WHAT ABOUT THE M1OO0R?

BMW has also given the M1000R a very tiny going over and had some available for me to ride alongside the more heavily updated S1000R.

- BIG MAC

The engine is now Euro 5+ kitten-friendly spec, it gets the same quick-action throttle, and the same update to the electronic algorithms that the S1000R got - and that's it, so in real terms, not that much the write about.

However, it is worth reminding ourselves that the M1000R is not an M1000RR without a fairing and fitted with the electronic suspension from the S1000R. It might not be pure M1000RR, but it is very different gravy to the S1000R. While it is a bit of a mongrel, it does have some M1000RR in it - only because the 2023 S1000RR does.

You see, BMW opted to bolt the 2023 S1000RR engine into the S1000R to create the M1000R, and the 2023 S1000RR engine is itself if a sort-of hybrid between the soon-to-be-replaced M1000RR and previous generation S1000RR. Essentially, it uses the trick cylinder head from the M1000RR with all its lightweight parts, aggressive cams and porting to gain the extra 250rpm, which is how the boost in power from 204bhp to 207bhp between the 2022 and 2023 S1000RR is achieved. The bottom end of the engine is S1000RR, which has a slightly heavier crankshaft than the M1000RR. The thing that commands the M1000R's £19,990 premium is the engine... it's all about the engine.

It's a bike that really impressed us last year when we took one to the Nurburgring, even though admittedly it took some of us a bit longer to warm to it than others, but by the end of the trip we all had developed a soft spot for it. It was the answer to our calls for more horsepower so that BMW could join in the supernaked party which the S1000R never really had the firepower to, and while we did spin some laps of the Nurburgring on it, the truth is that due to the unique nature of the place, none of us really could ever admit to giving the M1000R a good pasting on track until now.