2020 BMW S 1000 RR
RIDE REVIEW
P90
Spinning laps
on the 2020 BMW
S 1000 RR
Any time you straddle a new bike,
there's one thing that stands out
above all else—weight. Take the bike
off the stand and your senses are
immediately struck by how nimble
the BMW feels just at standstill, as
you rock the gas tank between your
knees.
The bike I'm testing is BMW's M-
package, which gives the rider sen-
sational carbon fiber wheels, lithium
ion battery, a different seat and an
adjustable swingarm pivot. BMW
claims this thing weighs a stunning
427 pounds, and I have absolutely
no reason to doubt that.
The second is the almost Tesla-like,
6.5-inch TFT dash that encompasses
more electronics than any bike I've
ever tested. To study and actually
work the dash takes hours. Every-
thing is adjustable—from the Dynamic
Should you wish to get the ex-
tensive nuts and bolts tech break-
down of the new S 1000 RR, please
click this link and check out Alan
Cathcart's in depth report from the
international press launch, held at
a sodden Estoril in Portugal a few
months ago. For this article, this will
be a seat-of-the-pants blast around
the impossibly beautiful, almost
country-club-like surrounds of Bar-
ber Motorsports Park.
(Right) This dash is
the biggest in the
production superbike
game and more akin
to something you'd
find in a Tesla than a
motorcycle. (Below) No
lopsided headlights
anymore. The S 1000
RR's aesthetic is
purposeful, mean
and fast.
(Left) The M-Sport
paint scheme
looks absolutely
stunning when you
see it in person.
(Right) BMW's
Dynamic Damping
Control offers
supreme road
holding, but it can
take a few turns
to really trust the
digital language of
the system.
