2020 BMW S 1000 RR
RIDE REVIEW
P86
By any measure, the BMW S 1000 RR is a landmark motor-
cycle. Looking at the annals of modern sportbike history, the
S 1000 RR of 2010 was the first true digital sportbike, utiliz-
ing not just variable riding modes (something we'd only seen
a few years prior on the Suzuki GSX-R) but traction control
and ABS—something we now take for granted.
Rudimentary as it may seem now, the original S 1000 RR
was the lightning bolt that connected riders with the kind of
tech we normally see in high-end sports cars, and pushed
the motorcycle industry into a new way of thinking.
It's hard to believe 10 years has now passed since that OG
Beemer hit everyone like a sledgehammer. In that time, it's
seen two major updates, but that's all they were—updates.
For 2020, however, the S 1000 RR is ground-up new. Lighter,
more powerful, and faster everywhere than the old machine,
this is BMW putting its best foot forward with a ma-
chine that's been four years in the making.
The barnstormer that is the BMW S 1000 RR is all new for 2020.
We got a few laps on the beast at Barber to see what it can do.
The new S 1000 RR
is a spectacular
machine, but it has
one flaw…
THE NUMBERS
