2016 Bmw S1000xr

Ignition

BMW R1200RS KIM 350 SX-F HONDA AFRICA TWIN RIDE CRAFT BIKE LIFE

THE RIDE STARTS HERE

2016 BMW S1000XR

CW FIRST RIDE

RR TOURING: With the SIOOORR’s DNA and with the practicality and versatility of an upright ADV, the XR makes high performance comfortable.

BY THE NUMBERS

2.6 INCHES: is the ditterence between the avaiIab~e taIl (33.7) seat and uvv seat/lowered suspension (31.1 option.

THE NEW BMW 5100 OXR MULTIPLE ATTRIBUTES:

• Sport Roadster •Touring • Eriouro • Urban

Four-cylinder, upright, asphalt adventurer

Blake Conner

You might not realize it, but BMW's S1000XR is really the bike you need, even if you don't like the tall "quasi ADV meets The Jetsons" appearance. But after you ride it, you realize that it speaks to your emotions and fires up your adrenal glands with its high-performance engine and incredibly capable chassis, which has an upright and commanding seating position.

We had waited for months to ride this new adventure-tourer, whose engine has been plucked from one of the most significant sportbikes ever made: the SioooRR. In the SioooXR, the gggcc inline-four puts out a claimed 160 hp at 11,000 rpm versus 199 for the RR. The last S1000R roadster we tested on the dyno put out 150 hp and 77 pound-feet of torque at the rear wheel, so we expect the XR will be similar.

In standard form, the SioooXR has two ride modes: Road and Rain. Other standard fare includes Automatic Stability Control, with basic traction and wheelie control that work in conjunction with the more basic standard ABS. But if you tick the option box for Ride Modes Pro, TC is upgraded to the more sophisticated Dynamic Traction Control, while two additional ride modes are accessible including Dynamic and Dynamic Pro. The real difference here is the updated sensor box, which detects the bike’s bank angle and applies TC accordingly.

My SioooXR tester was heavily optioned with Ride Modes Pro, D-ESA, and ABS Pro, plus Gear Shift Assistant Pro, which allows clutchless upshifts and downshifts. After starting out in the Rain mode, it didn’t take long for me to switch over to Road. On the wet tarmac, grip from the standard Bridgestone T30 sporttouring tires was quite good, and shutting off the DTC didn’t even create too much drama.

With the majority of bikes in this category using twoor three-cylinder power, I thoroughly enjoyed this application of BMW’s inline-four. The electronics allow the engine to be almost anything you want it to be—mellow and smooth or snappy and aggressive. The engine is totally tractable, with excellent bottomto midrange grunt, capped off by excellent top-end. Fueling is well mapped, while the rider aids do their job without making themselves unwelcome. My only complaint about the engine? It tended to deliver a fair amount of vibration through the tall and wide handlebar at cruising speed, which could get old on a long ride.

The BMW chassis is anchored by an aluminum frame and a dual-sided swingarm. Wheelbase, compared to the SioooR’s, has grown by a significant 4.3 inches. At 61 inches, the XR wheelbase is just a tad shorter than the KTM1190 Adventure’s and a tad longer than the BMW GS’s.

With wet roads the order of the day, I spent most of my time in the Road D-ESA setting and selected the single-rider preload setting. With our route encompassing a mixture of highway, country lanes, and back roads with lots of patches and broken pavement still being repaired from the winter, it was an ideal test for the suspension.

If there is any single option package you should choose for the XR, make sure it includes D-ESA. In short, the system works as advertised, providing excellent damping in every riding condition.

As with BMW’s “go” modes, you can also upgrade its “slow down” mode with ABS Pro. This bankangle-sensitive ABS was first available as an option on the HP4 superbike, but for the first time it’s now an option on a regularproduction BMW. The system allows aggressive ABS to be applied even when the bike is leaned over, providing optimal braking in every condition. During the course of the day, I had a couple of opportunities to tax the ABS and was impressed.

After riding the XR hard and fast in a wide variety of conditions, I walked away with the sense that the 2016 BMW S1000XR is going to give the other players in this league a good run for their money. BMW has managed to build a bike that blends the excellent travel traits of the GS/A twins with the sportiness of the S series. It’s one hell of a lot of fun, a practical and comfortable adventure-touring machine.

2016 BMW S1000XR

ENGIE TYPE liquid-cooled inline-four

DISPLACEMENT 999cc

SEAT HIGHT 33.1 in.

FUEL CAPACITY 5.2 gal.

CLAIMED WEIGHT 502 1b.

$15,350