Yesterday, we were the first publication to bring you photos of the 2017 Honda CBR1000RR, and today, we are the first to show you the 2017 BMW S1000R.
Thanks to our loyal readers, we were pointed in the direction of some photos of what looks like a pre-production version of the upcoming 2017 BMW S1000R streetfighter (one of the machines we tipped for an update this coming model year).
It appears that the new BMW S1000R is going to get a bevy of changes already found on the current BMW S1000RR superbike, both visually and mechanically.
Caught at the Oschersleben track in Germany, we can’t imagine how many people walked by this parked motorcycle, without realizing what it was.
We can’t blame them though, because the updates coming to the 2017 BMW S1000R are subtle, and you’d really have to know what you’re looking at, in order to see the changes. Thankfully, that’s what A&R is here for.
Before we begin, here is a quick primer on BMW models, and you will want to click to enlarge these two photos for reference.
The first photo you see above is the 2015 BMW S1000RR, which was updated with a revised chassis and retuned engine. You can tell that its chassis visibly differs from the BMW S1000R (the next photo down), as the current S1000R uses the pre-2015 chassis design.
This means that the most obvious tip-off that this is a new bike are the changes to the frame, as this pictured bike has the same frame as the 2015 BMW S1000RR (note the cutout, right where the rearset mounts…that’s not there on the current S1000R).
Other design changes include a very subtly different front-end, which is more noticeably different when looking at its profile, rather than head-on. The fairings around the radiator are also different in design, though keep vaguely the same shape.
The fuel tank and tail assembly look pretty much the same, at least as far as we can tell from these angles and resolutions, though we’re having a hard time deciphering what’s going on with the exhaust.
The belly muffler looks to be a shape that isn’t found on either the current S1000R, nor the current S1000RR, though it shares attributes of both. It is entirely possible that BMW Motorrad made this piece unique for the 2017 BMW S1000RR.
For technical items, we can see the auto-blipping quickshifter from the current S1000RR has been affixed to this S1000R, for clutchless upshifts and downshifts (BMW calls this technology Shift Assistant Pro). It also looks like rubber pads have been added to the handlebar mounts, which should help ease some vibes.
To match the updated chassis, we can expect some internal changes to the motor as well. The 2015 BMW S1000RR received a revised cylinder head, with changes to the duct geometry, intake camshaft, and intake valves. We can expect similar changes for the 2017 BMW S1000R then, as well.
We doubt power will get a big bump, maybe 5hp at the maximum, but that should help keep the BMW S1000R relevant against bikes like the Aprilia Tuono V4 1100 RR and KTM 1290 Super Duke R.
What tips us that this isn’t just a very well done streetfighter conversion to a current S1000RR are the placeholder warning stickers affixed to the frame.
As such, we can expect this model to debut at the upcoming INTERMOT show in October, or possibly at the EICMA show in November. Stay tuned, we’ll post more details when we get them.
Source: BMW Motorrad Bilder via S1000R.co.uk
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