2015 BIG-BORE NAKED BIKES
P62
C O M P A R I S O N T E S T
2
nd
BMW S 1000 R
PLACE
T
he BMW's engine is a brute
of a thing, with immediate
punch off the turns that
simply ruin the Suzuki or Kawa-
saki. There's really not much to
separate the BMW and Aprilia,
although the KTM monsters both
in the torque department.
But the German engine is
seriously fast, with electronics
to back it up. Our test bike had
three engine modes (Road/Rain/
Dynamic), with the optional
Dynamic Damping Adjustment
(DDA, Electronically adjustable
suspension with soft/medium/
hard settings), plus traction
control that's either on or off but
has varying degrees of slip within
your chosen engine mode (Rain
for more intervention/Dynamic
for less), plus the quickshift-
er, plus heated grips, plus…
wait for it… cruise control!
Having that little switch
on the left bar is a massive plus
for the BMW, and if it had a nicer
seat it would make the bike hard
to beat in this test.
The DDA system is a boon for
quick canyon riding, making the
suspension stiffer and thus the
chassis more stable, however the
system could use a bit of ironing
out over sharp bumps when
doing sensible speeds. Ninety
percent of the time it's fine, but
some of the testers still felt the
conventional setup of the Aprilia
was a better option for all the
conditions encountered on test.
The chassis is compact with-
out being cramped and ideally
An electronic
tour de force, the
BMW will flatter
your riding with
sublime handling
and a He-Man of
an engine.
