Road test of BMWM 1000 RR 2025 The choice of a king

Our tester's opinion on the M 1000 RR from 2025

When you get out of an S 1000 RR after a few sessions on the track, you simply say to yourself: "Wow, that's really good! And it's pretty easy as a hypersport. As for the engine... it's a real rocket!"

Then the M 1000 RR comes along and pokes its big snout into that kind of certainty. Just sitting on it sends the neurons straight into another dimension. Then, after only half a lap, you realize that you've just boarded a machine that's far more insane than you expected!

A design that breaks with convention

Yet it's not insanity we're aiming for when we detail the fiercest bike in the M range (there's also the M 1000 R and M 1000 XR in the family). Its distinctive design gives it a massive, intriguing and hypnotic feel. Its even more exaggerated ailerons will fuel jibes, likes, technical analyses, bar-room gossip... Top drivers will be more interested in how best to exploit the 30 kg of downforce at 300 km/h.

While the bike's sporting and technical appeal makes it all the more enticing, having done away with the bodywork and replaced carbon parts with plastic remains a bit of a sticking point. Especially when you consider the price tag... The intensity of his gaze doesn't diminish, however.
His neurotic beluga look is just a decoy. In front of it, or in its zone of attraction, the M 1000 RR exerts a power of fascination from which it's hard to escape. Then you make the aphrodisiac mistake: slip on the leather, turn on the ignition, wake up the balrog, and.... you've got little time left. If you make it around the first bend, you'll never want to let go.

It's a delightful invitation to drive

Before that, a little flexibility and conviction will be required. Climb.... Climbing on the M 1000 RR will remind you of the joys of enduro riding: the seat height is 865 mm, 33 mm higher than on the S 1000 RR. Quite simply, I couldn't put my toes on the ground. On the other hand, you know that with such a high saddle and footrests anchored at the right height, the possible angles will make you want to imitate Toprak. This little inconvenience will only become apparent in the first and last moments of the track session. Once you've set off, there's nothing to disturb the ride!

A heart as big as a lump

An exclamation mark that could be multiplied ad infinitum. Because yes, I insist, I perpetuate, I affirm, I engender that NOTHING disturbs the M 1000 RR. It all starts at the first bend, where it instantly reveals itself to be more agile than the S 1000 RR tested a little earlier. It's immediately astonishing: it turns in the same natural way as the S, with even more lightness and enthusiasm. On the data sheet, it weighs 4 kg less - in dynamic use, it gives the illusion of having lost 20 kg. It's incredible how aerial, limpid, radial and rigorous the swing is in corners. Then, sublime, like a bird of prey born of a dragon, it opens the doors to trample on a time that the S 1000 RR had already begun to shatter. With the right-hand grip screwed on, this superbike is transformed into a Mellerin falcon; Axel will be of the same opinion when he returns from his session, flabbergasted by the machine's behavior.

The engine, which has yet to cease surprising us, will be his rendering tool. At first glance, and without any hindsight, the 6 horsepower increase announced since the previous generation is hardly impressive. When the 4-cylinder boasts 218 hp, i.e. 4% more power than the S 1000 RR, and announces 750 more revs to reach maximum power, it would be legitimate to think that the pistarde will give an extra boost at the top of the rev range.

TOTAL ERROR! The block's optimization work (new valve geometry, revised cylinder head, larger butterflies, optimized intake, new injectors, increased compression ratio, revamped exhaust system) boosts performance and the feeling of power at all levels.
It's blatantly obvious: the new spark plug delivers a fuller thrust at all engine speeds. It's more muscular, swollen with watts, intoxicating with strength and intoxicating with availability at the slightest demand. How it works! Paradoxically, it seems less violent than the S 1000 RR's engine. And yet, it packs a punch in every direction, so much so that the cylinders seem to have gained in cubic capacity. Switching from an S to an M is like going from a 1000 to a 1200 engine-wise, and still with the agility of a 600.

Don't touch the shifter; it's impeccable as it is. Gears are engaged like in a video game, with no break, no load break, no hesitation. Like everything else on the bike, this assistant helps you concentrate on riding, and nothing else.

Even easier and more agile than the svelte S 1000 RR

I approach the school hairpin in semi-catastrophe, take up the rope late and let the bike correct the traj'. It seems to have understood my mistake, makes up for it and gives me back a dose of confidence, while one of the other M 1000 RRs I tried out that day easily passes me on the outside.
Between its precision and its size, I recognize Prof' Enault and try to slam a "Pursuit" mode, so much so that the BMW gives me wings. But after two bends, I'm lost: Zef is going like the wind and will be just as elusive.

I'm furious, because the bike's agility is astonishing. It leaps from one corner to the next even faster than the S, without coming apart or causing the slightest incursion. The M 1000 RR relies on classic Marzocchi suspension systems. No electronics, no automatic adjustment, just adjustments with tools. So much the better. The feel of the track is even finer, while the bike doesn't move a muscle, even if you're giving it a hard time (at my level). The little movements I experienced this morning on the other RR are totally absent here. A block, imperturbable, whose limits you can't even see because they seem so inaccessible. Without wishing to cause Tor to Michael, some sliders have even lost their bearings.

Unperturbed !!!

Braking is beyond criticism. Deceleration phases wrinkle the asphalt in front of the wheel, so effective are the bluish Nissins. Whatever force you need to apply to slow down this missile, the index finger is enough in all conditions. The attack is immediate, firm but not aggressive, extraordinarily modulable and powerful enough to trigger an acromioclavicular dislocation.

The aerodrome's straight line isn't long enough to take the M 1000 RR to the 314 km/h it claims. Still, it's long enough to get the bike up to top speed (between 270 and 285 km/h, depending on the rider). This is when the large fork head and large bubble really come into their own. The rider nestles like a cat (Christophe Le Mao knows all about that) in the cockpit, protected to such an extent that turbulence doesn't manage to make the slightest dent. As a result, the bike + rider cut through the air as fluidly as a torpedo.

Everything you need for top drivers

At the end of each session, you'll be left with a feeling of ecstasy, of post-playfulness, after shooting this stratoreactor. High-caliber riders will take advantage of breaks to calibrate the on-board electronics. The M 1000 RR is packed with settings for setting up and releasing its electronic assistants. It's all very well staying with the pre-set Rain, Road, Dynamic or Race riding modes to gradually increase the pace without compromising the ubiquitous active safety. But once you've got the hang of it, the need to push the machine to its limits will come via the Race Pro Modes - these allow you to calibrate the level of intervention or even deactivation of traction, wheeling, glide, engine braking, ABS pro and throttle response controls.

I've never been so frustrated......... not to be a top-level rider in order to really enjoy the potential of the M 1000 RR. To multiply the superlatives would only be fair, as it's such a pleasure to ride on so many levels. OK, a bit of explosive sensationalism wouldn't have gone amiss, but that's neither part of BMW's philosophy, nor that of this WSBK pre-machine. Its price, too, is in a different league, starting at €37,000 - you only need to add the M Competition package plus a few trinkets to break the €45,000 barrier.

So, instead of reclaiming so many words that wouldn't match the feelings it brings, I'll take Stephane Lacaze's words, perfect for summing up the M 1000 RR. "It's a racing bike!