Road test of BMWS 1000 RR 2025 Freeing yourself from the stopwatch

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

Dawn fades from memory as mutinous creaks are heard. The sun on the grains of asphalt, boots crinkling underfoot, leather still fresh from its night in the paddock. And there, impatient to feel a key give it life, a 2025 S 1000 RR proudly waits to take to the track, and makes no secret of its desire to give the vibrator a run for its money.

A serious identity

With each new generation, it gives itself the means to do so. The new version doesn't hesitate to present an even more menacing face, largely influenced by the old M 1000 RR. Not with its front end, but with its even more exaggerated fins. These are claimed to generate 10 kilos of downforce at 200 km/h, and even up to 23 kilos at 300 km/h - a gain of 30% (on average) since the previous model. Are we in a position to judge? We'd need S 1000 RRs of other vintages and a higher level of riding experience to make the most pertinent judgement.

But the BM certainly looks the part! A thoroughbred beast, rigorously built and under the yoke of omnipresent efficiency. Ready to pounce? To bite? No, to bleed the track. A panther whose whiskers would have been an intern at Airbus. There's nothing wrong with the assembly, the overall quality, the finish worthy of the coat of arms it defends. Just that a few wires or electrical plugs could be a little better concealed if you looked hard enough... if you were desperate to find something wrong.
We like a few details, like the upper tee with its half-shells to free up the fork tubes, the very clean and uncluttered rear once the road bonds have been removed, the immediately accessible traction control adjustment, or the quality construction of the swingarm.
The public should undeniably perpetuate the success of the Teutonic sports bike. In 2023, it dominated sales in its class, with over 10,000 units sold worldwide. Its runner-up managed just... 4 000. A certain Italian you'll have little trouble guessing ;-).

Well-thought-out life on board

Climbing aboard the S 1000 RR doesn't feel out of place on any other hypersports bike, with a well-calibrated forward tilting of the body and a rather reasonable amount of pressure on the handlebars. The posture is such that you immediately feel at ease, almost protected from the radicalism of other machines. A little time spent getting used to the brakes will be the only obstacle to an immediate symbiosis, but this is quickly absorbed. The saddle gives you plenty of room to move around, and moving your body out of the way to take on corners is as natural as the machine's swaying motion.

A 4-cylinder overflow engine

Under the hemmed-in sky, the 4-cylinder barks its rude awakening. Hot or cold, its voice holds its ground for a considerable time, before settling into an angry rustle. Let's not leave just yet. First, let's choose one of the seven available Driving Modes - from the wisest Rain to the most parameterized Race Pro. A Dynamic warm-up will allow you to pay your respects to both the bike and the track.
The runway is ready. The reactor can talk!

Open up, don't slacken off, unleash everything that's bubbling underneath. Send, weld, dare, and feed your adrenalin with these 210 horsepower outlets! What strength!!! What a burst of energy! What violence when the right hand unleashes the infernos in this boiler. This German block never ceases to get the heart pounding and the speed racing. Already offering effort at 4,000 rpm, it wakes up more seriously around 6,000 rpm, then gets stronger, fills up more and more, abounds and overflows with power right up to the edge of the red zone. It seems to calm down slightly before approaching the red zone at around 14,000 rpm, but the higher gear will have taken over by then. The block is both linear and exponential in its revs, going from wildcat to devil with carefully distilled ease. The Shiftcam variable valve timing system is so finely tuned that it's impossible to feel when the ACT profile changes. Filled to the brim, the engine is never short of breath, and its long reach saves gears.

As a result, amateurs can begin to exploit it without really being subjected to it... unless they provoke it. More experienced riders will dare to wring out the throttle, absorb and channel the watts, and enjoy this extremely muscular momentum in a tornado that is, all in all, quite high in its violence. The soundtrack (especially with the "liberated" Akrapovic we had) maintains the feeling of omnipresent power, with that howl that never stops feasting on rpm to launch into hysteria.
However, this 1000 may be less "expressive", or rather of a character with less relief than other hypersports, but this will be to the benefit of an all-Germanic behavior and efficiency. It's straight, it's rigorous, it's in pursuit of the impeccable, leaving fun aside. All that's needed is an explosive finale for fans of taming, or those who like it when a thruster blows up in your face.

The ease of a 600 Supersport

But that doesn't mean you can't have fun. The quality of its chassis means you'll quickly get the hang of it between the vibrators. The first session may be hesitant, but the S 1000 RR more than makes up for it with its natural homogeneity. It takes to the corners very naturally, without the rider ever needing to force it. It seems to do most of the work, only requiring more commitment and effort when the pace gets serious. In either case, steering guidance is impeccable, allowing the bike to be easily and finely positioned, even catching the line at the last moment while preparing the acceleration thanks to excellent feedback.
One of the best things about the S 1000 RR is its agility, which is both lively and easy. Switching from one angle to the other is so easy that the movement becomes intuitive. All you have to do is look at the lens, give the command to go for it and give it your full confidence. You'll never need to insist, because she understands the job you're asking her to do.

In certain riding phases, especially under acceleration, the bike can have a tendency to wobble. These little movements are perfectly manageable, certainly due to the work of the electronic suspension. Spending a little time in the boxes to fine-tune them should limit or even eliminate this phenomenon.

Perfect braking

The S 1000 RR makes up for it in braking, with fearsome deceleration power. It's a real pleasure to use and abuse the Nissin gear, which can be modulated with just one finger. Each time you enter the main straight, you delay your grip on the lever... a little more.... and there's always room for improvement. The action of the calipers is direct, biting, powerful in spades and extremely controllable. It's enough to feel every decameter that separates you from the corner! And all this with formidable stability. The S 1000 RR won't budge, no matter how much force you throw at it from the front. In addition to the chassis, the electronics do a fine job of stabilizing everything. This means you can calmly prepare your turn and then either launch it cleanly or like a savage, as the bike doesn't even flinch. The risk of overheating is reduced to a minimum thanks to the ducts channelling air to the calipers, integrated directly into the front mudguard.

On a few rare occasions, the ABS triggered on the front on hard deceleration. The little jolts in the brake lever are more informative than disturbing.
This reminds me of the electronic Brake Slide Assist that appeared in 2023. Formerly an option with the Pro Driving Modes, this function is now part of the standard equipment, given that the RR natively embeds all the Driving Modes. What's more, it has evolved to allow you to "learn" how to glide into corners. Except that, with the prerequisites requested*, you'd better already have a serious technical background. You can't put a 210-strong wheel in the way you adjust your GoPro.

Its clutch handle is very supple, almost smooth in the hand. But the shifter's efficiency is such that the lever will only be used for mandatory (or imposed) stops. BMW has installed a shifting assistant that's pretty close to perfection. Transparent in use, smooth and usable in any situation, the shifter is just as delectable on the way up as on the way down, smoothing out gear shifts both on the corner and at the bottom of the ball.

Many standard... many optional

Thanks to the Riding Modes and its particularly well-calibrated electronics, the S 1000 RR can be enjoyed without any headaches. You switch between Modes as you discover the track, to get a feel for the one that best suits your current mood. Then trajectories become tighter, reference points change, speed climbs and the desire to adjust begins to emerge. In Race Pro Modes, the steering aids benefit from a good dose of calibration, provided you manipulate their intricacies with good reason. Change a parameter, gauge, learn.... There's a lot you can do by adjusting traction control, ABS cornering level, front and rear drift angles, glide control, rear wheel anti-lift, wheeling control - on the tuning side, a little time in the paddocks will be an ally before transforming on the track.

I'm forgetting! But of course, there are so many. Like the hill-start assist, which gives you a hard time..... when the bike's on a bit of a slope and you want to free it up to go just by letting go of the brake; or the cruise control; or the pit lane limiter; or Launch Control for fiery starts; not forgetting one of this machine's most successful features: its dashboard. Although not always the easiest to navigate, it's easy to grasp and understand. The display is as good as ever, with the added bonus of several display themes to take the pulse of the beast. Rather Road, Rather Performance, unless Chrono is your monitor.

After a good day's grip-wringing on the racetrack, the opportunity to take to the back roads of the Gers is too tempting not to test its hospitality on the open road. Unsurprisingly, she was only moderately enthusiastic. Well-bent legs, pre-ankylosed forearms, limited protection for the torso, constant frustration due to a visceral itch to unleash the power - this is what puts the rider under pressure from one end of the ride to the other. Yet the S 1000 RR is far from extreme, with forearm support that's not too brittle, suspensions that know a thing or two (in Road settings), engine flexibility to make life easier, and when equipped, 3-stage heated grips - a real joy in the early morning fog, when ice crystals can no longer cause salt crystals under the eyes.

Voracious!

A pure superbike? It looks like one, but doesn't feel like one when you ride it. Quite simply because it understands that its M 1000 RR sibling is a notch above it, and knows how to stay in its place. A place of choice, in fact, although there are a few minor annoyances.
By dint of its electronics, the machine warns you at the slightest fart. If you remove the road fittings for track use worthy of the name, the dashboard stuns you with a huge notification of various lighting faults. BMW should install a "Track" parameter so that the bike understands that it is being "lightened" on purpose.
Also, the throttle has absolutely no dead travel. The slightest mm of rotation translates into engine response. This can be annoying if you involuntarily jerk your hand.
The bubble provides adequate protection when your head is in it at acceleration, but nothing more. And as always in Bavaria, there's the question of money.

The base price of the BMW S 1000 RR 2025 is 21,400 euros. A substantial price, but within the industry norm. In fact, it's not even that high, given its level of performance and price/power/efficiency/riding pleasure ratio. Except that with the possibility of adding some nice aluminum parts here, an M pack there**, a Dynamic *** pack as well, Carbon **** and/or race ****, plus a few accessories, the pain at the counter could quite quickly reach 30 K.

Putting materialistic considerations aside, this hypersport makes fine use of its latest achievements to maintain its enviable place at the top of the class, with the added bonus of being as easy to ride as it is accessible. In the end, the only thing we can really reproach it for is a lack of epicurean emotions in favor of "chronometric" rigor. I'm talking about emotions, not sensations - the nuance is subtle, but takes on much greater importance when the S 1000 RR draws fire between bends.

Greg Rattin - Manufacturer and wam photos

* To use the Brake Slide Assist, the rider must have set the ABS Pro to Slick and activated wheeling detection, put on the big rear brake, and decelerate the bike by at least 5.5 m/s2, ideally in a 140 km/h to 80 km/h window. This should result in an approach angle of 8° to 12°, allowing you to better engage the corner.

** The 4,880-euro Pack includes the Motorsport color, an M (or M Endurance) seat, M footrests and a choice of forged aluminum or carbon wheels.

*** The 1,500-euro Dynamic Pack includes electronic suspension, heated grips and cruise control.

**** The PAck Carbon adds a rear mudguard, sprocket cover, side panels and carbon-fiber chain guard, for 1,590 euros.

***** With the Race Pack, you get an M Endurance chain and a nicer exhaust; Sport or M in titanium. For 1,020 euros.

Oh, and there's also the Billet Pack, at 440 euros, with brake and clutch levers and their protectors. All milled aluminum parts.