Words: Jock McLauchlan / Photos: Geoff Osborne
Not too hot, not too cold, the S1000R
is BMW’s ‘Goldilocks’ naked.
T
he BMW S1000R is a big capacity,
naked street-fighter machine and
they are all the rage at the moment.
I’d even go as far to as they’re ‘on
trend’, unlike, ummm, me. In fairness
to the multitude of happy street-
fighter owners, there are pretty damn
good reasons for strong naked-bike
sales. Basically, the manufacturers
take a hi-spec superbike with all the latest, amazing
go-fast stuff, massage the ergos into a far more
user-friendly package and then re-tune the power
for more mid-range grunt that is much better
suited to road use. In other words they ditch their
uncompromising, uncomfortable and often super-
cramped (for me anyway) race-orientated riding
position for one that actually works in the real
world. Then they move a little of the frenetic top-
end power – that no one can actually use legally
on public roads – down the rev range where roll-
on passing power is more useful than outright
top end. Hence, you end up with a (still stunningly
fast) accomplished road machine with few of the
drawbacks of an ultra-hardcore, focussed race bike.
Part of the reason I love/loved superbikes is
the cool stuff they’re dripping with that aids