VOL. 52 ISSUE 12 MARCH 24, 2015 P47
C
oming out of turn 11—a slow, sec-
ond-gear left-hander—I get into the
throttle as the back straightaway
comes into view, stretching out before
me, seducing and encouraging velocity.
The RPMs build with surprising speed
and the shift light catches my periph-
eral vision. Keeping the throttle pinned
I grab another gear without the clutch.
The "Shift Assist" provides a seamless
transition to third and the revs build
again with alarming speed, necessitat-
ing shifts to fourth, then fifth as the
pavement of the back straight blurs be-
neath the wheels. I grab sixth gear just
as I pass beneath the pedestrian tunnel
and glance at the speedo out of curios-
ity—174 mph. And I wasn't even trying.
As I come up out of the bubble and
brake for turn 12, I find myself thinking—
this thing is fast. More so; deceptively
smooth, even at speed.
BY JEFF BUCHANAN
PHOTOGRAPHY BY KEVIN WING
Six
YEARS ON
WE PUT BMW'S NEW
S1000 RR TO THE TEST AT THE
CIRCUIT OF THE AMERICAS
