First ride: BMW S 1000 XR

BMW Motorrad has a much-envied reputation for creating motorcycle market niches. When most manufacturers are deepening their furrowed brows trying to find conquest markets, BMW simply bobs up and does just that. Motorcycle marketing alchemy. Time and again.

Can you remember how you felt when you looked at the first four-valve R 1100 GS when it hit the world stage back in 1993? It was pig ugly, weirdly specced and was, in fact, answering a question no one was asking. There were quite a few learned pundits giggling behind their hands. "Just what is it?" was the thrust of much popular scuttlebutt.

No-one is giggling any more. Not now that around 600,000 GSs have clambered out of Berlin to competently tackle both the world’s drudging commutes and its roads-less-travelled. Yes girls and boys, that was the world’s very first modern, high-volume dualsport. The fact that in 2015 every major brand carries one, and in many cases the model represents that brand’s top-selling bike, is testament to BMW’s incredible market savvy.
And so, the tradition continues with the canny Bavarian mob’s S 1000 XR.

Welcome to BMWs world of 'Adventure Sport'. Where performance meets smart ergos. The good things about the dualsport segment – long travel suspension, plush seating position, room for high-end hard luggage etc – combined with a mad powertrain that has enough grunt to see off just about anything on a twisty bit of tarmac. And, you’ll arrive at your hotel room first, as fresh as a daisy, while your sports bike mates will be thumbing the Yellow Pages in search of the local chemist and chiropractor. Yep, BMW has done it again.

TECHNICAL MARVEL
So, what do we have here? Well, BMW has taken its phenomenal 999cc in-line four out of its remarkable S 1000 RR, backed it off by28kW peak power to 118kW and dumped it into a tall perimeter dualsport frame. Brilliantly, torque numbers are similar to those of the RR at 112Nm.

The XR has all the electronic smarts of its sporty brethren, along with a good deal more long-distance rider-focussed features. Cop this lot:
As standard, the S 1000 XR has a pair of ride modes: Road and Rain. You get Automatic Stability Control, with basic traction and wheelie control that work in conjunction with the more basic standard ABS. Spend a bit more and go for Ride Modes Pro TC to get Dynamic Traction Control and the ante is upped significantly, while two additional ride modes are accessible including Dynamic and Dynamic Pro. Here the more techo sensor detects the bike’s lean angle and applies Traction Control as required, while allowing the more experienced rider to explore the bike’s real limits with less wheelie and traction intervention.

Dynamic ESA (Electronic Suspension Adjustment) is also available. The rider can select from three preload options (that can be further tweaked in the settings menu), and then select the D-ESA setting, either Road or the stiffer Dynamic. The system adapts damping in milliseconds based on information provided to the ECU from the lean-angle sensor, throttle position, DTC, ABS, and spring-travel sensor.

You can plump for Ride Modes Pro, D-ESA, and ABS Pro, plus Gear Shift Assist Pro, which allows clutchless upshifts and downshifts. You getting all this?

Now, ABS Pro is lean-angle-sensitive ABS. This made its first appearance as an option on the HP4 superbike, but this is the first time you can get the system on a full-on  production BMW. The system allows full-on ABS to be applied even when the bike is leaned over. Of course, you can turn it off completely if so desired. In Road and Rain, maximum stability is the goal with no rear-wheel lift. In Dynamic, it will allow small stoppies, while in Dynamic Pro, full priority is given to the shortest stopping distance, even if it means the rear tyre is off the ground.

ON THE ROAD
Rightio. That’s the maths, how about the poetry. Well, the bike’s road-going performance in real-world applications is quite breathtaking. Sit up in that supremely comfortable riding position, twist that right grip and watch the horizon slide toward you at a remarkable rate.

The engine screams like a Formula One car (before they were made to sound like 3.8 litre V6 Holdens), the quickshift slipping through ratios like a thief in the night and the electronics all working for you, makes riding the XR a sublime experience.

I opted for the Dynamic Pro setting most of the time, and in that setup, I’m not sure there would be much to touch the bike in twisty going. It really is that good.

Downshifting with the powershifter is less fun. It works fine, but feels clumsy at lower speeds. I just stuck to clutched downshifts in slower going and traffic operations (old traditionalist me), and normal transmission was resumed (see what I did there?). Of course, when pushing on, clutchless downshifts are seamless, with the bike seeming to appreciate the dynamics provided by trailing-throttle loaded sport operation. It shines there, and let’s face it, that’s where it matters.

Ergos are good, there are of course hard bags available and the addition of cruise control is smart. Long hauls are made decidedly more comfortable when you can relax your right wrist from time to time.

I found the instrument cluster too small and certainly complicated to read. There is just so much information displayed that it all becomes a bit of a jumble, and further, sunglasses diffuse the readouts. Most of the stuff is set and forget, so an owner would soon work out where his/her focus should go, but I reckon the whole deal could have been larger and therefore less confusing.

The seat and screen have clearly gone through the rigorous BMW test schedule. More than once, I would suggest. BMW has a special direct hotline to the ergo-gods, and it has made the call with this one. The seat to bar stretch is perfect, as is adjustable-height seat to peg relationship. It’s a hallmark of the brand and that’s what you are paying the significant base price of $21,190 for. The little things are absolutely correct and comprehensively thought out.

Now, to looks. Some will suggest it has a head only a mother could love, others will revel in its angular purposeful stance.

It’s fair to say that this thing is all about the job at hand, and its visage looks more appropriate on the open road than emerging from an underground car park in inner city Sydney. Horses for courses there.

SUMMARY
BMW has done it again. It has created a bike that fills a small niche. One for which others have built bikes (Honda Crosstourer, Kawasaki Versys, Triumph Tiger etc), but taken it further, with the likely upshot that the segment will significantly widen.

The technical advancement here is important. That’s a lot of stuff to go wrong, and you can bet it won’t be cheap to fix if it does. That said, the thing will very probably prove incredibly reliable. The upside is to be found in the user-friendliness provided by the electronics suite on offer. These are not gimmicks; rather real world, significant advancements in motorcycle operation.

And that, my friends, is seriously game-changing stuff.

Bravo BMW.

PERFORMANCE
Claimed maximum power: 118kW at 11,000rpm
Claimed maximum torque: 112Nm at 9250rpm

TRANSMISSION
Type: Six speed
Final drive: Chain

CHASSIS AND RUNNING GEAR
Frame: Aluminium perimeter
Front suspension: 46mm inverted, adjustable for compression and rebound  (optional Electronic Suspension Adjustment)
Rear suspension: Monoshock, adjustable for preload and rebound
Front brakes: Twin 320mm discs, four-piston radial calipers
Rear brake: Single 267mm disc, two-piston caliper
Wheels: Cast aluminium
Tyres: Front 120/70ZR17, rear 190/55ZR17

DIMENSIONS AND CAPACITIES
Claimed wet weight: 228kg
Rake: 25.5 degrees
Trail: 117mm
Seat height: 840mm
Wheelbase: 1548mm
Fuel capacity: 20 litres

OTHER STUFF
Price: $21,190 plus on-road costs
Colours: Racing Red, Light White
Bike supplied by: BMW Motorrad Australia, bmwmotorrad.com.au
Warranty: 24 months, unlimited kilometres