BMW tuner Van Harten Performance from Holand recently got its hands on a brand new BMW S1000RR superbike and, apart from turning it into what appears to be a carbon fiber edition, it can also brag about being the first to take the S1000RR beyond the 200bhp barrier. And I’m not so sure you’ll believe us when saying they managed to squeeze 210bhp out of German inline-four by only adding a four-in-one Akrapovic exhaust system. But it is the truth and it really shows this bike’s tuning potential.
Since BMW introduced the S1000RR less than a year ago, the motorcycle press began to speculate about the possible half-faired or naked models that could be derived from what has meanwhile become the best superbike out there.
We even brought you the BMW R1000RS and S1000RS concepts by Oberdan Bezzi, but according to an official release, BMW doesn’t yet have other plans for the S1000RR platform as spokesman Scott Grimsdall said: “We’re concentrating on the launch of the S1000RR and have no plans to expand the S range.”
While this is sad news for buyers of such models and good news for the current kings of 1000cc sport-touring and naked classes, we reckon BMW are just playing it safe for now and will get their fair share of the market after all.
It looks like BMW would go to any lengths only to impress their audience and because simply releasing a video of their new S1000RR superbike performing on a closed-course track would have made them look like pattern followers, they instead choose to pull out an old trick with new means.
Pulling the tablecloth off a table without smashing the dishes is cool, but where does the S1000RR intervene? Well, the 193 horsepower superbike capable to go from 0 to 60 mph in just 2.9 seconds can slightly increase the scale. So, will the dishes stay put or go flying all over the place? Click past the break for an answer that comes in a blink of an eye.
According to these sketches, Italian designer Oberdan Bezzi seems to like the Vyrus 987 C3 4V a lot, but finds the bike a little too…naked and has come up with two faired versions of the ingenious original package. The Vyrus Superbike is supposed to be the competition version as it doesn’t have lights or mirrors and it’s rather hard not to spot the slick tires as you check out the hub-center steering chassis design, which is kept on both bikes. The street version is called “Yellow Fever” and it does feature all the necessary for street homologation as well as road tires.
So here you have it, the easiest way to turn beast into beauty…or at least disguised beast. Follow the jump to read the translated official description.
See the BMW S1000RR being developed and tested back in Germany in a video that englobes the four years of work behind the 190bhp superbike. This is the kind of footage that makes riders truly value their bikes at understanding the effort that went into what’s sitting underneath them. Check it out!
Aprilia has just revealed their 2010 WSBK RSV4 motorcycle, which gets the Alitalia livery. Sponsored by the Italian airline company and with the riding skills of Max Biaggi and Leon Camier, Aprilia team hopes for a great racing season.
As much as we’d like the absolutely superb tricolore paint scheme, all we will think about right after repositioning our jaws is that V4 engine capable to power the Italian superbike up to speeds in excess of 200 mph.
BMW are already producing the S1000RR superbike, so why wouldn’t Volkswagen have their own? VW holds quota of Suzuki, so speculating about another German superbike seems now closer to reality then ever before.
The unofficial project belongs to German designer Nils Poschwatta, who has in the past worked for Volkswagen, but it is still in the “what if” faze as there are some impediments. First and foremost, there’s a great contradiction between the name Volkswagen and a two-wheeled vehicle which is everything but "wagen". Secondly, VW will most likely limit itself to investing in the Suzuki division and not in the launching of an all-new vehicle for them in a segment in which tradition has a strong word and big brands dominate the scene.
Still, the idea remains very interesting, especially as the project wears the R fingerprint, the new sports division launched by VW.
In the past, the German car manufacturer was suspected of planning a motorcycle together with the Austrians from KTM, but nothing turned into fact. So let’s just hope this concept does because it looks simply outstanding and yet plausible.
Almost every bike vs car track race ends with the bike coming in milliseconds behind the car simply because this last has better grip and can negotiate curves with much more speed, while the bike accelerates faster on the straights. That’s a fact. But what happens when BMW’s 190bhp superbike, the S1000RR challenges a 700bhp Chevrolet Corvette on an abandoned airfield in Germany? In this case, it is all about acceleration, so you can trust us that the bike adjudicates the win.
If you, like us, can’t understand a word of what those guys are saying and can’t wait for the actual drag race, simply move to minute 3:50, lay back and enjoy.
MCN has got the exclusive story on the new Bimota DB8 and so we managed to find that despite rumors regarding the great possibility for the Italian firm to launch a Ducati Streetfighter/Aprilia Tuono competitor, meaning a dual-seat, 1200cc entry-level naked, the new bike will actually be a veritable superbike that offers the possibility to take your wife or girlfriend along for the ride, as Bimota spokesman Anna Carla Cuneo says: “Bimota customers are used to being surprised with new and innovative motorcycles offering unique design, good power and light weight – and many of them also have a wife or girlfriend that would like to come along. We are sure this design will be a big success.”
Bimota hopes to sell 250 such motorcycles for $33,057 (€23,000) while still producing their DB7 model, which starts at $37,369 (€26,000). It may sound like much for the average superbike buyer, but it is what Bimota considers ‘entry level’, so I guess we weren’t too far off after all.
Built around the same consecrate oval section CroMo hybrid chassis now linked to a aluminum subframe and featuring also Marocchi and Extreme Tech suspension front and rear, it is easy to see how building costs have been reduced, but we should also mention that the DB7’s carbon fiber fairing has been replaced with a cheaper, plastic one.
At least we’re satisfied by the fact that engineers made no concession in the engine department. As a result, the 1198 testastretta evoluzione, 4v twin cylinder 90° develops no less than 170 HP at 9.750 rpm and 131.4 Nm at 8.000 rpm. That’s even more impressive in relation to the 392.4 lbs (178 kg) weight of the bike. This means even more engine performance that the Bimota DB7 for less money. I believe we’re starting to understand the whole affordability thing. Read the full specs after the jump.
With the motorcycle industry’s never ending progress as a result of new, more advanced technologies it is sometimes nice to just lay back and enjoy an awesome idea for a picture such as this one right here. It shows a 1908 Indian motorcycle and a 2008 Honda CBR1000RR Repsol racing bike. Obviously, the progress the world has witnessed in the past 100 years has been amazing, so the question just pops: what we’ll be riding when this Honda will occupy the Indian’s place in this picture?
