In 2009, BMW Motorrad introduced to the world its finest two-wheeled creation – the BMW S1000 RR.
Employing a four-cylinder engine that practically raised the performance bar on the competition, the S1000 RR has returned, re-badged with the HP4 insignia (High Performance four-cylinder) and re-worked for smoother power delivery and better mid-range performance.
The HP4 hasn’t lost its original two-faced design, sporting what seems like shark-gills on its right while the other was left a tad bland and unattended to – ultimately depicting its vulgar belligerence on one side and the total opposite on the other.
With a titanium exhaust system from Slovenian exhaust manufacturer – Akrapovic (pronounced as Ah-kra-po-vich), the HP4 also gets slapped with carbon fibre parts and splashed with some blue and white livery to set it apart from its predecessor.
A short and sharp-looking tail for this particular litre-bike certainly illustrates its fast-paced capabilities and sporting a HP4 badge, it just makes it that much more intimidating.
The seating position feels rather neutral, not too forward for that “falling-forward” sensation but just enough to feel your body-weight evenly distributed between the handlebars and the rather comfortable seats.
The 999cc engine will produce 193bhp at 13,000rpm while 112Nm of maximum torque is found lower at 9,750rpm; all of which will sling shot you to 100kph in just 2.9 seconds and onwards to a top speed of about 200kph!
Though it does sound a little brutal on the senses, with plenty of “go” at every gear, the HP4 does have its flip-side – a docile one that can be putty in your hands yet more than happy to oblige with a little more twist from the wrist.
Perhaps, the main reason for acquiring an HP4 will be for its outright belligerent abilities, becoming the main factor in a rider’s tomfoolery since twisting its throttle makes it seem like there’s nothing the HP4 can’t do.
There’s plenty of accessible torque (in any riding mode) all throughout the rev range and that simply means it gives in to our wants, whims and desires. That certainly made sure it’s ruined us for any other bike out there.
With the HP4 now roughly 7kg lighter than the initial S1000 RR’s 162kg dry weight; thanks to its lighter seven-spoke forged alloy rims, sprocket carrier and Akrapovic titanium exhaust system that’s 4.5kg lighter than before, the HP4 now feels a lot more nimble.
Mass distribution of the HP4’s bulk lies very low to the ground, and for something that comes in just a tickle under 200kg for its wet-weight definitely helps to make this bike seem lighter than it actually is.
Pulling off from standstill, and the difference between the S1000RR and HP4 becomes more apparent.
Smoother power delivery comes from the HP4 without losing any of its potency and there seems to be a little more bite from its brakes over the S1000 RR.
Scooting from apex to apex, the HP4 feels extremely nimble and being bottom-heavy, there’s very little fight to get the bike flicking over to carve up the next corner before giving the throttle a good twisting to spit you out onto a long straight.
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There’s plenty of settings to help dial in how you think your HP4 should feel, new riders may feel the intimidation of getting lost in all that electronic wizardry, especially when adjusting it’s Dynamic Damping Control (DDC) – a first for the motorcycle world.
It undoubtedly sounds technical, but all that’s required is your thumb to set it all the way down to the lowest setting and then letting the bike manage the rest for you as the DDC changes the damping of the front forks and rear suspension accordingly, taking into account speed, throttle position, lean angle, traction control and ABS settings.
Changing the DDC and Dynamic Traction Control (located on the left handle-bar) may be a cinch and can be done on the fly, but we’d prefer recommending you to come to a complete stop before changing the settings for new riders.
Employing the use of launch control is a breeze. In first-gear, hang onto the electric starter for three seconds to activate, twist that throttle, watch the revs climb to 8,000rpm and let loose the clutch and hang on till the shift-up blinker starts flashing.
We threw some different road conditions into the mix for the HP4, wondering how she’d fare.
Again, the HP4 certainly looked to spoil us silly, making most uneven surfaces a little less turbulent than it really is – all thanks to the bike’s Dynamic Damping Control.
The HP4 may be a complicated bike to understand from an engineering point of view with things like Dynamic Traction Control, Anti-lock Braking System and Dynamic Damping Control, but from a rider’s perspective it’ll simply do what and when you ask of it.
At the end of our weekend, returning the HP4 to BMW Group Malaysia in Cyberjaya was certainly a sad ordeal.
Regardless how intimidating this bike may have seemed in terms of its accolades, aesthetics and outright power we can’t seem to simplify it any further but by saying that it’s simply a slave to your riding desires.
We’re certainly one for such sporty versatility and with a bike that comes in with an on-the-road price-tag that’s pretty much double that of a Japanese competitor (without insurance) – RM144,444 (standard HP4) and RM158,888 (Competition Package), it still left our minds scheming for an acquisition.
Seriously mind-boggling if you ask us!
With the HP4 being the first bike in the world to employ an electronically managed suspension system, it just makes us wonder how long till the other manufacturers answer.
But one thing’s for certain – the Japanese will surely be looking to reclaim their honour.
