The real cost of BMW carbon wheels

‘If you have to ask, you can’t afford it,’ goes the old saying, but we asked anyway. Are you sitting down? BMW’s M Performance carbon wheelset costs a cool $10,875.38 (including GST). That’s 42 per cent of the cost of the bike for which they’re intended: BMW’s 207hp S 1000 RR superbike which, with a rideaway price from $25,670, retails for a comparative bargain.

But it pays to do your homework, and the smart money is of course to just opt for BMW’s S 1000 RR M Sport flagship which, from $31,990 (plus on-road costs), comes with the same M Performance carbon wheelset anyway. That’s on top of the track-focused ‘Pro’ riding mode, a pit-lane speed limiter, grippier M seat, lightweight lithium-ion ‘M’ battery and the hero white/red/blue M Sport livery. All up, the M Sport is said to be 3.5kg lighter than the regular S 1000 RR (193.5kg vs 197kg wet).

So what’s the deal then? Not all markets specify (and price) their bikes identically, so an S 1000 RR M Sport in Australia may not be exactly the same as an S 1000 RR M Sport elsewhere – particularly when it comes to compliance regulations with the M Performance carbon wheelset. The lofty standalone price remains an eyebrow-raising mystery, however.

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BMW says seven out of 10 S 1000 RR buyers in Australia opt for the M Sport anyway, so the chances of somebody buying the base model then spending $11,000 on wheels is slim. Especially when it buys a lifetime of fuel, tyres, track days, aftermarket upgrades and perhaps even professional rider tuition.

In any case, a carbon wheelset is something of a step towards BMW’s HP4 Race – the now-unobtainable, track-only bike featuring a carbon-fibre chassis (a production-bike first) and wheels, World Superbike-spec Ohlins suspension, MotoGP-spec Brembo brakes, race-calibrated electronics, a 215hp blueprinted engine and a 146kg dry weight. Oh, and a $114,500 price tag. And that’s if you could get one of the 750 units worldwide (Australia was allocated as many as 15 bikes all of which were snapped up).

Back in the real world, the academic cost of the lightweight carbon wheels could otherwise buy you a brand-new BMW G 310 R naked learner bike or longer-legged G 310 GS adventure bike, which have rideaway prices of $7130 and $8260 respectively, leaving you to pocket the considerable savings. You could otherwise spend about the same on a C400 X scooter ($10,260).

A quick flick through Bikesales’ classifieds shows 238 BMWs under $11,000 including a 2017 F 800 R (9300km, $9000), a 2016 F 700 GS (6600km, $10,000) or, for something classic, a 1982 R100 (64,000km, $10,900).

So what’s the big deal about a carbon-fibre wheelset?

Besides the obvious bling, you’re buying weight minimum, strength maximum and a healthy reduction in reciprocating, or rotating, mass, which is where your money’s really going. Less rotating mass means lighter steering and more-responsive handling when cornering and flip-flopping through a set of S-bends – ideal for a high-performance sportsbike. That’s in addition to better acceleration and braking on what is otherwise one of the best all-round production superbikes money can buy.

BMW says the M Performance carbon wheels are 1.7-kilograms lighter than the standard aluminium wheels, which were apparently already 1.6kg lighter than the previous model’s. All parts such as the 5mm-thick brake discs (up from 4.5mm), sensor rings, wheel bearings and tyre-pressure control valves are included in the complete wheelset. They accommodate 120/70 ZR17 and 200/55 ZR17 tyres front/rear respectively.

Developed in 1958 for the aerospace industry, the high-strength, super-light – and still-exotic – material first established itself in motorsport for its strength-to-weight and stiffness-to-weight ratios, which is much higher than conventional steel or plastic. It is made from a variety of raw materials, including yarns, uni-directional, weaves, braids, and several others, which are in turn used to create composite parts.

But carbon-fibre wheels are not new, and one of the best-known brands for carbon-fibre wheels in motorcycling is BST, or Blackstone TEK, of South Africa, the results of which can be found on the Ducati 1299 Superleggera, MV Agusta Brutale 1000 as well as Keanu Reeves’ Arch Motorcycles. You can otherwise buy a BST wheelset separately, which is understood to retail from around $A4000.

Between 2010 and 2017, the BMW Group had a joint-venture company with SGL Carbon, one of the world’s largest producers of carbon-fibre, to manufacture a range of composite components for its vehicles. This includes carbon-fibre reinforced plastics, or CFRP, which features in various body panels for weight savings in the German giant’s automotive and forthcoming iNext electric vehicles.