9781422285206

off if that’s your preference. The riding position is comfortable, although suspension might suffer on less than pristine tarmac. There can be occasional gear-shifting problems but generally the only other drawback that riders seem to find with it is that it’s just too quick and strong for the roads. A publicity stunt tacitly admitted this. The YouTube video that BMW

released in March 2010 to show the S1000RR’s acceleration, entitled “the oldest trick in the world,” went superviral and amassed 1.4 million views in just 10 days. The trick involved removing a tablecloth from a 20-foot dining table without disturbing the decorations, condiments, and place settings. Even though the trick was later shown to be technically almost

impossible, the fact remains that its acceleration is phenomenally fast. The point was made. In 2010, this superbike was lathered in awards: both Motorcyclist and motorcycle.com dubbed it Motorcycle of the Year; Cycle World named it Best Superbike; Robb Report called it the Best of the Best; and the UK’s Motorcycle News gave it not only Best Superbike over 751cc but also Machine of the Year. During the same year, the Italian rider Ayrton Badovini won every race bar one to sweep all before him in the FIM Superstock 1000 Championship in his native country. The supreme relevance of this feat is that Superstock criteria demand that racing bikes are closest to production models. Given that much of the appeal of superbikes is to ride a version which is like that guided by one of your heroes, it’s quite a performance accolade – and an inducement.

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