BMW R 1100S

The sports offering from the prestige German maker harks back to the roots of BMW motorcycling by incorporating a flat twin engine, shaft drive, and comparatively light weight in a dynamic package which provides scintillating performance and traditional BMW balance.

With its 1100cc 72kW (98bhp) engine powering the 229kg motorcycle to 100 km/h from a standing start in just 4.0 seconds and with a top speed of 226 km/h, the new BMW R 1100 S is sure to provide more than a few thrills.

Providing drive through a six speed transmission, featuring the latest in Digital Motor Electronics and having a three way catalytic converter fitted as standard world-wide, the new BMW continues the company's tradition of pushing technological advancement in motorcycles. The new sports motorcycle also features BMW's renowned paralever rear suspension and telelever front suspension, ensuring that its handling more than matches its straight-line speed and acceleration.

The R 1100 S also introduces a new ellipsoid headlight built into its sporting semi-shell fairing, with built in indicators and an especially aggressive rear treatment featuring twin tail pipes just below the integrated tail light.

Also a feature of the R 1100 S is the single seat look with a colour coded passenger seat cover and a particularly sporting riding position.
 

 IF I WAS to offer you a new, limited-edition (to 50 this year), twin cylinder ' superbike for eight grand, chances are that you'd bite my hand off. If I then told you that it wasn't a V-twin, red or Italian, i you'd be more interested in chatting to a i double-glazing salesman.

Okay, so it hasn't won a Superbike F Championship. Truth is, it's probably never  won a track day. Leave that to the 996 and dare to defy convention. The BMW R1100S Sport (the Germans get touchy if I you call it the R1100SS) takes the idea behind the standard model and makes it just that bit more funky and exclusive. Strangely, the Sport shares the same 97bhp, 1085cc horizontally-opposed twin engine, gearbox, exhaust and driveshaft as the base model. So why does the Sport cost £350 more than the base model?

Changes centre around the standard model's ground clearance, or lack of it. Not a real concern on the road, but the decking of the cylinder heads on the track have caught a few out. A different rear shock is employed to increase ride-height. It increases clearance by an inch and, as every 16-year-old knows, they all count. With this new-found leaning ability, a wider rear wheel is used to carry a 180-section Bridgestone, up from 170. Add in deep black paint, orange seat and some decidedly poor quality stickers, and you have the essence of the Sport.

The engine fires and you know you're on a Beemer. A twist of the throttle has the bike sway right then left (the crankshaft runs from the front to the back of the bike and its rotation creates this effect).

It's slow revving in comparison to the Italian V-twins and noticeably harsher. Clonk into first and the weight that the bike exudes at a standstill disappears. Be firm with the click into second and relax in the flat-barred comfort. Thanks to the Telelever front suspension, the ride stays level at most speeds and allows for some demon braking, the 209kg dry weight of the bike being hauled down to walking pace with ease by the Brembo four-pots.

Although not as lively, nippy or agile as the top flight models from Italy or Japan, you can't deny the 1100 is a fine bike to ride. Steering is as precise as most Jap bikes, stability is excellent, comfort better and you do revel in the air of individuality every time you park it underneath you,

But it takes a while to get over the weirdness of the bike. After a day in the saddle, I only managed to operate the indicators once without looking at the switches (one on the left for the left indicator and one on the right for the right, and the cancel button below the starter button). Three times I indicated left with the horn and not the indicator. If you've never experienced shaft-drive before, you might find the reaction on acceleration and when knocking down the 'box strange and when you put your leg down, the cylinders kinda get in the way.

But if you ride the Sport in a flowing manner, and not in a point and squirt fashion, then the rewards are much easier to see. On the plus side, both front and rear preload can be adjusted on the move and the screen offers more protection than all the 996's put together.

BMW's are famed for their durability and reliability and the layout of the bike makes home maintenance a doddle. If you yearn for more power (up to 110bhp), Sportmoto (contact via BMW) is sole UK importer of BMW tuning products. Buying an 1100 Sport is like owning a Hawaiian shirt. Some will think it's cool, some will snigger and it's definitely not suitable for every occasion. Expect to see a few at track days (the bike, not the shirt): being German, they'll be through scrutineering and ready for the track long before you've even turned up.