Cycle News is a weekly magazine that covers all aspects of motorcycling including Supercross, Motocross and MotoGP as well as new motorcycles
Issue link: https://magazine.cyclenews.com/i/1537729
2025 BMW M 1000 RR ($34,040, BASE MODEL) ENGINE Inline 6-cylinder VALVETRAIN 16-valve, DOHC, BMW ShiftCam intake variable timing DISPLACEMENT 999cc BORE X STROKE 80 x 49.7mm COMPRESSION RATIO 14.5:1 COOLING SYSTEM liquid MAX POWER (CLAIMED) 205 hp @ 13,000 rpm MAX TORQUE (CLAIMED) 83 lb-ft @ 11,100 rpm FUEL SYSTEM Electronic injection, variable intake pipe EXHAUST 4-2-1 RIDER AIDS M Quick Action Throttle (58°), Slide Control, Brake Slide Assist, DTC, MSR, Wheelie Control, Launch Control, Pit Lane Limiter, ABS Pro Slick setting TRANSMISSION Six-speed CHASSIS Cast aluminum twin-spar FRONT SUSPENSION 45mm KYB fork, fully adjustable REAR SUSPENSION KYB shock, fully adjustable FRONT-WHEEL TRAVEL 4.7 in. REAR-WHEEL TRAVEL 4.6 in. FRONT BRAKE Dual 4-piston Brembo Hypure monobloc calipers, 320mm discs, ABS REAR BRAKE Single-piston caliper, 220mm disc, ABS FRONT TIRE 120/70 ZR17 in. REAR TIRE 200/55 ZR17 in. RAKE 24° TRAIL 4.0 in. WHEELBASE 57.4 in SEAT HEIGHT 34 in. FUEL CAPACITY 4.3 gal. WEIGHT (WET, CLAIMED) 427 lbs. P120 RIDE REVIEW I 2025 BMW M 1000 RR There's more than enough feel at the brake lever and cer- tainly enough stopping power, which allows you to keep focused on not binning BMW's pride and joy as you steer the chassis into the upcoming corner. And, if you really want to get funky with it, you've got BMW's Brake Slide Assist that will help you kick the back end out and drift into corners if you're not used to (or simply don't use) the rear brake. In terms of Instagram fodder, it doesn't get much bet - ter than backing in a superbike that costs well north of $30,000 and looking like a complete gangster while doing so. The BMW M 1000 RR is a motorcycle that makes you feel like a king slayer. It looks devastatingly handsome in the black, blue and red of our test bike, and, when paired with that rival in red, it represents the very pinnacle of performance sports motorcycles you can ride on the street. It's also one of the most irrelevant machines you can buy. It has almost no place on public roads due to its extreme spectrum of performance, but that's precisely why it's so important. These bikes prob - ably won't get much faster than this in the coming years. (They might, who knows? But I highly doubt it.) The M 1000 RR represents the very, very best in what a manufacturer can do for its paying customer. It's a halo bike, and a damn good one at that. What a superbike age we live in. CN Push your outside leg against the tank, and the chassis will tighten its line with obedience. The carbon-fiber wheels from the aftermarket M Competi- tion Package will see to that, and their reduced rotating/un- sprung mass, wrapped in gor- geous sticky Pirelli slicks, will thus help you accelerate out of the corner faster than you ever thought possible. Even though this is as head- down-ass-up a superbike as you can possibly buy, the ergo - nomics are quite comfortable for a six-foot-one rider with a 32-inch inseam and less flex - ibility than he would like, such as myself. Part of the M's rider posi - tion comes from inputs from Razgatlioglu and his teammate Michael van der Mark, who both like a roomy cockpit with wide-set handlebars that have a hint of supermoto about them. Having such a rider stance allows you to really take the bull by the horns and is a position arguably pioneered by Jonathan Rea, who famously likes big, flat MX-style 'bars on his race bikes. As such, the M allows you to move about the cockpit eas - ily, giving you a comfortable ride position that lets you ride harder for longer. When it comes time to haul yourself up from high speed, the blue M-badged calipers (for all intents and purposes, they are Brembo Hypure four- piston radially mounted cali - pers), mated to a Nissin radial master cylinder, do the job as well as anything on the market.