First look: BMW 1000RR
The machine, designated S1000RR, marks an entirely new model series for BMW, according to the company’s Motorcycle Director Hendrik von Kuenheim.” He declined to give too many technical details other than hints about the machine, but the pictures speak for themselves: twin-spar chassis, four-cylinder engine, chain drive and conventional front suspension instead of the usual BMW fare of shaft drive and Telelever front end. But it will still bristle with innovations like traction control and a “special feature” in the cylinder head that could help deliver competitive horsepower.
BMW will build just 1000 road-legal units of the RR before the January, 2010, World Superbike homologation deadline. Pricing has yet to be announced, but don’t expect it to be cheap; the limited-production HP2 Sport—which had some success at the Daytona 200 last month—retails for $25,375. However, BMW does acknowledge it needs to keep pricing somewhat reasonable, despite currency disparities that make it difficult for European brands to compete with American and Asian factories, so under $20,000 for a mass-produced version might not be unimaginable.
The company’s goal for its first year of World Superbike racing is modest: get in the top 10. The following year it hopes to get some Bavarian boots on the podium, and in the long term there are dreams of winning the championship.
Why compete in World Superbike? BMW has saturated the markets it concentrates on—touring and heavy enduro models—and hopes to get a large enough taste of the 100,000-unit-per-year worldwide Open-class sportbike market to bump company global sales to over 150,000 units annually. With the recent purchase of Husqvarna, BMW could realize this goal, especially if von Kuenheim’s promise of even more exciting models in the pipeline proves true.
Free’s 0.02 cents
I’ve heard a lot about BMW and its seems that they are steping up . But until I can see or experience a BMW 1000RR run down or surpass the performance of a Gsxr-1000r, I’ll stay on this side of the track.
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