2017 BMW S 1000 R

Why launch one bike, when you can launch three at a time in sunny Spain? BMW’s new S 1000 R Sport, plus R nineT Racer & Pure are put under the microscope beneath the Spanish sun. Well, for an hour or so...

- Benjamin J Kubas Cronin

Just my luck – every launch I’ve beenon this year has been underwater!The launch of three of BMW’s latest and greatest promised much, and though we had a single hour of dry time, the rest was spent under appalling conditions. Dammit...

The bikes in question are the updated S 1000 R naked hustler, and the R nineT Pure and Racer. Of course, though, the big interest is the bombastic S Thou’.

The engine has been re-jiggered to meet Euro 4 spec’ but via an extra effective catalyser rather than internal wrangling. They claim an extra 5bhp up top, probably via the ECU. The bike also now comes, as standard, with the HP Akrapovic exhaust. Nice!

The electronics system has been updated, and now features both an up and downshifter. There’s an extra custom mode available when you plug the ‘Dynamic’ stick into the port under the seat, too, which activates a pit-lane limiter and launch control, as well as enabling you multiple options to fiddle including switching the ABS off. The ABS is now the ‘cornering’ version.

Another big change is the frame (and new sub-frame), based on the latest S 1000 RR and helping to lop two kilos off the bike’s weight. Geometry remains similar, but the electronic DDC suspension is subject to the very latest (and brilliant) algorithms.

Smaller changes include the new vibration-free handlebars, a new dash angle to reduce glare, and the fairings have been reduced in size. What do these changes amount to? Well, the previous version is ace, just losing out to Aprilia’s Tuono 1100 by a slim margin. Now, however, it’s clear this bike will give the Aprilia a much harder time in 2017.

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