BMW S 1000 RR HP4

The BMW S 1000 RR has been doing the rounds since 2009, so it's still probably a year or two away from its second generation revamp.

But the Bavarian motorcycle maker is readying a sharper, lighter and deadlier version of its sports bike, the HP4, to generate a bit of interest in the four-cylinder sprinter.

Website SoyMotero broke the news and reckons that the BMW S 1000 RR HP4 will break cover at one of Europe's biggest motorcycle shows, either Intermot in Cologne, Germany, or EICMA in Milan, Italy.

Reported to be lighter by a around 9kg, taking kerb to 199kg wet, the BMW S 1000 RR HP4 doesn't get any power increases but the weight reduction should subtly improve all dynamic aspects -- acceleration, braking, cornering.

Reductions in weight are brought about by new forged aluminium wheels, a new exhaust system, solo seat and a tweaked fairing.

BMW has also reportedly made changes to the HP4's launch control and traction control.

Of most interest however is the claim that BMW will deploy DDC, or Dynamic Damping Control on the S 1000 RR HP4, a system that will automatically adjust damping rates based on what the rider is doing.

If this turns out to be the case, it would be the first use of such technology in the motorcycle market.

Many high end passenger cars use automatic damping systems, which are computer controlled and react to input from various sensors dotted around the vehicle, measuring yaw rate, wheel speed, throttle position and so on to determine how stiff the dampers need to be.

Watch this space.