After crashing four S1000RR’s during WSBK’s stop at Phillip Island, and then missing the race entirely, Ruben Xaus hasn’t exactly put his best foot forward in the 2010 World Superbike Championship season. For some the continuation of the Spanish rider’s career on a factory supported Superbike seems to have a death clock already running, and the rumor is that Xaus has to prove his worth or risk being shown the door from the BMW WSBK team.
Remember when Mr. Wizard explained Newton’s First Law of Motion by setting a table and whipping the tablecloth out from underneath all the cups, plates, and utensils? Well BMW has a video which takes the tablecloth trick to its next logical motorcycling related progression. Check it out after the jump.
BMW announced today that it will send a factory backed team to compete in the Isle of Man’s Superbike and Senior TT’s. This announcement ends over 30 years of the Bavarian brand’s absence at the Isle of Man. For Austrian-based KTM, this will be their first time running at the Isle of Man TT. The KTM RC8 R will be entered in the Superstock, Superbike, and Senior TT’s. More after the jump.
According to Ash on Bikes, BMW has added a firmware patch to the S1000RR that will set the bike’s rev limit to 9,000 RPM during the first 600 miles of use. This limit is reportedly being put into place because of excessive wear on components being used by race teams. As such, BMW thinks it fit to guard against similar wear on its street-bound machines, although there has been no indication that this has been the case.
Asphalt & Rubber has been out of the office for most of this President’s Day weekend, but we’re back now and eager to make it up to you. We’ve got some great stories that we’ll roll out this week, but while we put them together we thought we’d tide you over with this video that showcases the development process of the 2010 BMW S1000RR superbike. The video highlights the planning, designing, and testing of BMW’s first true sportbike, which gives an interesting perspective into the bike’s creation. Click past the break to watch the video, and go ahead and queue up your own music because this soundtrack is el horriblé.
Oberdan Bezzi continues today with his sketches of the S1000RR in naked form. This time the Italian designer takes a half-fairing approach to the German Superbike, and has also picked up on the chatter about the BMW naming conventions. Dubbed the S1000RS, the latest sketch from Obiboi is a blend from his naked version and the full-faired production bike from BMW. The headlights appear to be symettrical, which should please many riders who are still on the fence with the S1000RR.
When BMW set out to make the S1000RR superbike, they put the Japanese 4 squarely in their sights. There can be little doubt that zie Germans succeed in making a bike that can compete with the liter bike incumbents. While we’re not sure if the S1000RR is completely up to the hype with its alleged 183hp dyno figures, one thing is for certain: The BMW S1000RR has plenty of power on tap.
While we hear at A&R prefer to think of that power going towards canyon carving adventures or helping us become Sunday morning track day heroes, for some that power is better suited for lofting a front (or rear) wheel, and practicing cursive calligraphy on a tarmac surface. What we believe to be the first BMW S1000RR stunting video can be found after the jump.
With the recent news of the 2010 BMW S1000RR making 183hp at the rear-wheel, the Bavarian Superbike is looking like quite the potent potable. With its liter-bike class leading performance, the bike doesn’t break the wallet much either with its $13,800 price tag. With such a great bike hitting US soil soon, it’s hard to imagine how to make it better…but that’s what the Dutch did with their BMW S1000RR Carbon Edition. More after the jump.
When BMW announced the S1000RR, they claimed power figures of 193hp at the crank. While the clear class winner on quoted power figures, OEM claims on horsepower are “ambitious” when viewed in even the most favorable of light. However as Bike found out in the case of the S1000RR, it would seem that BMW might have actually under-promised on the bike’s performance potential, and then over-delivered.
One of the cooler things on display at EICMA this year was BMWs S1000RR engine cutaway. The cutaway showcases everything from airbox to exhaust, and if you look really closely you can spot the unicorns secret responsible for BMW’s 193 claimed crank horsepower. More pictures for the engineering minded after the jump.