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/844701
BMW HP4 RACE FULL TEST P108 into the apex of a turn, especially at Estoril's slow uphill chicane, requiring me repeatedly to pick the BMW up again, and cor- rect my line. I've been riding on carbon wheels ever since 1994, when I began helping Dymag develop such a design by racing on them, so I know how greatly they influence turn-in and steer- ing, and I always recognize you have to be ready to compensate for them. You must focus on using a lighter touch in steer- ing the bike, which I'd honestly thought I was doing. But then I realized that I hadn't taken into account the even lighter weight of the new BMW's carbon-fiber frame compared to its S 1000 RR street bike sister's aluminum chassis I'd been riding earlier, as well as all the copious other black magic bits on this uber- lightweight motorcycle. This made the HP4 RACE's steering ultra-light, especially when flicking from side to side in the complex of corners from Turn 1 onwards at Estoril, yet without sacrificing stability on the faster bends. Truly the best of both worlds—the lighter carbon fiber chassis structure and all the other CF parts definitely make the new BMW more nimble and responsive as well as less tiring in chang- ing direction, especially at lower speeds, when it turns super-easily and hugs your chosen line tightly. This bike is faster steering and more agile than any other four- cylinder superbike I've yet ridden, making it too bad that BMW can't homologate it for WorldSBK! Carbon-framed motorcycles are like buses: you wait three decades for another one—ever since the first such bike, the Armstrong CF250 road racer that debuted at the 1983 Brit- ish GP at Silverstone—and then three come along one after another, each quite different one than another. First was last year's surprise packet, the Dutch-built VanderHeide with its carbon monocoque chas- sis incorporating the 6.3 gallon fuel tank, then came the 500- off Ducati 1299 Superleggera with its vestigial carbon semi- monocoque that's really just a CF airbox used as a structural entity, and now perhaps most relevant of all for future applica- tions comes this BMW, with a conventional twin-spar frame made in carbon rather than metal, but using a manufacturing technique that makes it cost- effective to commercialize. BMW Motorrad has chosen to start at the top by using carbon fiber ex- tensively to produce the highest- performance customer-available motorcycle money can buy, with the performance of a factory Su- perbike racer. But it's inevitable that the economies of scale will see a trickle-down effect that'll result in BMW's CF technology being applied to other models in its range. So what's next—maybe a G310R-based HP1 RACE? Don't laugh, it may very well hap- pen! CN S P E C I F I C A T I O N S BMW HP4 RACE ($91,000) ENGINE: ........ Water-cooled, DOHC, inline 4-cylinder, 4-valves per cylinder DISPLACEMENT: ..............................999cc BORE X STROKE: ................ 80 x 49.7mm COMPRESSION RATIO: ..................... 13.9:1 TRANSMISSION: ... Constant-mesh, 6-speed CLUTCH: ....Multi-plate, anti-hopping, wet TRACTION CONTROL: ............DTC 15-level adjustment FRAME: ..... Carbon fiber, monocoque RTM frame w/adjustable steering head angle FRONT SUSPENSION: .... Ohlins, FGR 300 Superbike World Cup, fully adjustable REAR SUSPENSION: ...................... Aluminum underslung double-sided swingarm, Ohlins TTX36 GP single shock, fully adjustable FRONT WHEEL: ...3.50 x 17 in., carbon fiber REAR WHEEL: .....6.00 x 17 in., carbon fiber FRONT TIRE: .............120/70 ZR 17 Pirelli Diablo Superbike Slick SC2 REAR TIRE: ................200/60 ZR 17 Pirelli Diabolo Superbike Slick SC2 FRONT BRAKE: ........ Brembo Racing twin disc, 320mm, 4-piston REAR BRAKE: ........Brembo Racing single disc, 220mm, 4-piston caliper Superbike World Cup fixed caliper SEAT HEIGHT: ..................... 32.1 - 33.3 in. FUEL CAPACITY: ............................ 4.6 gal. DRY WEIGHT:.................................322 lbs.