BMW S 1000 RR finally lobs in Australia

It's been quite a protracted build up, but BMW's S 1000 RR superbike has now arrived in Australia, with the Bikesales Network attending the local press launch at Phillip Island on February 9.

About four years in the making from conception to volume production, the local version of the bike is available in two configurations: the S 1000 RR for $21,990, and S 1000 RR Sport for $24,990, the latter including Race ABS and Dynamic Traction Control (DTC) as standard. Available options include an anti-theft alarm ($505) and a motorsport colour scheme ($765), which is the same livery as Troy Corser's world superbike machine.

There are also a number of accessories from the HP catalogue to individualise the S 1000 RR even more.

Both incarnations of the S 1000 RR come with a quickshifter, and there are four different riding modes -- Rain, Sport, Race and Slick - which work in concert with the DTC to produce a sportsbike that just oozes functionality at a level we haven't seen before.

It's a very sophisticated system, but one which is very easy to use and isn't too obtrusive - just the ticket for a thoroughbred sportsbike.

We'll delve into the modes a lot more detail in the full launch report, but in a nutshell Rain is good for 150hp only, and the other three modes provide full output from the 990cc liquid-cooled DOHC, 16-valve four-cylinder engine, which produces a very impressive eyeball-popping 193hp.

As a rider toggles through the settings, via a nifty handlebar-mounted switch, the throttle response becomes more direct and the DTC takes becomes less of a party-pooper.

That is, DTC cuts in at a very early point in Rain mode, but in Slick mode the S 1000 R considers the much greater level of grip of provided by slicks (or very sticky treaded tyres like the Metzeler Racetec K3 on the bike at the launch) and "enables the rider to choose all-out racing performance".

So much so that Aussie Steve Martin, who's the official test rider for the factory's world superbike team (as well as being the world endurance champion on a Yamaha YZF-R1), reeled off a succession of searing laps at Phillip Island in Slick mode with DTC and Race ABS on (both can be turned off).

"The beauty of the BMW electronics, particularly in the Slick mode, is that it still allows a rider to slide and spin a bike up, which is necessary to help it steer," said Martin. "I've ridden on some other traction control systems where that's not the case, and that's when handling becomes an acute issue."

BMW claims a wet weight of 206.5kg for the S 1000 RR, which includes ABS and DTC. It has an aluminium bridge frame and fully adjustable Sachs suspension, where compression and rebound changes can be made with the ignition key, clearly specified by numbers from one to 10 - no more counting 'clicks'.

The compression and rebound areas are also colour coded for even more functionality.

The front brakes are Brembo radial mounted, but with a Nissin master cylinder.

Race ABS weighs just 1.65kg, incorporating four pressure sensors and a rear wheel lift-off detector.

In the Race and Slick modes, the rear wheel lift-off detector does not intervene in the braking action, and in Slick mode the ABS no longer cuts in when actuating the rear brake. That is, riders can still go into a 'creative' brake drift - as the likes of Martin and his fellow road racing stars Kevin Magee and Mark Willis were doing at the press launch.

However, even though BMW's Race ABS pushes the limits of sophistication, it can't redefine the laws of physics.

But I for one wouldn't even bother switching Race ABS or DTC off - it just doesn't make any practical sense, especially when they work so well.

BMW currently has 140 S 1000 RR orders awaiting delivery, and if you were to order a bike today, delivery will be around May.