make another adventure-touring model, one that could compete against the Ducati Multistrada 1200 in sportiness.