BMW drag bike sets the pace

Praised by the media for its rampant power and well sorted chassis, which have helped dispel the 'pipe and slippers' image that BMW has in some quarters, a new drag racing version of the S 1000 RR has dominated the competition in its first outing in the USA.

Built for speed, this pair of modified rubber-smelting S 1000 RRs have been purpose-built for drag racing, showing what can be done with a little fettling.

Created by American-based Brock Davidson, there are two versions of the high-output machines -- an extended wheelbase version with its ultra-long swingarm, and the 'stock'  racer, both of which generate 203hp (149kW) at the rear wheel.

How fast? The long wheelbase BMW drag bike accelerated from zero to 200km/h in just 5.2 seconds, about the same time it takes to realise that spilling coffee all over your computer is not good for productivity.

During its first official competitive racing at the drag-strip at an AMA meet in Michigan, rider Ryan Schnitz piloted the long wheelbase 1663mm version of the RR to victory, taking honours as the quickest bike in its class. Not bad for its first run.

"The BMW has a better power-to weight ratio than any bike we have ever run and we can see it not only grabbing the headlines but riders looking for performance - be it on the drag strip, track or indeed the road. There is no better way to develop specialist parts than in competition," said  Davidson.

Taking advantage of a Dynojet PCV fuel injection module, Brock's own titanium exhaust system, tweaked fuel injection mapping to match and BST carbon fibre wheels, the BMW S 1000 RR drag bike managed some very impressive times down the quarter mile. The 'stock' version with its standard wheelbase recorded a time of 8.95 seconds, while the long wheel-base version managed 8.497 seconds, both with trap speeds of around 257km/h.

Keith Dennis, a four-time AMA national champion, has already signed on as team rider for Brock's Performance, a clear sign of the BMW bike's future performance potential.

Davidson isn't resting on his laurels either, with big plans for the RR.

"We are going to further develop the BMW with nitrous injection for 'Real Street' competition and do more work on engine hard-part development after we see what it can take in pure stock form,"he said.

"So far, the engine has been stronger than anything we have been able to throw at it from a normally aspirated standpoint. We have "torture tested" both of these bikes like no others on the dyno and racetracks during accelerated product development and performance testing, and they are extremely impressive.

"Every component has been engineered to the highest standards, but nitrous oxide is an entirely different beast that was not in the original BMW design criteria, so it's our job as an aftermarket manufacturer to take it from here to please the stupid fast crowd."

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