BMW S 1000 RR Public Debut at Monza
- From: 'the Wire' | Published: May 9th, 2009 - 9:00 pm
Right on time for the World Superbike Championship race at the tradition-steeped high-speed track in the royal park of Monza, the new BMW S 1000 is in the pit lane and ready to go: BMW Motorrad’s first ever superbike.
With a completely newly developed innovative 4-cylinder in-line engine with 193 bhp and a weight of just 204 kg fully fuelled and 183 kg dry weight, this supersports bike sets the benchmark – not just in terms of power-to-weight ratio. With the lightest Race ABS weighing just 2.5 kg and the traction control system DTC (Dynamic Traction Control) as a special equipment feature, it also brings new standards to the areas of riding dynamics, riding safety and innovation.
When this new BMW motorcycle starts in the 2009 World Superbike Championship, it will be possible to see how close the serial production model is to the racing bike. To achieve this, the serial motorcycle offers a vehicle concept which is absolutely consistent in all areas: top output, broad engine speed range, high revving ability, optimum rigidity of the chassis and a perfect engine set-up are a requirement. But also easy ridability, agile handling and especially safety features such as rider assistance systems like ABS and traction control are at the top of customer wish-lists in the top league of supersports motorcycles nowadays.
BMW Motorrad Motorsport Team Manager speaks out
In one of the most eagerly anticipated motorsport debuts of recent years, BMW Motorrad took to the track in the Superbike World Championship for the first time on 1 March 2009. With a rider line-up sure to make many teams in the paddock envious, the BMW Motorrad Motorsport Team embarked on its first full season in the Championship.
Now, five rounds into the season, the BMW S 1000 RR machines of Troy Corser and Ruben Xaus have established themselves in the World Superbike Championship – widely recognised as the world’s most competitive form of two-wheeled race action. With the BMW Motorrad Motorsport Team scoring points in each of the ten races so far in the 2009 Championship, the future is looking promising for an outfit that’s still finding its feet on the world stage.
Team Manager Rainer Baumel reveals that he’s happy with the start to this maiden World Superbike season. “I am satisfied with the first races – our position reflects where we expected our bikes to be,” he says. “Our target was to be in the top ten in some races at the beginning of the season, so everything is going according to plan.”
Rainer has been part of the project since its infancy in 2007, but has a long association with BMW Motorrad, having written his diploma with the German company, before returning to Munich after a four-year stint as a respected motorcycle journalist. Thanks to his vast experience in the motorcycle industry and a dedication to succeed – a vision shared with all those involved with the BMW Motorrad Motorsport Team venture – the team was formed soon after and work began putting together a successful World Superbike Championship outfit.
Rainer admits that getting the team off the ground has been a difficult task, adding that the pressure has reached its pinnacle in recent months. “The really hard thing was to have so many tasks ongoing at the same time, such as building up the workshop, employing people and preparing all the equipment like trucks, crates and pit equipment,” he says. “We also had to develop a race bike for the first time, so in the last month we have been under a lot of pressure, but out of all this pressure a wonderful team has been formed.”
Although Rainer’s position in the BMW Motorrad Motorsport squad is vital to its ongoing success, the most important members of the BMW Motorrad Motorsport Team are the S 1000 RR machines that have propelled both Corser and Xaus into the thick of the action in every race of the season so far. But if the introduction of the BMW Motorrad Motorsport Team to the world of racing was eagerly anticipated, the introduction of the S 1000 RR to the general public has been ‘off the scale’.
“The main focus has been to show the potential of the BMW S 1000 RR as a machine in the top class of world motorcycle racing, and more broadly, the potential of BMW to build competitive bikes for the sport market,” Rainer says of the WSBK project “The second objective was to use the data gained from our race activities as a tool for the development of the bike.”
Having worked closely with the bike for a number of months, Rainer is well placed to suggest that the hype is justified. “I believe the S 1000 RR road bike is ahead of its competitors in the supersport class,” he says. “The major strengths are the powerful engine, the very slim package of the bike and the available rider assistance systems.”
With state-of-the-art machinery and the heritage and reputation of BMW Motorrad already secured, the BMW Motorrad Motorsport Team set about looking for the two riders that would complete the picture. A ride in the World Superbike Championship is well sought after, so finding two riders willing to join the squad wasn’t a problem. But, finding two riders with the knowledge, experience and maturity to help develop the S 1000 RR in its first year in the championship was a trickier prospect. Ultimately, Rainer opted for two very different, but equally experienced riders – Troy Corser and Ruben Xaus.
“First of all, both riders are extremely professional, good team players and are very grounded, which makes the team life very effective and relaxed,” Rainer comments. “Troy is an incredible development rider and Ruben is a big fighter in the race.”
The decision to entrust Corser and Xaus with BMW Motorrad’s entry into the World Superbike Championship was vindicated in the first race of the season in Phillip Island, when Australian Corser incredibly set the fastest lap of race one. Then in race two Xaus finished in an admirable 11th place, ahead of seasoned veterans Carlos Checa, Max Biaggi and Shinya Nakano.
Despite being happy with his team’s start to its maiden season in the World Superbike Championship, Rainer refuses to become complacent. “Our target is to close up to the top teams as much as possible by the end of the season,” he says. “At the moment we face the problem of being involved in race after race until June, which makes it difficult to test and work on the set-up options of the bike. But ultimately, we want to be able to win races by 2010 and fight for the overall title by 2011.”
Judging by the start to the season, it’s only a matter of time before Rainer and the BMW Motorrad Motorsport Team fulfil their ambitions. Keep up to date with the latest chapter in this incredible story when the World Superbike Championship visits Monza on Sunday 10 May.
The BMW Motorrad development team entered completely new territory when it started work on the S 1000 RR. The task that faced them was enormous and they required a high level of motivation to set a new benchmark here – and this is what they came up with:
4-cylinder engines and aluminium bridge frames have been established in this peed league for decades. Riding dynamics, long-term durability and manufacturability all benefit from this principle. And BMW Motorrad succeeded in achieving significant improvements in virtually all areas. The European art of engineering is demonstrated here not just with many differentiation features in terms of technology, performance and design but especially in the bike’s highly compact overall conception.
Even though the S 1000 R is designed more uncompromisingly for supersports use than any other BMW, it has many of the virtues which have always been characteristic of BMW: it combines extreme sporty flair and riding dynamics with a high level of suitability for everyday use, easy handling and absolute ride stability, impressive performance, the highest level of active safety and a dynamic, distinctive design – while still boasting outstanding ergonomics and aerodynamics. Other characteristic BMW Motorrad qualities provide a real bonus in the supersports segment, such as durability, manufacturing quality and the best possible environmental compatibility due to state-of-the-art emission controls with two closed-loop 3-way catalytic converters to prepare the bike to meet future exhaust emission regulations.
The Race ABS, specially developed for the S 1000 RR and its use for supersports racing, is available as an special equipment feature ex works, providing a definite plus in terms of active safety when braking. The electronically regulated traction control system DTC (Dynamic Traction Control) – likewise an optional extra – also offers an enormous increase in active riding safety when accelerating. Whether on a wet surface (“Rain”), road (“Sport”), race track with supersports tires (“Race”) or race track with slicks (“Slick”) – the system offers the appropriate mode for all conditions – at the press of a button. In order to ensure the very highest level of performance and safety, the Race ABS and traction control systems are of course entirely coordinated with each other.
Intake and outlet valves in titanium and very small and light individual cam followers combined with a short tooth-type chain for the camshaft driven by an intermediate gear enable the highest level of speed resistance and precise adherence to valve timing while also occupying a small space. The result is a particularly low basic engine weight of 59.8 kg and a very narrow overall width.
The exhaust system of the S 1000 RR, made entirely of high-grade steel, has outstanding performance characteristics: designed according to the 4-in-2-in-1 principle with four equally long individual manifolds, it initially runs into two pipes under the engine casing and then into a large-volume front silencer. Finally there is a very short, dynamically designed rear silencer: after all, a homogeneous output and torque curve and thus excellent ridability are crucial requirements for sporty performance on the road and fast lap times on the race track. Linked to mapping, engine speed and throttle position, a control motor regulates the degree of opening via two exhaust flaps and the connection between the two manifold pipes. In this way, reduced exhaust gas counter pressure (similar to that in a race silencer) increases filling.
At a weight of 206.5 kg road-ready and fully fuelled, the S 1000 RR is by far the lightest 1000 cc ABS supersports model. The bridge frame in aluminium perfectly integrates the engine, tilted forward by 32 degrees, for optimum torsional stiffness combined with minimum weight. At the front there is an ample upside-down fork with 46 mm stanchion diameter, at the rear a torsionally stiff swing arm in aluminium with single suspension strut controlled by a relay lever. The rear frame is a welded construction made of light alloy profiles bolted to the main frame – this is especially appreciated by riders and teams in practice due to the low weight but high level of stability and a certain robustness on the race track.
The fact that the rider is the central focus is demonstrated by the active, concentrated and front-wheel-oriented seat position, entirely geared towards the rider and the bike’s use for racing purposes. The sophisticated ergonomics equally addresses the needs of short and tall riders. The fuel tank section is as narrow as in a 600 cc bike and gives the rider a sense of excellent controllability. In spite of the fact that the bike has the largest cylinder bore in the segment at 80 mm along with the resulting cylinder head width, the front silhouette of the S 1000 RR is extremely narrow. Nonetheless it provides a highly efficient cooling air through-flow. And it offers outstanding aerodynamics, too: with the S 1000 RR, BMW Motorrad offers its customers a vehicle which sets new standards in terms of performance within the supersports segment.
The paint finishes available highlight the unique, dynamic character of the new BMW S 1000 RR:
Mineral Silver metallic in conjunction with Ostra Grey swing arm and wheels provides a highly technical, clear contrast and gives the S 1000 RR an extremely light, compact and dynamic appearance without making it seem brash.
The colour option Thunder Grey metallic deliberately avoids such powerful contrasts, providing a compact look in combination with Ostra Grey swing arm and wheels
In bold Acid Green metallic the S 1000 RR makes a clear sporty statement. Here again there is a powerful contrast, impressively underscoring the dynamic character of the S 1000 RR. In this colour version the swing arm is anodised silver, with wheels in high-gloss black.
At an additional charge the new S 1000 RR is also available in a paint finish based on that of the superbike racing factory racing machines of the Team BMW Motorrad Motorsport. Here the bike is finished in Alpine White non-metallic, Magma Red non-metallic and Lupine Blue metallic. Once again the swing arm is in anodised silver and the wheels are finished in high-gloss black in these versions.
In all colour versions, the frame is black.
An additional visual highlight of all colour versions is the red spring of the suspension strut.
Here is an overview of the technical highlights:
Excellent performance figures and top level riding dynamics within the supersports segment
4-cylinder in-line engine, traditional upsweep of the crankshaft by 180 degrees for even ignition intervals, wet sump lubrication
Engine output 142 kW (193 bhp) at 13,000 rpm and maximum torque of 112 Nm at 9,750 rpm
Capacity: 999 cc, bore 80 mm, stroke 49.7 mm. The particularly short-stroke bore/stroke ratio of 0.621 is the basis for an absolute high-output power unit with the very highest level of performance
At a weight of 206.5 kg road-ready and fully fuelled it is the lightest supersports bike in the supersports category with ABS
1.05 or 1.06 kg per bhp (with/without Race ABS): the best power-to-weight ratio in its category
Special equipment feature Race ABS for outstanding brake performance and brake safety. The system weighs just 2.5 kg, while other solutions here weigh anything up to 10 kg.
Optional extra: traction control DTC (Dynamic Traction Control) in conjunction with Race ABS for excellent performance and maximum active riding safety when accelerating
The only supersports bike with Race ABS and DTC (Dynamic Traction Control)
Performance modes can be selected by rider by pressing button, covering wet surface, road, race track with sports tires and race track with slicks
Fully coordinated set-up of Race ABS, DTC (Dynamic Traction Control) and engine management for all four modes
Extremely speed resistant valve control mechanism with individual cam followers and titanium valves based on BMW Formula 1 engines
Innovative exhaust gas system with small, short rear silencer, front silencer and electronically regulated interference pipe valves as well as controlled exhaust flap and two close-loop 3-way catalytic converters
Optimum fuel dosage with maximum functional reliability due to e-gas (electronic throttle control) based on two Bowden cables (opener, closer) to the throttle valve sensor
Fulfilment of all valid environment standards with the potential to meet future exhaust regulations due to two closed-loop catalytic converters and digital engine management system
Damper elements with broad adjustment range in the spring rest and compression stage as well as large damping reserves, especially for use on the race track
New, clearly defined and therefore simple adjustment facilities for suspension set-up
Aluminium fuel tank unique in this segment – for further weight reduction
Thrilling handling combined with excellent high-speed and braking stability
Multifunctional instrument panel with racing features such as lap timer. All settings can be made directly from the handlebar grips
New shift generation with optimised ergonomics
Sophisticated aerodynamics and sporty ergonomics to suit short and tall riders alike
HP shift assistant as optional extra, to shift up without clutch activation or interference of traction.
Extensive range of extras and tailor-made accessories to high BMW quality standards
