When you spend a bit of time on BMW's M 1000 R Competition, it’s hard to imagine how a naked bike can get any better. I don’t mean to say that it’s just so much better than its, err, competition - I mean I don’t know how naked bikes in general can continue to move forward and get better than this.
There isn’t a single thing - and I mean a single thing - I don’t like about the M 1000 R Competition. Indeed, it is very rare, with all the bikes I ride, that I get excited about a bike, but I have spent much time devising a plan that would see a Competition safely nestled in my garage full-time.
The M 1000 R shares its 999cc inline four-cylinder powerplant with the S 1000 R, but Beemer has massaged the engine, and, in M 1000 R guise, it now makes a whopping 210 hp - that’s 40 hp more than the S 1000 R. The engine is deliciously fast and even at idle rumbles along thanks to its lumpy cams.
Now, there’s no denying that this donk is Superman, but somehow, it’s also Clark Kent when you need it to be. It’ll waddle along at 60 km/h in sixth gear, casual as you like, and when it’s time to boogie, just bang down through the box via the flawless bidirectional quickshifter and suddenly the world is an insane place full of noise and blurred vision - 210 hp is a lot of poke in a package that weighs just 199 kg, fuelled and ready to rock and roll.
The Competition is dripping with carbon fibre and billet bits, and it looks gorgeous in a robot sort of way. The carbon wheels are enough to make any red-blooded rev-head weak in the knees.
There’s every bit of tech on offer that one could ever want and, to be honest, probably more than we even need. But with this much performance on tap, cornering-enabled traction control and ABS are a must on this bike, where they just may not be necessary on a lesser machine. I once read that modern jet fighters have such incredible performance because they are inherently unflyable without all the electronics backing up the pilot. I think of the M 1000 R a bit like that - without the electronics you could well be launching yourself to your doom. It’s that insane.
But despite the maniacal engine, the splashings of carbon, the amazing electronics package and the flawless fit and finish of the Competition, none of those are the most impressive aspect of the M 1000 R Competition. No, the most impressive aspect of this motorcycle is its handling, and there is quite simply nothing like it in the naked bike market.
The M 1000 R, like they say, “turns on a dime”. But not only does it flick into a turn with ease, it is sublimely stable in a turn yet can be made to change direction mid-turn with ease. It’s incredibly confidence-inspiring without even meaning to be. Let me explain. Most of us have done it - you go screaming into a corner and there’s a moment when your heart sinks as you realise, you’re sailing into the corner way quicker than anticipated. I had this happen, and that insane engine has much to do with it. I tipped into a corner I’ve ridden hundreds of times, and I knew I entered it quicker than I ever have. What unfolded was the moment I knew I needed to own one of these bikes. Long story short, I railed that corner with such ease it was like I hit it at half the speed I normally do.
It really is hard to convey the experience of riding the M 1000 R Competition, and I’ve been doing this bike review gig for a long time.
The M 1000 R is as close to perfect as a bike can get if you want sports performance in a package that won’t leave you needing a chiropractor like a full-on sports bike will. If you can organise a test ride - do it. Or maybe don’t do it, because the chances are if you do, there’s a good chance you’ll end up with one in your garage. I just can’t see how it can get better than this!
