BMW1s S1000RR revolutionized the 1000cc sportbike 2012

 When it was launched in 2010, BMW1s S1000RR revolutionized the 1000cc sportbike market. It was the first liter bike to come with variable ABS as well as traction control, and if that wasn1t enough it boasted the most powerful engine in the world. Combined with a sublime chassis, this was enough to make it the top dog in the big capacity group, something that forced the Japanese to respond and start adding electronic assists to their premium models. Now, two years down the line and with a variety of new machines as competition, BMW has given its superbike a makeover.

In its first major update, the S1000RR gets more than just some styling alterations. The engine has been left alone but the forks have been modified internally, adjustability added to the steering damper and the bike1s geometry altered to improve the handling. On the electronics side, the ECU has been re-mapped to give better midrange drive and the traction control, ABS and fuel maps are updated. Admitedly not all that exciting, but the improvements to the new dash are, particularly the easier to read tachometer that comes with a super-cool 3best lap in progress2 indicator. Working in conjunction with the internal lap timer, it assesses your progress every 300 feet, showing a green light if you are lapping faster in that section than the previous lap. This is as cool as it sounds and is horribly addictive it's impossible to avoid slyly checking it during each lap.

Overall, rather than any radical modifications, the 2012 bike is basically a refresh and general tweaking of minor issues. On track, the outgoing 2010-O11 S1000RR could prove a bit of a handful, and when the power chimed in at around 8,000rpm it did it with such ferocity (in full power mode) that the front had a nasty habit of trying to go upwards rather than forwards, something the anti-wheelie wasn1t overly good at dealing with. By fiddling with the fuel maps and adding a tooth to the rear sprocket, BMW has altered the engine1s power characteristics and made the 2012 bike far smoother and stronger in the midrange while still delivering the same peak power. Exiting corners, the updated BMW has much more linear drive without the harsh powerband, making it feel far less ferocious and more controlled when under drive. The traction control is superb and the anti-wheelie improved, although still not fantastic. I found the best solution was to use OSlick1 mode without any anti-wheelie assistance and just deal with the front end1s lift in the good old-fashioned way.

The chassis delivers such precise feedback that no matter how fast you go around a corner, you come out the other side thinking, 3I could have done that faster.2 The BMW requires total focus however, simply because it is so fast and the traction control and chassis so good it begs you to try harder.

And the brakes, which remain unchanged, are ferocious in their bite and with the ABS are pretty hard to find fault with. A few years ago the thought of ABS on a sportbike seemed ridiculous

The S1000RR is still insanely fast, but the refined electronics and midrange performance reduce a bit of its wild edge and make it more manageable.

Is there much to fault? Unless you are a national level racer you will struggle to get anywhere near the limits of the road bike. The anti-wheelie still isn1t very smooth and the bike can shake its head out of corners (why no electronic steering damper?).

Whether it's BMW displaying a great sense of humor or just our American fair-weathered riding spirit that can1t compute the notion we aren1t certain, but the S1000RR now comes with heated grips as an optional extra.