Reader's Choice Best Sportbike of 2015: BMW HP4
While some of the categories in our Reader’s Choice awards have been decided by narrow margins, when it comes to the Sportbike category, you, our readers, were pretty clear. With 28.8% of the votes, the BMW HP4 was your resounding winner, besting the second place, and the MO staff pick, Ducati 899 Panigale by more than six percentage points (22.5%). Honda’s CBR1000RR SP was a distant third place (16.4%), but the fourth place EBR 1190RX was close behind it, with 14.7% of you rooting for the home team.
2013 BMW S1000RR HP4 Review – Video
A hopped-up version of the already potent S1000RR, the HP4 takes the performance envelope a step further with forged aluminum wheels, Brembo monobloc calipers, and race-optimized ABS and traction control. The HP4 also received launch control, standard quickshifter and a switch to a 200-series rear tire. Oh, and let’s not forget BMW’s Dynamic Damping Control, the HP4’s headlining feature. The DDC automatically adjusts damping needs every 10 milliseconds based on numerous sensors and conditions to deliver optimal suspension control for the environment, whether you’re cruising on the highway or firing off hot laps at the track.
Combined with the S1000RR’s immensely powerful inline-Four, cranking out 172.4 hp to the wheel in our 2013 Exotic Literbike Shootout, the HP4 is an incredibly fast liter-class weapon that is still accessible to even the moderately skilled rider. It truly is a sportbike enthusiast’s dream come true.
Reader’s Choice Best of 2015 winners:
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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The 1299 has not been tested against the BMW. I don't think any have.
The HP4 is extremely light and modified in the right ways from the already scary s1000rr. I strongly agree with it being chosen best of year. I like my hp4 very much, but the only bike i want more is the kawasaki h2r. I'd like to get the h2 and h2r simultaneously, then slap the license plate of the h2 on the h2r. Then... well, you know. I just need a bit more money first.