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The first sportbike with real aerodynamic downforce? We'd like to see just how much downforce the front fairing and rear seat fairing with side wings generate in a windtunnel at high speed.
Click for large BMW S 1000 RR Screensaver
Go to Page 2 - The Production Model
Almost Ready for Production and Entry into 2009 World Superbike!
BMW Introduces its all new S1000RR 4-cylinder Superbike
Munich, Germay, April 16th, 2008 - BMW Motorcycles today confirmed in press releases their upcoming new 4-cylinder watercooled 1000c Superbike model the S 1000 RR confirmed for production in 2009. And that the release of the bike will coincide with a full factory BMW race team in SBK World Superbike beginnig immediately with the next 2009 race season. The first year's production will be 1,000 bikes to assue homologation for world superbike, with the cost of the high end sportbike costing in the rance of $20,000.
The production prototype is shown here, and it already looks like a race preapred factory superbike with its high-end race-spec piggy back Ohlins front forks and rear shock. The right side view of the bike shows it has the front and real wheel sensing units of BMW's trademark anti-lock braking system which coud also serve as wheel monitors for a traction control system.
The overall design of the bike is very conventional and similar to the current Japanese 1-litre superbikes, in particular to the Yamaha R1, with an aluminum perimeter frame hanging an inline watercoold doube overhead cam engine below it. The fuel tank looks to have a false cover over the front to make space for a pressurized high volume airbox. The bodywork of the prototype is all carbon fibre, which will probably be included on the production bike to support its up market positioning over its Japanese counterparts.
World Superbike is going to be a real treat for race fans next year as BMW, which has proven it has the money, the resources and desire to win in the other upper echelons of motorsports racing from Formula One to World Sports Car Racing, is now setting its sights on motorcycle roadracing in World Superbike. We are guessing, with the right riders, BMW could be on top of the podium in its first race season, just as Ducati did its first yesr in MotoGP.
 This early concept sketch of the BMW Superbike dated April 2006, shows just how quickly they were able to evolve the bike from concept to reality. The pre-production prototype ( shown below) when seen enlarged, shows the engine's cases and sidecovers to be all finished production parts.
Press Statement from Hendrik von Kunheim, General Dirctor, BMW Motorad
"We are expanding our product portfolio also with a view to worldwide growth. Today sales in the 1,000-cc class amount to some 100,000 units worldwide. The vast majority of these motorcycles goes to the USA and Europe. And the four large Japanese manufacturers account for about 85 per cent of the market.
BMW Motorrad is looking at a long-term involvement in this segment. Clearly, that means we must speak the language of the segment and follow the usual market standards. And indeed – we are confident that we will set new benchmarks in this scene, winning over an appropriate market share.
It is our objective to offer the customer a high-performance motorcycle with absolutely outstanding qualities and features on both the road and race track in terms of rideability, performance, and ergonomics. Since we are still in the middle of the development process, it would be too soon to mention any specific technical data. But you naturally know the usual level of performance our competitors have to offer. So with this in mind, I leave it to you today to speculate on what the specifications might be.
Our Supersports is based on a highly proven fundamental concept. Before choosing this concept, we naturally analysed the market and the appropriate technologies with utmost care and precision. And we will use the technical parameters required to develop our own solutions.
In the early project phase we checked out various engine concepts. And as you know, we then decided in favour of a four-cylinder, with the straight-four offering the best qualities to meet the power, performance, weight, and package requirements to be fulfilled. In typical BMW style, the engine will of course offer a number of special features, especially on the cylinder head. |
For package reasons we have decided against the BMW Duo-Lever on the suspension. Taking up more space, this kind of front-wheel geometry would have presented disadvantages with the very compact structure of BMW’s new Superbike.
But you can be sure that the innovations we are introducing are absolutely convincing. One example is the special traction control you will find on the new machine. Again, however, we cannot give you any further information today.
As you may expect of BMW Motorrad, the design of our BMW Supersports will be absolutely unique and very different. While it will of course reflect the usual design language in the segment, it will at the same time offer a strong and powerful message from the BMW brand. "
Click for large BMW S 1000 RR Screensaver
You'll see in the above enlarged closeup photo that the engine is built with smooth finished production molds, as opposed to rough prototype sand casting, so the bike is effectively past its prototype stage and ready for production. Any production delay now is esentially just to order and wait for outside suppliers to manufacturer and deliver all the necessary components like the Ohlins suspension, Brembo brakes, controls, electronics, wheels, etc., before manufacturting and assembly can begin at BMW.
Now let me briefly give you the status of our entry into the Superbike World Championship:
"Today I can confirm that our preparations are proceeding according to plan in every respect: In compliance with the rules of the Series, the new motorcycle will be available to customers in 2009 and we will build 1,000 production models by the end of next year.
We are implementing our racing activities in close cooperation with our partner Alpha-Racing, a specialist very experienced in motorsport. Located near Munich, Alpha-Racing have already started work in a special production hall specifically for this purpose. The process of building up the team is proceeding at full swing and we have already filled the key positions. The team is a combination of specialists from BMW and members of the Alpha-Technik racing crew, as well as further specialists from professional Superbike racing.
Choosing the development and test riders for our racing machine, we are currently operating in a revolving system to gain as much experience as possible. The selection of test riders ranges from experienced riders still active today all the way to young “top guns”.
In the upcoming weeks and months we will systematically start production of the racing machine in its individual power and performance stages, testing the new model as we go along.
We naturally realise that the established teams have many years of experience. But we wish to take up this challenge in particular and have put together a highly motivated team precisely for this purpose, a team which will prove the performance of our new motorcycle in professional racing.
Naturally, we will have to go through a certain process of learning – which is precisely why we have set ourselves realistic targets for the time being: In our first year in the Superbike World Championship we seek to bring home several places in the Top 10 and to consistently close the gap to the top teams. In year 2 we plan to catch up with the top teams and to win our first places on the podium. And our medium-term objective, obviously, is to win the World Championship!
So much on this project, the current status of the project and our preparations for entering the World Superbike Championship next year. You have been speculating a lot on the designation of our new model. So let us put an end to this speculation today.BMW Motorrad’s first Supersports will be the “S 1000 RR”.
In choosing the name and designation of BMW’s new Supersports, we are consistently following our nomenclature at BMW Motorrad. In this name, the “S“ stands for Supersports, marking a new class of motorcycles from BMW. The “1000” designates the size of the engine, and the “RR” naturally stands for the model itself.
Dear Motorcycle Friends, Many motorcycle magazines have published photos of a racing prototype which we have tested on several racing tracks. Today we would like to show you this racing prototype, offering you an initial impression of the package and the technology. But when you see the motorcycle, please note that neither the design nor the impression of quality are the same as on the production model following at a later point."
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