2023 BMW M 1000 R First Look

BMW Motorrad is celebrating the 50th anniversary of BMW’s M motorsports division by introducing the second M-branded motorcycle, a roadster/hyper-naked sharing the M 1000 RR’s engine, much of its running gear, and one of its Rs. The result is the M 1000 R, a 205 hp, 439-pound über-hyper-naked with a street emphasis, definite track capability, and even aero winglets.

As the M 1000 R is intended primarily for, as Project Manager Ralf Möllleken puts it, “super-sporty country road use,” the M RR’s 999cc four-cylinder in-line has been reworked, though not exactly detuned. Peak power remains the same, but variable valve timing BMW calls ShiftCam provides a torque hit from 10,000 to 12,000 RPM, and as a bonus, makes the engine a bit quieter; the 14,600 RPM redline, however, is well over the S 1000 R’s twelve grand limit, meaning the naked M will be at home on track as well.

A shorter 47-tooth sprocket than the S’s 45-tooth gear, plus shorter ratios in 4th, 5th and 6th gear, also add road-friendliness. Of course there’s quick-shifting, in the form of BMW’s Shift Assistant Pro, which allows up-and-down clutchless shifts and allows changing the conventional shift pattern from first-gear-down to first-gear-up in what BMW claims is a few simple steps. Overall, the powertrain features the usual list of nifty bits: titanium valves, variable-length intake runners, and a titanium rear silencer are the standouts.

The electronics suite includes the usual battery of riding modes, Rain, Road, Dynamic and Race for the street and the additional track-centric riding modes of Race Pro 1, Race Pro 2, and Race Pro 3. Dynamic Traction Control (DTC) with a six-axis sensor cluster and lean angle sensor is standard. The DTC includes a wheelie-limitation function, if limiting wheelies is desired. There’s also a pit-lane limiter, launch control, and somewhat amusingly but conveniently, hill-start control (HSC).

The most striking aspect of the M 1000 R’s chassis is, of course, the winglets on the side panels. These provide a modicum of downforce; BMW claims approximately 22 pounds of downforce on the front wheel at 136mph; a wind deflector, available in the Competition Package, helps reduce any buffeting the winglets induce.

The M 1000 R uses a variation of the S 1000 R’s aluminum bridge frame, which is remarkably narrow to aid in what BMW interestingly calls “good knee closure;” it’s definitely popular with riders. Suspension is an all-black-design 45mm upside-down fork with 4.7 inches of travel, adjustable for spring preload and ten levels of compression/rebound, and a rear shock with 4.6 inches of travel, also adjustable for preload plus compression/rebound in ten steps. The interesting part is Dynamic Damping Control (DDC), which is electronic control of the suspension and comes as standard equipment. DDC settings  are linked to the riding modes Rain, Road, Dynamic and Race, and are user-configurable for situations such as road conditions or even solo/two-up riding.

Brakes are twin 320mm steel discs and aluminum 4-piston fixed calipers up front and one 220mm steel disc with an aluminum single-piston floating caliper out back, with all calipers anodized blue and bearing the M logo. Two pad compounds are available, one for street use and the other the same as used in the World Endurance Championship. ABS Pro is standard, as is Brake Slide Assist, which basically allows riders to slide the M 1000 R into the turns, backing it in old-school style. All this braking force acts on lightweight forged aluminum wheels.

The rider controls all this with a new, wider handlebar than that on the S 1000 R, complete with bar-end mirrors. Information is provided by a 6.4-inch TFT instrument cluster with customizable display options: Pure Ride for normal street operation, plus three “Core” displays intended for track use with various levels of informational density, allowing riders to observe everything from simple tach readouts to lean angles, using either analogue or bar graph formats.

All of this 50th-anniversary deliciousness comes in Light White non-metallic with M Motorsport graphics for an MSRP of $21,345. The M Competition Package, which includes the M GPS Laptrigger suite plus carbon wheels, front and rear fenders, tank covers, and a carbon chain guard, is available in Black Storm Metallic with corresponding M Motorsport graphics; no price has been announced. The M 1000 R should arrive in dealerships in January 2023.