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Mar 23, 2023

MOTORCYCLE MONDAY: BMW's 2020 S1000RR

© 2019, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc. Editorial Note: This article was

© 2019, Roadracing World Publishing, Inc.

Editorial Note: This article was originally published in the May 2019 print issue of Roadracing World & Motorcycle Technology.

BIKE INTRO: 2020 BMW S1000RR

Estoril, Portugal

ALL POWER, ALL THE TIME

By Chris Ulrich

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I roll on the throttle andload the pegs as I push my body forward over the fuel tank of the BMW at theexit of Estoril Circuit's left-hand, 180-degree Turn Four. The front wheelcomes up slightly as the S1000RR rips up through the rpm on the way to TurnFive, a slightly downhill, fast fifth-gear right-hander with an open exit. Ibreathe the throttle to set the front suspension on entry, then get back on thegas to drive through the corner, and the BMW lights up the rear wheel as I grabfifth gear and accelerate down the straightaway toward Turn Six. The S1000RRpulls hard as I wind out fifth gear until I get to the braking zone for TurnSix, a slightly-downhill, long left-hand turn made famous when Dani Pedrosarammed Nicky Hayden during the 2006 MotoGP World Championship race here. Butthere are no torpedo jobs on this day as I grab the front brakes and downshiftto second gear. I trail the brakes off as I turn in, releasing the brakes as Iget to full lean, then let the bike drift wide before rotating the BMW aroundthree quarters of the way through the corner, and clip the inside curb to openup the exit. The rear wheel spins and the front wheel lifts as I accelerate outof Turn Six.

I am now at the point where the track getsreally physical, with a long acceleration zone followed by a fast kink, a longbraking zone, then another long corner followed by an acceleration zone thatrequires real effort to get through, but I wasn't in the physical or mental redzone despite the hot pace. For comparison, on the HP4 RACE in 2017, I hadstarted to feel some fatigue at this point on the track. It was then that Irealized that BMW engineers really have made the S1000RR easier to ride, andhave still gained performance.

—

The BMW S1000RR redefinedthe 1000cc segment when it was introduced in 2009. In the company's first fully-fairedinline four-cylinder sportbike, BMW engineers created a machine that raised theperformance bar for the category. Before BMW arrived, most 1000cc sportbikesmade less than 160 horsepower at the rear wheel, but the 2009 S1000RR put out185+ horsepower at the rear wheel, and the arms race was on! The first editionof the S1000RR had a powerful engine, handled on par with the rest of thecategory, and had advanced electronics for the time. It delivered pureperformance but was hard to tame.

The S1000RR also boostedBMW Motorrad's public image. The German company now had a cutting-edgehigh-performance flagship sportbike to demonstrate its engineering prowess,sending the message that the company was no longer only about touring andadventure bikes and opposed twins. BMW's new machine has claimed a chunk of 1000ccsportbike sales, too, the company selling 80,000 units worldwide since 2010,despite a challenging overall motorcycle sales environment. The halo effect thepowerful bike has had on the rest of the model line is also evident, with BMWmarketeers giving the S1000RR credit for helping BMW Motorrad sales grow yearover year. In 2018 alone, BMW sold 165,000 motorcycles and scootersworldwide.

(Above) Besides making much more power, the 2020 BMW S1000RR is also easier to ride fast at full-power settings on the racetrack, thanks to carefully engineered power delivery and chassis flex characteristics.

Record unit sales, a newmodel launch, and a change to an upper management team that believes in racingas an effective marketing tool also saw the company field an official factoryteam in the 2019 Superbike World Championship. BMW's desire to use the S1000RRas a marketing tool to reinforce the brand's high-performance credentials is stronger thanever.

—

The goals when BMW officialsdecided to build a new 2020 S1000RR were very clear. Create a bike that islighter, faster, and more powerful than anything in the segment. Build amachine that creates a revolution of sorts, like the first S1000RR did. Theground-up project took close to 300 BMW engineers 46 months to complete and theresults include 8.0 more horsepower, and 24 pounds less weight.

(Above) Because it's easier to ride hard, the latest BMW doesn't wear out the rider as quickly as the previous versions.

The 2020 model has a newtwin-spar aluminum frame tuned for optimum handling-enhancing flex (BMWactually calls it "Flex Frame") that uses the engine as a stressed member.The swingarm is effectively longer, the engine is all-new, and a new, morerefined electronics package is easier to adjust and more effective on theracetrack. So yeah, the new BMW S1000RRis set to redefine the segment again, with three models, including the baseversion, a Race Package version, and an M Package version. The hopped-up MPackage replaces the HP RACE and aligns the brand's performance motorcycle marketing with the BMWauto division'shigh-performance M-labeled model variants. The 2020 S1000RR is thebest-balanced, most powerful and most advanced four-cylinder streetbike in thecompany'shistory. What it really all means is that the bike makes more power, and thehandling has finally caught up to the power.

—

Because the S1000RR hasbeen all about power from the start, I’ll start the tech briefing with the powerplant.It is an all-new 999cc DOHC Inline Four with a bore and stroke of 80mm x49.7mm, a 13.3:1 compression ratio, and an advanced variable valve timingsystem. The new engine is 8.8 pounds lighter, 12mm narrower, shorter, and morepowerful than the previous version's engine, putting out a claimed 205 bhp at13,500 rpm and 83.3 lbs.-ft. of torque at 11,000 rpm. More impressive is thatthe S1000RR engine makes 73 lbs.-ft. of torque from 4,500 rpm and builds allthe way up to the 14,600 rpm redline.

The weight reduction in theengine was helped by shaving 3.5 pounds off the crankshaft, which allows theengine to rev quicker during acceleration while also helping braking andturning characteristics due to a reduction in centrifugal force. The connectingrods are also slightly shorter center-to-center, going from 103mm to 99mm.

(Above) The latest S1000RR has a more compact and much lighter crankshaft, without sacrificing power delivery.

BMW engineers wanted tocreate an engine with increased top-end power along with more low-end andmid-range power, but those are normally opposing tuning goals and it's usually impossible tohave the best of both—unless the valve timing changes midway through the rpmrange. Enter BMW ShiftCam Technology, which changes intake cam timing and lifton the fly. The system uses servo motors that can only be controlled by BMW'sBosch ECU to drop pins into a channel on the intake cam, which moves pairedlow-lift/short-duration and high-lift/long-duration lobes controlling each setof intake valves. Below 9,000 rpm, thecamshaft opens the intake valves with the low-lift/short-duration lobes toproduce better low-end and mid-range power, and above 9,000 rpm the camshaftopens the intake valves with the adjacent high-lift/long-duration lobes forbetter top-end power.

(Above) The Shift-Cam system uses paired low-lift/shorter-duration and high-lift/longer-duration cam lobes, which slide into position over the finger followers depending upon engine rpm, shifting at 9,000 rpm.

The intake port shape hasbeen changed to work with the ShiftCam system. The head has four valves percylinder, titanium intake valves with the center of each stem bored out toreduce weight, while the exhaust valves are made out of steel. The valves areactuated by short finger-follower rocker arms that are plated with DLC (DiamondLike Coating) and weigh 8-grams per unit, which makes them 25% lighter than therockers used on the previous model. The lighter weight valve train also allowsthe safe rev limit to be increased by 400 rpm to 14,600 rpm. The enginebreathes through a set of four 48mm dual-injector throttle bodies with variableintake tract length—the air-funnels (velocity stacks) change from long (forbetter mid-range) to short (for better top-end) at 11,700 rpm.

The stainless steel exhaustsystem contains two-three way catalytic converters. The mid-pipe and silencerare shorter to increase performance and improve the sound, and the system is2.8 pounds lighter thanks to the exhaust tube thickness being reduced from0.8mm to 0.5mm.

(Above) The S1000RR engine uses a link-plate chain to drive the cams through a central gear.

The engine is tiltedforward at a 32-degree angle; using the engine as a load-bearing elementallowed engineers to reduce the new twin-spar frame's weight by 2.8 pounds. Thegeometry has also been changed, with rake reduced to 23.1 degrees which, whencombined with a triple clamp offset of 29.5mm, reduces the trail by 2.6mm to93.9mm. Overall frame width at the base of the fuel tank has been slimmed downby between 13mm and 30mm, depending on where it is measured. This might not bea detail many people understand or pay attention to, but the center point ofthe bike is where the rider meets the fuel tank and establishes their base.Having the width right is important to allow the correct amount of support forthe legs to reduce fatigue, but not so much that is hinders movement. Theprevious versions of the S1000RR were too wide in this area.

(Above) BMW has caught up in chassis performance with its "Flex Frame."

The new chassis alsofeatures a works-style cast-aluminum-alloy underslung swingarm that is just overhalf a pound lighter than the previous model's swingarm. Measured from the pivot to theaxle, the swingarm is 610mm long, which is the same as the previous model's swingarm, but there isan additional 35mm of chain adjustment left to actually increase the effectiveswingarm length. Three options for swingarm pivot position adjustment are alsoavailable: Stock, +2mm or -2mm. The swingarm downslope angle in the stockposition sits at 12.54 degrees, which is about optimal for the balance betweengrip and linear slide characteristics.

(Above) The swingarm also has engineered flex.

BMW has switched to anelectronically controlled Marzocchi rear shock with a 46mm piston. The shock isnow mounted vertically and moved to minimize its exposure to radiant heat fromthe engine. Changes to suspension linkage allow the rear spring rate to bereduced from a 9.5 Nm to a 6.0 Nm, and the motion ratio for the rear shocklinkage went from 1.900:1 to 1.673:1 with a progression of 11.5 degrees. Whatthis means in the real world is more rear grip and longer tire life.

A set of electronicallycontrolled 45mm inverted Marzocchi cartridge front forks replace the 46mm Sachsunits used on the previous model. Like with the rest of the bike, the aim forthe front fork change was to increase feel reaching the rider without sacrificingthe balance of the bike. Reducing theslider diameter is a good way to do that.

Suspension action front andrear is controlled by BMW's Dynamic Damping Control (DDC) system. The Marzzochiversion of DDC uses a conventional piston that has shims to control the dampingforce based on the Riding Mode Selected. BMW engineers switched to a moreconventional suspension set up to give the S1000RR a more natural feeling onthe road and racetrack. There are four DDC settings available on the standardbike, and each setting coincides with a Riding mode. In the standard Rain,Road, Dynamic, and Race Modes the DDC is semi-­active—reacting to suspensionmovement and rate of change by increasing or reducing damping within a pre-setrange that can'tbe adjusted. Dynamic Mode gives more support and Race Mode gives the mostsupport. Full adjustment of the suspension settings is available in the RidingMode Pro, which is sold as an ECU upgrade. The semi-active feature is turnedoff in the Pro modes; damping changes are still made through the DDC functionin the dash, but the system is designed to do nothing automatically in thatmode. The way BMW engineers describe computer interaction between the modes issimple: Rain and Road Modes are 90% DDC and 10% conventional, while the Racetrack settings are 100% conventional. Again, the aim is to give the rider amore natural feeling while also allowing easy adjustment of suspensionsettings.

(Above) Making power and also meeting emissions regulations requires lots of exhaust system volume, which BMW engineers placed underneath the engine to keep the muffler relatively small.

As with all modern 1000ccsportbikes, the S1000RR comes with an advanced electronics suite with anever-growing list of capabilities. The 2020 version seems to be theleast-complicated, yet most­-advanced version yet. All strategies are based onmeasurements taken from a six-axis Bosch Inertial Measurement Unit (IMU). Thebase ECU setting comes with the four Standard Riding Modes: Rain, Road,Dynamic, and Race. Each riding mode has pre-set settings for throttle response,torque maps, ABS, DDC, engine braking, Dynamic Brake Control, and wheeliecontrol. As before, traction control can be adjusted in the standard mode, with15 levels of TC intervention—stock, stock +7, stock -7, and off. There are alsopre-set display options for the 6.5-inch TFT dash.

(Above) Race Pro electronics on the Race Package and M Package models include three settings, each with pre-set parameters. It's an available $250 option on the standard model.

Additional functionality isavailable by upgrading the ECU software to unlock the Pro Modes, which includethree setting options that can be customized to suit the rider's preferences.The software upgrades are included with the Race Package and M Package or canbe purchased individually for $250.

There are threecustomizable Pro Modes: Pro Mode 1, Pro Mode 2, and Pro Mode 3, each settinghaving a subset of adjustment that is customizable. For example, there are 15levels of traction control available in each riding mode within Pro Mode. Otherrider aids that tended to confuse riders by providing too much adjustability—for example, EngineBraking and Wheelie Control—now have three levels of adjustment. Tractioncontrol can be changed on the fly, but all other settings, including the mode,cannot.

BMW fans will notice thatthe new Bimmer has a symmetrical front fairing; the previous asymmetricalheadlight version was created with styling in mind, but the main reason behindthe look was to reduce weight. Separating the low and high beam lights allowedengineers to reduce the weight of the headlight package, but now, that's not necessary thanks toadvancements in LED lighting technology. The 2020 model has a sleek,symmetrical, aerodynamic upper fairing.

Cast aluminum wheels comefitted on the base model, while the Race Package gets forged aluminum wheels,and the M Package bike comes equipped with a set of lightweight carbon-fiberwheels. The braking components have been changed, and all three versions come with American-made Hayes front brakecalipers with 32mm pistons and a Nissan radial master cylinder. Front discdiameter remains 320mm. And for the first time, BMW is offering the S1000RRwith Bridgestone S21 DOT-labeled tires as original equipment.

The base model is availablefor $16,995, the Race Package adds $1,600, while the M Package will cost anadditional $3,700. BMW is expecting 2020 S1000RRs to available in showroomfloors late in 2019.

—

The day of riding consistedof five, 15-minute sessions for each rider/reporter. The press group startedthe day on Bridgestone Battlax S21 DOT-labeled tires before moving on toBattlax VO2 slicks in the afternoon. We all rode S1000RR models with the MPackage upgrade which is highlighted by carbon-fiber wheels and the Pro Modeelectronics package.

The first session of theday was spent rolling around in Pro Mode 2 with the traction control turned upto Level 3. It was a good opportunity for me to reacquaint myself with thelayout of Estoril while checking out the grip of the new pavement laid down inthe second half of 2018. The layout of Estoril is good for testing, combininglong braking zones and a good mix of slow, medium, and high-speed corners.

The new S1000RR made morepower than I expected and the power removal was much smoother than in previousmodels—which demonstrates that BMW engineers worked really hard on theride-by-wire throttle maps. At full lean and through the acceleration zone, theECU removed power, but then smoothly fed the power back in when the bike wasstraight up and down. My initialimpression of the ergonomics and chassis was positive. The bike turned inbetter and was easier to transition than the previous model, and no doubt thiswas helped by the carbon-fiber wheels

With the cobwebs blown out,I upped my pace in the second session, but I left the traction control turnedup just to see how the S1000RR and Bridgestone S21s reacted as I wentquicker. A lot of power available at mywrist combined with a street tire made for an entertaining session, but it alsoshowed how much the traction control strategies have improved since 2009. BMWuses a two-stage approach to traction control; the first is what the engineersdescribed as slow, or pre-control, which removes power based on lean angle andTC setting using the throttle plates. The second is by ignition cut, which is forfast, unexpected events, like a sudden slide. Think of it as the Save Your Ass(SYA) tool—and I used the SYA feature of the TC a few times on the S21 tires!Anyway, BMW engineers improved the function of the traction control by placingboth pre-control TC and SYA TC on the same channel in the ECU. Both systems getthe same feedback from sensors, allowing them to work in unison whenintervening.

On corner entry the ABS wasbusier than the traction control; I had a few more front-end tucks than I wascomfortable with as I went quicker; after four big moments, I backed off thepace and decided to wait for the slicks before I pushed any harder.

The real testing startedwhen the Bridgestone V02 slicks were fitted onto the bike for the afternoonsessions. As usual grip brings out the best (or worst) in a bike and the BMWwas no exception. I was able to get down to business with grippy slick tires onthe bike. I played with some traction control settings as the day went on, buteventually ended up on TC -2 because it had the right ratio of spin-to-powerremoval to allow me to turn better lap times around Estoril.

I really noticed thechanges to the ergonomics as I picked up the pace. The new fuel tank designallowed me to lock in my outer leg and support myself during heavy braking,which took pressure off my shoulders and forearms, while still allowing me tomove side-to-side without any hindrance. The seating position and seat heightalso helped take pressure off my shoulders, while allowing me to be agile onthe bike. You see a theme here? BMW's engineers paid close attention to thedynamic position of the rider to limit fatigue. And it was apparent on-track atEstoril.

The S1000RR engine has avery linear power band that delivers tractable power—the whole point ofvariable valve timing. The engine starts making good power as low as 4,000 rpmand carries it until the ShiftCam switches to the top-end setting as enginespeed climbs past 9,000 rpm. The throttle connection from first touch all theway through the acceleration zone is really good; the power is there, so youalways know where you are, but it isn't so much that the bike is unmanageable.Then it keeps pulling as the ShiftCam transitions to top-end power settings.Another power boost comes in when the variable-length stacks open to theirtop-end phase as the engine passes through 11,700 rpm. There isn't any big,defined hit along the way; the bike just keeps making more power and rippingthrough the rpm gear after gear! The power never goes away!

There's something about ABS and ripping around aracetrack that does not compute, and while the new BMW's ABS is better on-track than the previousmodels, it isn'tperfect—and nobody else's is, either. It still starts to fade (or intervene) after 3-4 laps ofhard riding, but it feels like fade. But unlike with the previous models, thesystem then remains consistent and predictable. (Sometimes the lever wouldunexpectedly come in to the handlebar on the previous models.)

The front suspensionperformance during braking was good, especially in the long braking zone comingoff the front straight into Turn One; the forks had plenty of support to allowme to brake later as I went from sixth to second gear, but still had good feelthat allowed me to trail the brakes deep into the corner. The biggestimprovement from Marzocchi DDC forks is the feel deep in the stroke; BMW engineershave managed to find the right damping setting and oil level to improve frontfeel from corner entry all the way into the middle of the corner.

The rear suspension workedwell on corner exit through the acceleration zone. I added some support to therear by changing the DDC setting to make the bike finish the corner a littlebetter. The feel from first touch of the throttle was good, and drive grip wasalso decent, as were the slide characteristics of the rear during hardacceleration.

I experimented with some ofthe other rider aids as the day went on, starting with the engine brakingcontrol. I tried moving the engine braking setting from the mid-range Level 2to the least amount of intervention, Level 1, but then struggled to slow thebike down without using more brake pressure than I wanted and I started missingapexes all over the track. So I returned to the pits and put the setting backto Level 2.

The middle wheelie controlsetting also functioned well, allowing the S1000RR to carry the front wheelduring acceleration, but not let things get out of control or slow the bikedown. That demonstrates that BMW engineers havereally done a good job with the most recent ECU and electronicsdevelopment.

—

By the end of the day, I’ddone all five of my 15-minute sessions including a lot of hard riding on the2020 S1000RR and I wasn't sore. In fact, I was barely tired, which says a lotabout the rideability of the bike. In 2009 BMW unleashed a high-powered weaponthat forced every manufacturer in the segment to step up their performance.They did, and they brought weapons that were just as fast, but easier to ridefor longer periods of time. Now BMW has responded and made one of the mostbrutal 1000cc sportbikes on the market also one of the easiest sportbikes toride without sacrificing any of the pure performance we’ve come to expect fromthe Bavarian company's engineers.

It's really good!

SPECIFICATIONS: 2020 BMW S1000RR Standard/Race Package/M Package

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