The 2010 BMW S1000RR a STATE of the ART BIKE Photos: BMW Motorrad & Erik Landrum

The 2010 BMW S1000RR A STATE OF THE ART BIKE Photos: BMW Motorrad & Erik Landrum

“Well, what do you think?” asked the BMW engineer before I’d even removed up product competing against well my helmet. I remove my helmet to reveal a foolish grin from ear to ear, “I feel entrenched competition with years of like I’m getting away with murder out there.” experience. They’ve reached their goal “What do you mean?” he inquires. with the new 2010 BMW S1000RR. “I’m riding so sloppy out there” ... jet lag I suppose, “that if I had to put a number on it, I’d say I should have crashed at least 10 times by now.” Forgiving This is not a term used to describe contemporary 1000cc super sport The engineer looked puzzled and concerned. “Is there something machinery. Anyone with time in the saddle of one of these bikes wrong with the motorcycle?” will agree. Slip up, and it will bite you. The arms race for the “Are you kidding? So far it’s done everything in the world to save lightest, fastest, sharpest handling and hardest stopping equip- me from myself” I reply. ment hasn’t yielded forgiving, easy to ride motorcycles. The conversation continued as I described in detail what on The S1000RR is forgiving. Through all of my mistakes riding earth it was that I was blathering on about. Woops, that should the very technical Portimao circuit in Portugal, I kept shaking my have been a high side, low side, nasty headshake, tank slap, locked head in disbelief that I was still upright. As someone once said, brake, flipped over backwards/forwards yard sale. I went on to power is nothing without control. Dynamic Traction Control explain my amazement that this bike was actually helping me (DTC) and Race ABS deserve the credit. Both systems allow the with my mistakes instead of punishing me for them like other rider to either preselect one of four different modes of operation 1000cc super sports bikes. or change modes while underway by pressing the mode button The look on the engineer’s face became like that of a proud par- on the right handle bar. After the mode has been chosen, it takes ent. In fact, you could sense the feeling of pride and accomplish- one minute to confirm it by pulling the clutch lever and closing ment from every member of the development team. the throttle. The information display on the multi-function BMW Motorrad has built the state-of- screen will then confirm the current set- the-art liter class super sport bike. This ting. The last mode chosen is always isn’t supposed to happen when a manufac- By ERIK LANDRUM retained when restarting the motorcycle. turer creates an all new from the ground #107532 The four modes of operation for both the

50 BMW OWNERS NEWS January 2010 January 2010 BMW OWNERS NEWS 51 DTC and Race ABS are Rain, Sport, Race, and Slick. Rain is obviously for wet conditions. The sport setting is for regular road conditions. Race is for a race track with DOT race tires fitted. Slick is for the race track with slicks fitted. Both systems can be deacti- vated separately from one another. dynaMic tractiOn cOntrOl (OPtiOnal) The DTC system utilizes a gyroscope (that’s right) under the front seat section working together with the ABS wheel speed sensors. The gyroscope works on a vertical axis (to detect wheelies) and a horizontal axis (to detect lean angle). The ABS wheel speed sensors detect if the rear wheel is accelerating faster than the front. Once activated, and depending on the mode of operation, if the system detects front wheel lift or rear wheel spin up, a signal is sent to the engine management system. The engine management system pro- ceeds to first close the throttle butterflies. Then, if necessary, inter- rupts fuel injection and ignition. The modes operate as follows: • Rain mode- maximum lean angle for acceleration = approx. 38 degrees, no wheelie allowed* • Sport mode- maximum lean angle for acceleration = approx. 45 degrees, no wheelie allowed* • Race mode- maximum lean angle for acceleration = approx. 48 degrees, no wheelie allowed* • Slick mode- maximum lean angle for acceleration = approx. 53 degrees • Leaning angle more than 23 degrees / no wheelie allowed* • Leaning angle less than 23 degrees/wheelie allowed (DTC off for 5 seconds) * depending upon acceleration and road conditions, the front wheel will still lift for varying, limited periods of time and at dif- fering heights.

A note from the lawyers: Although DTC/Dynamic Traction Control offers the rider valuable support and therefore represents a very sig- nificant safety factor when accelerating, it is obviously not able—just like Race ABS—to re-define, let alone change, the limits and laws of riding physics. In other words, the rider may still exceed these limits on account of misjudgment or a riding error, which in an extreme case may lead to an accident. e-gas The fuel injection mapping on the new S1000RR is flawless without the slightest hint of surging or hesitation detected. The 48 millimeter throttle butterflies are controlled by an E-gas or throttle by wire system. While operating in the Rain mode, maximum power output is reduced to 150hp. Throttle response feels like a complete half turn to full throttle. In Sport, Race, or Slick modes full power output of 193hp is available. The ride by wire system provides increasingly more direct throttle response from Sport mode to Race mode with Slick mode becoming a mere quarter turn throttle. The system comes with a safety mechanical link connecting the cable to the electronic control unit enabling the rider to close the throttle but- terfly under all conditions. race aBs (OPtiOnal) The Race ABS system, when active, operates as follows: • Rain mode- ABS on / integrated pressure buildup on / defined deceleration limit / ABS at rear, activated by foot on / rear wheel lift off detection on

52 BMW OWNERS NEWS January 2010 The 2010 BMW S1000RR

Opposite Page: The S1000RR is the only super sport machine with DTC Dynamic Traction Control and Race ABS. Top: The author puts the machine through the turns at Portimao in Portugal. Bottom Right: Getting a closer look are BMW’s Roy Oliemuller , Kent Kunitsuga of Sport Rider magazine, Pieter de Waal of BMW Motorrad USA, and Josef Mächler the Product Manager of the BMW S1000RR . An interview with Pieter de Waal starts on page 46.

January 2010 BMW OWNERS NEWS 53 The 2010 BMW • Sport mode- ABS on / integrated pressure buildup on / defined S1000RR deceleration limit / ABS at rear, activated by foot on / rear wheel lift off detection on • Race mode- ABS on / integrated pressure buildup on / deceleration limit defined for increased performance / ABS at rear, activated by foot on / rear wheel lift off detection off • Slick mode- ABS on / integrated pressure buildup on / deceleration limit defined for increased performance / ABS at rear, activated by foot off / rear wheel lift off detection off As soon as the rider pulls the handbrake lever, the pressure sensor integrated into the front- wheel control circuit switches on the brake light and the pump, the latter immediately delivering brake fluid through the open valve to the rear wheel circuit. The pressure set in the rear wheel circuit is measured by a second pressure sensor and is controlled according to the distribution of brake power required and the brake force generated by the rider. The third pressure sensor in the rear control circuit, finally, measures the brake pressure activated by the rider’s foot. Use of a forth pressure sensor in the front wheel circuit allows further improvement and even finer control of front-wheel brake pressure compared with former BMW Integral ABS II, since the system is able to compare the actual level of pressure in the control and wheel circuits. As a result, there is now no need for the usual throttle blades, which serve to provide an optimum pressure point and allows perfect dosage of brake power. All pressure sensors are integrated in the pressure modulator and the overall configuration of the system with its integrated pressure sensors now also avoids the need for a brake light switch. The use of these four pressure sensors in conjunction with the rear wheel lift-off detector (remember that gyroscope) allows even better distinction than before between a bump on the road and the rear wheel locking. The S 1000 RR is the only super sport machine with DTC Dynamic Top: The brakes are provided by Traction Control and Race ABS. Brembo and did a fantastic job on the course. BRakeS Bottom: The dog-shift six-speed It took me two laps around the Portimao circuit to stop smashing is very compact and light. The my groin into the tank while braking braking. These brakes are individual gears are shifted by a strong. Brembo provides the hardware for the job. Up front is a light, composite steel shift radial master cylinder utilizing a ¾” master piston to push the juice cylinder and shift forks resting to a pair of radial-mounted four-piston calipers with 34 millimeter on three points. Typical of liter pistons. The front rotors are floating and measure 320 mm x 5mm. class sport bikes, first gear is The rear rotor is a 220mm x 5 mm affair. The brake lines are braided very tall here. I never missed a steel for maximum resistance to fading and high temperatures. The shift and the ratios are well brakes almost seemed to get stronger as the day progressed. sorted. Gear engagement was always very positive. engine I know that a lot of you wanted to hear about this about 1,000 words ago. Relax. It’s fast alright. It’ll suck your eyes back in your head and that corner up ahead is a lot closer than it looks so get ready with those Brembos. This power plant sets all sorts of new standards for the industry. Power delivery is very linear without the brutish hit some liter class bikes throw at you. Max output is 193hp at 13,000 rpm. Peak torque is 82.5 lb-ft at 9750rpm. This is the most powerful engine in this class. Redline is a sky high 14,200 rpm fpr plenty of over-rev thanks to Formula One inspired engine technology. Cylinder bore is 80mm and the stroke is 49.7mm. The large bore makes room for two 33.5mm intake valves and two 27.2 mm exhaust valves per cylinder. This is the largest valve surface area in the segment.

54 BMW OWNERS NEWS January 2010 The valves are titanium and have 5mm stems. The compression ratio is 13:1. The engine weighs just 131.8 lbs, the lightest in the class. Despite the large cylinder bore, engine width at crankshaft level is only 18.23". The engine has a very low overall height of 22.0" and, tilted 32 degrees to the front, creates a very low center of gravity. It’ll switch from right to left quicker than Arlen Specter and back again. The crankshaft is forged from a single piece of heat treated steel and comes with the traditional 180-degree crank angle. Both the main and conrod bearing journals measure 34mm. The connecting rods are forged, extra light, heat treated steel units 103mm in length and weigh just 334 grams. The upper conrod opening measures 17 mm. Nikasil coated cylinder liners house forged lightweight box pistons with very short skirts. The pistons, pins, and rings weigh just 253 grams each. This engine revs very quickly. To remove and dis- sipate heat, the pistons are cooled at the bottom under high thermal loads by oil injection nozzles in the crankcase. Valve angle on the intake side is 11.2 degrees and 13.3 degrees on the exhaust side. The valves are operated by very small and light individual cam followers with an ideal transmission ratio of approximately 1:1. The engine is a wet sump design with an Eaton oil pump and 3.9L of oil capacity including the filter. An inspection glass is located on the left side of the engine below the alternator. A large oil cooler is fitted below the radiator. Coolant capacity is 2.9L. The engine never got hot despite prolonged high load operation. The engine spoiler helps direct cooling air to the oil sump and the exhaust. The alternator generates 434 W at 6,000 rpm. The clutch is manual, not hydraulic, to save weight and complex- ity. It is a 5.22" diameter wet clutch with ten friction plates. The pull is light and positive at the lever and even though I abused the ramp type slipper clutch mercilessly, the clutch never faded or objected. A stacked six-speed gearbox makes room for a longer swing arm in the interest of optimum traction. The dog-shift six-speed is very compact and light. The individual gears are shifted by a light, com- Top: The S1000RR engine cranks posite steel shift cylinder and shift forks resting on three points. The out a powerful 193 hp at 13000 primary and secondary shafts are positioned one on top of the other. rpm. Typical of liter class sport bikes, first gear is very tall here. I never Middle: The engine is a wet missed a shift and the ratios are well sorted. Gear engagement was sump design with an Eaton oil always very positive. Final drive is by chain, of course. pump and 3.9L of oil capacity HP Gearshift Assistant (optional): what can I say? This thing is including the filter. A large oil more fun than winning the lottery. Interrupting the ignition and cooler is fitted below the fuel supply for fractions of a second, it allows you to hammer radiator. away at your up shifts without concern for the clutch lever. You Bottom: The large bore makes should hear how it sounds as you row up through the gearbox too. room for two 33.5 mm intake Just remember, you still need that clutch for those down shifts. valves and two 27.2 mm exhaust A variable length intake manifold allows for an optimum torque valves per cyclinder. curve and maximum power. Depending on engine speed, an adjuster motor fitted to the air box varies the length of the intake manifolds through map control in two stages. Intake air flows through the ram air inlet between the headlights to the 7.9L air box. There it meets the vertically arranged plate air filter and passes, without having to be diverted, straight to the intake manifold. Ser- vicing the air filter is a snap by removing the cover over the top of the air box which sits immediately in front of the fuel tank. Overpressure within the air box from the ram air inlet is such that at 155 mph, approximately 5 hp of additional engine output is created. The stainless steel exhaust system uses a 4-in-2-in-1 configuration. For the best combination of street manners combined with track performance, the system comes with two interference-type butterflies within two connection tubes linking the two outer and the two inner manifolds in the immediate vicinity of the exhaust

January 2010 BMW OWNERS NEWS 55 ports. The collection chamber is mass centralized under the engine and leads to a short, light rear muffler. The Formula One inspired engine architecture yields a similar sound at high rpm’s from the silencer. This thing howls such sweet music. chassis The aluminum bridge frame is comprised of four cast sections. The steering head and side section (with its integrated forward engine mount) are tip cast. The rear section with the rear engine mount, the swing arm supports as well as the mounting points for the foot pegs are low pressure die-cast. A square aluminum tubing sub-frame bolts to the mainframe in the usual way. The frame seems to have the appropriate amount of rigidity without being too stiff as good feed back was received from both ends. The frame weighs just 26.42 lbs and uses the engine as a stressed member. Weighing in at just 403.5 lbs, this is the lightest liter class super sports bike with Race ABS. It has the best power to weight ratio in this class of just 2.31 and, respectively, 2.34 lb per horse- power without/with Race ABS. The steering head angle is a very steep 66.1 degrees and wheel cas- tor is a short 3.776". The steering is very quick without being twitchy, confirmed when avoiding that Canadian journalist who tried to take me off the track with him as he made an unsuccessful pass. A steering damper also helps keep things in check. A massive, double swing arm made of deep-drawn aluminum plates with a cast dish at the bottom holds things together out back. The unit is a torsionally stiff and light 13.72 lbs. To help put all of the S1000RR’s power to the ground, the swing arm is a longish 23.35" from pivot to rear axle. An additional 1.77" range of adjustment for the rear axle support (.69" forward movement and up to 1.08" rearward movement) is on tap for further customization of chassis set up. Move it forward to gain a little traction or rearward to reduce the likelihood of a wheelie. Wheelbase thus varies from 55.69" to top: Weighing in at just 403.5 57.46" with the standard wheelbase of 56.38.” The swing arm even lbs this is the lightest liter class has a variable height swing arm pivot inserts. super sports bike with Race aBS. Bottom: the final drive is by sUsPensiOn chain, of course. as for the Suspension on the new S1000RR feels firm yet compliant. I felt wheels, these are the lightest that a good tire contact patch was maintained at all times. The liter class wheels. Paint is damping indexers on the motorcycle are set up with adjustability applied as the finish for the to 10 clicks rather than the typical 20 to 30 clicks which create wheels because it saves extraneous minutiae. approximately 500 grams per The rear shock is a Sachs unit with 5.12" of travel. An eccentric wheel versus powder coating. insert (like the swing arm pivot) is used in the upper shock mount which allows the entire rear end to be raised up to 10mm. A single adjustment collar with a set screw makes spring preload changes easier than a traditional double collar design. Color coded compression and rebound adjusters simplify set up. Adjustability is offered via a high speed compression damping (braking bumps) and low speed compression damping (long, stretched out, undulating bumps) as well as rebound damping all with numbered indexers for clickers. Sachs also makes the fork, a stout 46mm upside down/male slider unit. The female tube is adjustable for height to 15mm. The front end can be lowered up to 5mm and raised up to 10mm. Adjustability on the forks includes preload, compression, and rebound settings once again with color coded, numbered indexers for clickers. Wheels and tires Very light, stiff, 10 spoke pressure cast aluminum wheels are fitted. Tri- angular geometry is utilized in the spokes for strength. In order to save

56 BMW OWNERS NEWS January 2010 the 2010 BMW s1000rr

top: Suspension on the new S1000RR feels firm yet compli- weight, the rotors do not use separate carriers but are still floating. ant. I felt that a good tire These are the lightest liter class wheels. Paint is applied as the finish for contact patch was maintained at the wheels because it saves approximately 500 grams per wheel versus all times. the damping indexers powder coating. Hopefully the finish will hold up as well. on the motorcycle are set up As far as tires go, the only of the three spec tires to be mounted with adjustability to 10 clicks that I have any experience with are Bridgestone BT016’s. I’ve had rather than the typical 20 to 30 good luck with these tires for street use (long wearing in the middle clicks which create extraneous and soft and sticky on the sides). They’ll be the most common liter minutiae. class size: front- 120/70 ZR 17 and rear- 190/55 ZR 17. Middle: Switches up front are of ergOnOMics the standard design.

The S 1000 RR is slender and compact like a typical 600. The seat/ tank junction is narrow enough to be comfortable. I wouldn’t say you sit down in the seat or up on the seat but rather sort of in between. The seat is not uncomfortable and the reach to the bars very natural. With all of the chassis and control adjustability, a wide range of riders should feel at home onboard. The windscreen even has pressure relief holes to prevent helmet buffeting. instrUMentatiOn A large, easy-to-read analogue tachometer dominates the display, accompanied by an LCD display embedded in the tachometer and a second LCD screen to the right of the first. Glare wasn’t a problem. The embedded LCD indicates speed, current gear selected and the Rain, Sport, Race, or Slick mode currently selected. The second display has a road mode which displays coolant temperature, a clock,

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and the odometer or a lap-time mode which displays current run- textured finish of the frame (cast components) but its visual ning lap, time of the last lap and current time of the current lap. It can impact is greatly reduced by the clever addition of textured, matte also be configured to display the fastest lap, best lap freeze, display of black trim pieces above and below the main frame spars. lap number, all time best, accelerator position in % per lap, time brake light was on, min/max speed on lap displayed and number of MiscellaneOUs iteMs gear shifts. The high-mounted shift light is large and easy to see. It • A toolkit is located on board. sits atop the two LCD screens and is adjustable in terms of frequency • The electronics system is a CAN-bus type. and brightness. The shift light even functions as an engine speed • Over 600,000 miles of final product endurance testing indicator for optimum, race style launches. In this capacity the light went into this motorcycle over the summer of 2009, 2/3rds will flash on and off at about 9000 rpm to take advantage of the of which occurred on race tracks. engines peak torque development. If engine speed is too low the light • The S1000RR is built entirely at the BMW Motorrad will remain off, too high and the light will remain lit. plant in Berlin. • Valve adjustment intervals are called for approximately BOdyWOrK/styling/lighting every 12,000 miles. This motorcycle is gorgeous but at the same time, very conventional in • Warranty coverage is provided for 3 years or 36,000 miles, appearance. Adding a very BMW touch, so as not to get lost in the whichever occurs first. crowd, the asymmetrically styled headlights are inspired by endurance racing with the high beam being the smaller, round light on the right. Pricing Another asymmetrical design cue is the shark gill styled opening on the • MSRP* : $13,800 right side of the fairing conveying a further, subtle touch of distinction. • Race ABS (excluding DTC) : $1,000 The small high beam lamp is also functional in that it saves • Race ABS and Dynamic Traction Control (DTC) weight and makes room for other electrical considerations. A very combined: $1,480 bright LED tail light set graces the rear, set in a clear lens. Turn • Gear Shift Assistant : $450 signals up front and turn signal / plate holder out back are designed • Anti-Theft Alarm : $395 for quick disconnect. Switch gear is of conventional design. The • Motorsports Paint Scheme : $750 fuel tank is aluminum to save weight. The fit and finish is top notch throughout as anyone who has owned a BMW would prob- ably expect. Sort of unavoidable, I suppose, for something so well *MSRP excludes destination, freight, license, registration, taxes, engineered. The only complaint some may have is with the insurance, and options.

58 BMW OWNERS NEWS January 2010 s P ecificatiO ns 2010 BMW s1000rr engine & drivetrain 999 cc Bore/stroke (mm) – 80.0/49.7 193 hp @ 13,000 rpm 83 lb/ft @ 9,750 rpm compression – 13.0:1 48mm throttle bodies 14,200 rpm redline valves operated by single cam follower 6 speed gearbox slipper clutch Multi disc wet clutch chain final drive1 sUsPensiOn 46mm Usd forks adjustable preload, rebound, and high and low speed compression single shock with linkage adjustable preload, rebound, and compression Pressure cast (forged) aluminum wheels 3.5 x 17 front 6.0 x 17 rear dual 320mm floating rotors in front radial mounted 4 piston Brembo calipers single fixed 220mm rear rotor single piston floating rear caliper sPecial featUres 1st time available race aBs & dynamic traction control (dtc) e-gas (ride by wire) that works with race aBs & dtc four settings: rain; sport; race; slick aluminum gas tank Built in laptimer Optional gear shift assistant variable intake runners asymmetrical headlights derived directly from endurance racing dry weight of 404 lb. 450lb wet with full tank, 455.3 wet with full tank and aBs. cOlOrs available colors are acid green Metallic, Mineral silver Metallic, thunder gray Metallic, and BMW Motorrad Motorsport colors. Black frame with all colors. Mineral silver and thunder grey come with Ostra gray swingarm and wheels; acid green and Motorsport come with a silver swingarm and gloss black wheels.

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