This is one stunning piece of kit. Few production bikes have the awesome visual impact of an‘ M’ BMW, but more importantly, very few have the seriously impressive performance to back those looks up … BMW’ s M1000XR is the lightest and most powerful cross-over bike on the planet. It has 201 fully grown horses and a redline of 14,600rpm to be exact – yes, 201hp, and, yes, 14,600rpm. As a cross-over machine this M machine is a full-on, real-deal, ultra-high-performance road bike, but with longer suspension travel to iron out our public roads, decent ergonomics for long and comfortable hours in the saddle and some effective weather protection. Sounds perfect, right? Let’ s dig in and see.
MMM COOL This whole machine reeks of cool and is dripping with carbon artistry. Immaculate carbon body panels are everywhere. The lightweight carbon wheels alone have probably absorbed enough CO2 to off-set global warming bells. Awesome. The more you look at the details, the cooler the M bike gets. There are M brakes and winglets, very cool adjustable foot-pegs, brake and
gearshift levers. The small-ish screen is hand adjustable too, which I like. Okay, the screen itself could be a bit larger for better overall weather protection, but that would no doubt mess with the looks, or the aero at some colossal speed. It is the hand adjustment I like – simple and effective. Speaking of colossal speed, the winglets apparently deliver 11.4kg of down force at 136mph, about 220km / h in decimal money. Which is no doubt amazing, but I didn’ t notice much effect while lane splitting or even at the heady heights of 100km / h … our legal limit. That doesn’ t stop them being beautifully crafted from premium carbon. However, what is very noticeable is how light the BMW feels when lane splitting and in general use. I would put this down to the carbon wheels, the wide, high and straight handle bars giving commanding control and its overall lack of weight – BMW claims 223kg wet with 18 litres of fuel( 90 % full). The M1000XR truly has a delightful handling feel that seems to blend fantastic agility with precise accuracy and a planted, poised feeling like few bikes I’ ve ever ridden. Wonderful.
KIWI RIDER 71