You'd have to be long in the game to recall the last BMW classified as a proper sportbike--can't remember, try over 25 years ago with the R90S. Sure the K1 was unique, the 1100S was quick and the current HP2 is sporting, but thrown up against a sportbike even half their size and it's game over for the blue and white.
Despite our reservations with the notion of a BMW sportbike, we'd be stupid to call the new S 1000 RR anything less. If the 403 LB, 193 HP road-going rocket isn't statement enough, the fact BMW is competing in World Superbike (WSB) reaffirms its intentions of cleaning house.
As bold as Bimmer's crack at a competitive sportbike is, to attack the legendary Japanese companies at their own game is equally commendable. Unlike Ducati with their twins and Triumph with their triples, BMW picked the road already dominated by the big four (Honda, Suzuki, Yamaha and Kawasaki). That's right; BMW challenged them at their own game with an aluminum frame and a four-cylinder motor.
To date, no manufacturer has successfully nailed the "across-the frame four" more perfectly than the big four. You see, while Ducati and Triumph compete against the Japanese sportbikes for the same trophy, they're hard to directly compare since they achieve their results in vastly different ways--more apples to oranges. However it's all apples-to-apples with the RR and that's all good.
Speaking of good, the 999cc motor solidifies the notion with 193 ponies at a lofty 13,000 RPM. Despite the over-square design with a large bore of 3.15" and a short stroke of 1.96" that favors high-rpm power, the big BMW still churns out 82.5 LB-FT at 9,750 RPM. To achieve a rev ceiling of 14,000 RPM, BMW took painstaking measures to maximize this monster.