Blast from the Past: BMW S1000RR - The Birth of a Superbike Icon

[@davidelizabeth4933]

BMW crushed it right out of the gate. They did an amazing job identifying the best of what the competition was bringing to market up to that point. Then they went ahead and produced their own package while improving on pretty much everything. And all for a reasonable price! Continued applause for BMW and their ever evolving S1K. 👏👏 Today it's the best overall superbike for the money, in our humble opinion.

[@ringsting]

Yeah and still haven't won Jack shit, well only a mear handful championships

[@creedm3040]

Brilliant video! Just a couple days ago I was in my BMW dealership , and they had a ‘22 s1000rr on the floor. I did a couple laps around it and there is no doubt this is a work of art really. It’s a beautiful bike. I could have this bike in my living room. It smacks of Adrenalin. I love these videos from the “ professor” Neeves. It truly is an icon. Thank you for these insights. Best!

[@jamesbanksco]

Thanks for keeping us sports bike fans entertained neevsey!

[@NudaMan]

The s1000rr did set a benchmark in sport bike history with full electronics, I rode a 2013 RR and it scared the crap outta me 😂 made me wanna buy it instantly but didn’t have the cash at the time 😢 but now I ride a 2003 Yamaha R1 and it’s a handful lol

[@rasheedvitalis]

I’ve owned 3 GSXR’s and a ‘05 R1. I’ve owned 2 S1000rr’s and by far this is the best sport bike I’ve ever had. I knew when I saw it at the show in NYC in 2010 is was a head of its time. Great review of the history of one the greatest super bikes ever produced.

[@johnharvey5338]

I bought one in 2010, had for 2.5 years and did over 20,000 miles, loved it, money was tight so had to sell it, had an 05 ZX6R from new, went back to riding that and then bought an XR in 2015, still have that and it has 76,000 miles on it and valves still in spec.

[@muscleandimports]

My favorite generation of my favorite bike ever made! I will always own a 2011 in Thunder Grey Metallic.

[@jonathanmackie4884]

Another fascinating trip. I remember it was during my years away from bikes that I heard of a BMW inline 4 racing at the Isle of Man and being confused. Pipe and slippers bikes was exactly what I thought they made. So sought out some KZbin videos of this BMW superbike and was blown away. Nice to hear the back story to it all now.

[@benkelly2190]

I owned a 2010 acid green S1000RR absolutely stunning and heads above the rest! If only I wasn’t so broken, I’d have it back in a heart beat!

[@Arash_67]

Brilliant video as always with Neeves 🙏

[@desmopatrick]

Very cool! Never thought I would ride/own a S1000RR 😅👍🏻

[@officialryanelliott]

Fantastic video, thanks for posting👍

[@demon23ro]

I swear that your videos could be an hour long... and i would still find them an amazing watch and would still make me want for more.. great info and presentation as usual...

[@DarR1299]

Enjoyed this very much. Thank you.

[@abellopes15]

What a story. Unfortunately, never had the opportunity to ride one, but I firmly remember arriving at school and a teacher of mine parking one in the M colors and full exhaust. He was gracious enough to start it up during lunch hour and that's how I went on to have the best grade in History of Arts! Still can spot an S1000RR starting up kms away 😂 Thank you for these lovely insights.

[@2wheelsrbest327]

Thanks Michael another good one. I really had forgotten how we were all surprised when BMW produced this bike. Hopefully this will make you smile. Had British bikes moved over to Japanese and decided to try BMW. Well back in 1967 I waved my mates good bye as they set off to the TT. I couldn't afford to go myself. Anyway I was determined to get there one day. Wife and kids come along and so it wasn't until 20 yrs later 1987 when I set off for the TT myself. By then I thought I need reliability rather than speed so what better than a BM. But wait for it I brought the slowest BM ever a R45. OMG I cringe even now thinking about it. Honestly the TT on an R45. Needless to say when I got home from the TT it was exchanged for I think an FZ750 . Many bikes later after initially thinking they were tractors and after buying a CrossTourer Tiger 1050 & recently a Pan America I am now a devout GS rider. As they say the older I get the faster I was.

[@NickyLong89]

Very interesting video. Amazing to see the history of it and what it has now become. You’d have to say the latest M1000’s are very close to being best in class. I think it’s only a matter of time before it wins a WSBK championship. To win the IOM TT 22 was a phenomenal achievement. Proves the performance and reliability is there, what a machine!

[@number1Schumacherfan]

I think I still have one of the original reviews of the bike that plastered the cover of one of my motorcycle magazines. It took me 10 years but in 2020 I bought the newly redesigned K67 in Hockenheim silver…. It is something I will probably never sell. I would love to find a lower mileage original to have the pair of them… amazing machines

[@AustrisPhoto]

Thank You for fixing Your audio. It's a pleasure to listen ☺️ and great content as always 👌🏻

[@BMWSJR]

I’ve had 9x RRs in total from Gen1 thru Gen4 road and track so loved your video and didn’t realise the RR dates back to pre 2005. Good stuff mate. Look forward to a full road/track review of all 4x generations.

[@blackline66]

Great Video! Thanks for your time and hard work Michael.

[@razzaspencer7473]

Love the BMW S1000rr .... I was still in school when the first generation came out. I now have a 2015 model. Such a great bike. Not the most exciting 1k to ride but arguably the best all rounder. Loving these chat style videos neeves, keep them coming. 🤙

[@Schuey_M]

I love them, had a 2012 Gen 2, 2015 Gen 3 and now currently have a 2020 Gen 4. I haven't looked back and love the all round ability of them.

[@giovanniricci4369]

Since I can afford just one bike I’m definitely not in the market for a sport machine. However, the M1000r is the only one that brought me very close to cracking. Thanks for those posed, more intimate bits of experience that you share. ✌️

[@rackbites]

I have been waiting for your review of the 2023 bike ... I press refresh every 20 minutes waiting for it ... I've seen the other reviewers ... but your review is the most important. Ahh ... it's up now ... thx.

[@bsmukler]

Really great overview of what I find a fascinating journey of concept and development (and doubtless internal debate and struggle to fund the project and move toward production). Through this story, one can almost sense the enthusiasm of the designers and engineers as their baby took shape. I just watched the Engineering Explained video about the intricacies of McClaren’s Artura and there is a similar sense of brilliant and impassioned engineering. We live in a politically and environmentally challenging time, simultaneously blessed with incredible advances in science and engineering, and I find the excitement of sports bike design and performance representative of the best of our current level of technological prowess.

[@TheScortUK]

Remember seeing the metallic 'brown' one in the flesh at WSBK Donington in 2009, those shark grills were mad, and the bike looked amazing! Also sat on the RSV4 there too - felt like a tiny 125 compared to the 08 R1 I had at the time.

[@rogerkay8603]

Owned two BMWs, an F650CS and an F800GT, both great at what they did but hard to love. Quirky, but no real character, would love to ride an S1000RR though.

[@martinmoran89]

Top class content and really enjoyed seeing the snippets of past MCN magazines. I'm the proud owner of an immaculate Gen 2 RR which I've thought about selling but find it too hard to let go.

[@flatcapcaferacer]

Yep it's earned in place up there on the shelf with other motorcycle icons.

[@keithwaller4545]

Love your reviews, don't keep talking yourself down .brilliant keep it up. Ps bought my first mcn in 1984 👍

[@motorcyclin]

That piece on the Aug 8th 2008 cover speaking about “recession proofing your motorcycling” is very relevant all over again at the moment I’d say.

[@Markycarandbikestuff]

Another cracking video Michael, drooled over the bright red S1000RR at the Birmingham bike show, gorgeous thing but at at 25K fully optioned it's a bit out my reach BUT my (better off) mate is thinking about pulling the trigger on one in the new year which is quite exciting. No questions for you yet but keep making these awesome videos mate.

[@andrewlucas6214]

Great episode. I wonder if there are any first gen S1000rr’s tucked away that will become museum pieces? They certainly deserve their place in history. Not forgetting Isle of Man successes.

[@bernardo290499111]

Before buying my yellow 2011 i thought it was a unreliable overrated bike, i was actually looking for a new zx10r or gsxr, but i found the s1k in a good deal and my life hasnt been the same since, also came from mt09 and ‘23 636, the s1000rr is probably the best superbike ever, the first gen is the perfect combination of raw 2000s superbike and modern tech

[@samp6512]

I sold my beloved 2008 R1 few months ago and I'm waiting for 2014 s1000rr to arrive in next few weeks. Hope its gonna be a great bike for my touring needs.

[@tonebonetones]

Excellent performance machine. However. One silly design flaw, nontheless were revealed to me when one broke down next to me at a petrol station. I think it was something like a 2016 or 17 model, and the battery was flat. No problem you would think, right? Simply bump start it, right? Nope multiple, exhausting attempts later it was still dead. OK, the rider had had enough and phoned his father to come with a battery booster to the garage. That's where the fun starts.....trying to get the seat off to access the battery. Not only is the seat bolted down, but the two rear bolts at each side are under the seat padding. The job took two of us, simply to take the seat off ...one of us held, with no small difficulty, the padding up and to one side, while the other squeezed in a socket. What a fanny on! Hopefully, this design aspect is improved for this new model.

[@duncanorr5926]

This is definitely a decade defining motorcycle in my eyes. I'd be interested to hear what bikes you think really changed the market in the time you've been testing. The ones that take the situation to a whole other level. Great video as always Neevesy!

[@icedfusion]

That is a great idea - nobody, for example. saw that the GS/GSA would end up being the motorbike that would usurp the sportsbike market. It is the most popular bike in the world (sold some 60K+ bikes last year)......could have been a ktm, but we all know that story!!

[@duncanorr5926]

@@icedfusion precisely. It'd be interesting to analyse the path that led us to this 👍

[@DailyDrivenBikes_1]

That's when the bmw s1000rr prototype used yamaha R6 fairings and body work.

[@sofiadurao312]

Very interesting

[@davidsampson3537]

Great video enjoyed that

[@MetalPetrol]

The S1000RR is the top of my list for next year's bike - Gen1 with the quickshifter but the prices are still astronomical vs 3 years ago :(

[@CRFLAus]

Hey Neevesy, are you coming back down under in January? The Cape Barron Geese are wanting to know.

[@hstefan]

I remember telling a friend back in 2011 or 12 when I first saw one in real life about how hideous the bike looked with the asymmetric design. 10 odd years later I think the design aged like fine wine. I always smile ear to ear seeing one go down the road. Too bad they're few and far between... Most of them got raced or parked shinny side down in a ditch somewhere. 😥

[@liveandletsride]

Do you think the 2010 Acid Green S1000RR is going to be a future collectable?

[@bertiesimmonds]

You can read a bit about the R1 BMW in the next issue of Classic Motorcycle Mechanics in our concept bike feature! Plug….

[@neevesybikes]

Oh. Yeah.

[@jsleeio]

I had one as a dealer service loaner very early on. My pipe & slippers bike 😂(2008 K1200GT) was getting its 50k service, according to my photo archive. S1000RR was the first sportsbike I ever tried. 15 years down the road ... have any of its competitors got heated grips yet?

[@PaulieG1]

Really interesting to learn the development history. I own a Gen 4 and love it! I've never quite understood why the current bike doesn't perform as it should in BSB or WSB. It has always been the bike to beat in the Stock classes and obviously the TT, but no one has yet to make it work consistently in the premium classes. Brad Ray hinted at the fact the bike is difficult to set up to get a good 'base' setting when he raced it. What are your thoughts Michael?

[@Final_Boss_Racing]

Neevesy is the GOAT🐐

[@chrisgoes9610]

If you were racing the 2023 S1000RR and could only change three things what would they be (excluding tyres)?

[@morganmartin9286]

Great videos 👍👍. Do you think the power and capability of these new 1000+cc bikes is making them less appealing for road use ? Is making them so good and safe on track, hurting the enjoyment/engagement level on road too much ?

[@michaelstokes9543]

Interesting when you hear those stories that go along the lines of “they benchmarked it against the gixxer k5 and targeted it to best that” then realise it was out in the wild before that.

[@MrMickjbriggs]

Great video as always. Question for you Michael, did you ever get to ride the Aprilia Cube? If so what was wrong with it?

[@kanand00]

Hello, Why BMW S1000RR has not won BIG RACE TITLES. 😊

[@joewright4195]

Top g

[@manusk40]

What does K46 and K67 mean ?

[@maxflight777]

Can anyone with an S1000RR kindly point me towards some luggage options ?( I know it’s going to spoil the looks … but I actually cover long distances on bikes I own)

[@tonykartracer8032]

"Icon"? They haven't won anything yet. *shrugs* GO Honda!

[@cassiofreitas8559]

BMW didn’t win anything, how they can be so praise about been a Superbike icon…….. very difficult to accept……..

[@rwd323]

Just the odd Isle of Man TT 🤔

[@cassiofreitas8559]

@@rwd323 not enough to be nominated as an “icon”. They never won any WSBK nor MotoGP nor MotoAmerica not British Superbike, in resume NOTHING.

[@davidciesielski8251]

Hi, I strongly disagree with your assessment of what it takes to win wsbk!!!! I like your videos and do believe your a smart man but .....my God ... I own a 22 s1000rr m carbon and I am really sorry that I own it... To trick the bike in to not throwing a dash light is very expensive... and with a pipe and air filter it makes 169 hp and will not do a wheelie.... oh well just another 1250.00 for a tune and my over $40,000.00 dollar bike should be better than an 07, 08 gsxr 1000 ...fingers crossed!

[@neevesybikes]

Hi David, is yours a US spec bike?

[@davidciesielski8251]

@@neevesybikes yes sir, I live in Arizona, here in the states. Sorry I am so late, I was at work.

[@neevesybikes]

I’ve never ridden a US spec RR, but I understand they’re restricted pretty heavily, which is a shame. The euro bikes are rapido!

[@kanand00]

Hello, Is it because of the CABAL. BMW didn't win .... 😊

[@derekr1113]

The BMW is pig ugly, just like any Kawasaki - all angles and missing bits. BMW is hugely overpriced. I will never forgive them for not paying for the life threating recall of the rear eccentric of my F800S. Avoid - there are better alternatives.

[@edwardfrench9925]

Could it be argued that if it was life threatening the regulators/authorities would have forced BMW to action the recall? With regards to the S1000RR being pig ugly…that’s subjective and your opinion. My view is it looks lovely and one day I’d like to have one. I don’t have anything like the talent to ride it hard but Chris at 44 teeth suggested I get one as a first bike as they can be that docile.

[@markx5]

Ahhh your the guy who bought the F800s ! But you think the S1000rr is ugly ? 😂 want to get yourself down specsavers mate !! 🤣🤣

[@paulthebrickmonkey8225]

My buddie bought a hp4 when the rest of us had jap litre bikes. Watching the hp4 walk past our jap litres from 220 - 299 km spitting flames from the exhaust on track made me go buy one. I could only afford a white 2010. Bought it from a bloke that was s#!t scared off it. Only had 3000kms on it in 2014. Had a retro looking ackro ipe haha. Great content as usual mate!Paul from Sydney