It’s no secret that BMW’s S1000RR is much-loved at Superbike towers, and for much the same reason the rest of the two wheeled world and his dog love it. Since it arrived 10 years ago, it’s built a reputation as the easiest superbike to jump on and immediately ride fast with seemingly no time needed to adjust to or understand how it wants to be ridden. That’s why they’re ten-a-penny at track days, why you’ll find people using them from everything from commuting to touring, why it’s won almost every group test it’s ever been entered into, and also why it hasn’t changed a fat lot since 2009.
But we just came across leaked patent design drawings, and it’s clear that there’s huge change in store for the almighty S1000RR in 2019. Of course, that’s if the drawings are legitimate… and we’ve no reason to believe they aren’t.
It’s hard to know where to even start with the changes. Everything is different: the frame, the swinging-arm, the sub-frame, bodywork… the whole lot. 2019’s S1000RR is going to be a completely new bike from start to finish.
We can’t tell much about the engine from the drawings (obviously) but expect more than 200 BHP at the crank. Physically the 2019 S1000RR looks tiny… Aprilia RSV4 levels of tiny. And check out that kink in the frame as it hugs the line of the tank. The underslung swing-arm reminds us of the swing-arm on Yamaha’s 2006-ish R1 (a bike well ahead of its time) and points to BMW focussing on mass centralisation as well as controlling flex and tyre-patch movement under power. No other current-gen 1000 packs an underslung swing-arm, so this is a clear take from the BSB, WorldSBK and MotoGP paddocks.
Which leaves only the design to talk about. Gone, apparently, are the asymmetrical headlights, a cornerstone of the S1000RR’s design. We’ll let you make your own mind up on that, but we like the nods back to the current S1000RR design – that clutch cover, the design of the tank, the air intake and other cues as your eye wonders of the design. We like the redesigned sub-frame too: rounded tubes replace ugly box-section which is far more pleasing to the eye.
Aprilia, Ducati… you ought to be more than a little worried. Ze Germans are coming (again).
More drawings below –
Underside view
Overhead view
Rear-view (ooeerr)
