BMW S1000 naked bike spied

The cat is well and truly out of the bag: BMW will release a hardcore naked bike based on the S1000RR superbike.

Images of the German motorcycle have been circulating for a few days now, reportedly taken at one of BMW's test facilities.

Does that mean the spy photos were an inside job?

Whatever the case, the new BMW naked bike looks fairly polished, suggesting we could see it at the Cologne or Milan (EICMA) motorcycle show later in the year.

Missing the bulky fairing of the S1000RR, the new BMW S1000 -- as it may be called -- features wider, flatter handlebars, a compact bikini fairing and front cowl and appears to be running an Akrapovic exhaust.

Though the spy photos are a bit blurry, the bike appears to have an angular design and has a passing resemblance to the Aprilia Tuono V4R.

Product development has been somewhat quiet for BMW in the last year or so, the only new models being a a pair of 650cc maxi scooters, so this new super naked bike will be a timely addition to the range.

It's not yet clear how BMW plans to tune the 999cc powertrain, but the 193hp (142kW) inline four-cylinder engine is one of the most powerful in its class, so even if is de-tuned to deliver less power it should still be a potent unit.

The current S1000RR superbike engine outputs 112Nm at 9750rpm and we expect that figure to remain, but be more accessible at a lower rev range for the S1000 naked bike.

The same situation stands for the chassis - there's a chance BMW may leave it identical to the S1000RR superbike, and recalibrate the ride height and spring/damping setting. The other course of action is to use new suspension components to suit the bike's intended function (stunts?).