2020 BMW S1000RR Review - Video

Troy Siahaan
by Troy Siahaan

The new S-Thou, brought to you in moving pictures

Photos by Kevin Wing | Videos by Sean Matic

By now I’ll assume you’ve already read my First Ride Review of the 2020 BMW S1000RR. In it, I mention how this new version of BMW’s flagship sportbike is a decade in the making and comes totally revamped from the ground up compared to its predecessor, with more power, Shiftcam technology (aka variable valve timing) for more power earlier in the rev range, updated and revised electronics, and a host of weight-saving measures to drop total weight by 25 pounds over the outgoing model. And guess what – the asymmetrical headlights are gone! In this video supplement to my written review, you now get to see and hear me talk about the changes to the new RR and see how the bike works around the glorious Barber Motorsports Park – including a bit where it protests and almost bucks me off!

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I said it in my review, but it’s worth saying again. I think the new S-thou looks great and has loads of potential, but it’s let down by ECU programming, effectively mandated by the EPA, that utterly ruins its performance. Neutered power down low kills anything resembling drive, and once the engine is allowed to sing again at roughly 8,000 rpm, the Shiftcam tech is in full swing, delivering a wallop of power that can be unsettling if you’re not ready for it. You can see instances of just what I’m talking about roughly mid-way through the video. It’s a pretty big sore spot for something so performance oriented, but I’m confident once the aftermarket develops a re-flash for the ECU (if it hasn’t already), this will be a machine that will benefit in a huge way. When that happens, expect us to throw a leg over it again.

Troy Siahaan
Troy Siahaan

Troy's been riding motorcycles and writing about them since 2006, getting his start at Rider Magazine. From there, he moved to Sport Rider Magazine before finally landing at Motorcycle.com in 2011. A lifelong gearhead who didn't fully immerse himself in motorcycles until his teenage years, Troy's interests have always been in technology, performance, and going fast. Naturally, racing was the perfect avenue to combine all three. Troy has been racing nearly as long as he's been riding and has competed at the AMA national level. He's also won multiple club races throughout the country, culminating in a Utah Sport Bike Association championship in 2011. He has been invited as a guest instructor for the Yamaha Champions Riding School, and when he's not out riding, he's either wrenching on bikes or watching MotoGP.

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  • Mad4TheCrest Mad4TheCrest on Aug 03, 2019

    It's rough to have our EPA hamstring the bike for sound when it meets both very strict Euro4 pollution AND sound rules in its full performance state. It'll be tough for BMW to sell many of these except to racers, at least until as you said an ECU flash is available. I also took note of your comment on vibrations and that's a shame too. I know this is a sportbike, but the S1000RR has been known since Day 1 as the sportbike you could commute on reasonably comfortably, so it's sad seeing BMW moving away from this aspect.

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    • Mad4TheCrest Mad4TheCrest on Aug 06, 2019

      I think every manufacturer has come out with a 'naked' (Streetfighter?) version of their superbike/supersport race reps, some like Aprillia more successfully than others. Aprillia's Tuono not only performs well it also looks the most like its race rep sibling, i.e., really good. But there are always riders who want all the sleek beauty and top end power of the race rep while using it mostly for the street. In that very common scenario, the more road-friendly amenities you can stick in your race rep, the better.

  • Old MOron Old MOron on Aug 03, 2019

    Great vid!

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