Originally codenamed the K46, BMW released photos to the German press this morning of what is now called the S1000RR. Dates for when the bike will be hitting dealer floors is still unknown, though homologation rules give BMW until December. BMW has also said the road version is to have traction control. We think it looks fantastic with subtle touches of German flourish. That said, we’re curious to see how BMW incorporates its trademark offset headlights. No word on heated grips either. (UPDATE: a transcript from BMW’s General Director has been released, stating that only 1000 S1000RR’s will be built by the end of next year.)
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The rumors have run rampant for almost a year and now BMW Motorrad makes them official. The German marque is diving into the superbike realm with the all-new 2009 BMW S1000RR.
Details are hard to come by at this time, but the new uberbike is a 1000cc Inline-Four with which the Bavarian firm will contest the 2009 World Superbike Championship.
In a speech delivered April 16th in Munich, BMW Motorrad President, Hendrick von Kuenheim explained the new S1000RR as one part of an ambitious goal by BMW to increase motorcycle sales “by approximately 50 percent by the year 2012 to 150,000 units.”
Road racing and a true sportbike in the form of the S1000RR are one part of the growth equation, the other part is expected from a bigger share of the enduro market through the recent acquisition of Husqvarna.
But back to the S1000RR. The German marque is entering into the Superbike realm to get a slice of the Japanese-dominated pie. Citing an 85% share of the literbike market by the Big Four, Kuenheim acknowledged the ambitious nature of a BMW superbike entry.
“We naturally realize that we are taking on a great challenge,” said Kueheim. “Particularly the Japanese are some 20 years ahead of us in this class and have lots of experience. But even so, the spirit of this competition alone encourages us in our efforts.”
The Motorrad prez went on to state the company expects to run in the top 10 during next year’s championship and be contending for WSB victories by 2010.
As for the S1000RR spec sheet, Kueheim didn’t go into detail saying, “”Since we are still in the middle of the development process, it would be too soon to mention any specific technical data.”
But… We do know for sure it’s a Four, with Kueheim promising “the engine will of course offer a number of special features, especially on the cylinder head.” BMW’s Duolever suspension is out, with a more traditional fork obvious up front. The BMW President also promised the new superbike would have “special traction control.”
As to when the BMW S1000RR will be storming a road near you, don’t expect it anytime soon. What we do know for certain is BMW has promised 1000 units will be produced by the end of 2009 to conform with WSB homologation rules.
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April 18th, 2008 at 9:08 am
Well Done BMW. Nice bike. I have a dream to have such a bike. What to do?
We cant get them in India as soon. And i cant wait till it arrives. Just check out the indian bikes.
fuel economy, motorcycles comparison
April 24th, 2008 at 9:04 pm
awesome!!!
bmw have obviously been spending alot of time on development and to ensure a slice of the target market it must be good straight out the box on the track.
as for market share 1000/150000 = 0.66%. how many huskies will the sell? can bmw-husq take on ktm? what other hot projects are in development?
my biggest concern is who will ride the wsbk machine?
heard a certain m schumacher is not too bad on two wheels! sic!
May 20th, 2008 at 5:20 am
Nice to see BMW soon entering the realm of superbikes, the more brands the better. Can’t help think the front air intake looks exactly like the 08 Yamaha R6 and the tail piece also looks like the R6?? Maybe just me?? Interested to see how the headlights fit into the front fairing.