BMW Motorrad has launched an attack on the Hypernaked segment. For 2023, the M series will be expanded with the M 1000 R, which will have the same engine as the 2023 S 1000 RR. The specifications? A top power of 207 hp and 113 Nm of torque with a curb weight of 199 kilos.
On the street you don’t really wear it at all, but that doesn’t make riding a Hypernaked any less fat. The kick you get when you give 200+ horsepower free rein is really insane – on a track of course because on the street we would never do that… ahem…
With the S 1000 R, BMW already had quite a fast naked in the house that, as far as driving sensation is concerned, can certainly be classified in the Hypernaked category and where Ron managed to set pretty fast times on the Mettet circuit last year. But despite its good looks thanks to the M package, the one-liter four-in-line on paper had ‘only’ 162 hp and however you get used to it, you really don’t make an impression at the bar these days.
Now BMW could have chosen to give the S 1000 R the performance of a real superbike, but there is a good chance that they would have deterred many potential S 1000 R customers. Everyone thinks 200+ horsepower is übervet, but when the choice has to be made, the farmer’s sobriety often prevails, saying that 150 horsepower is more than enough for a Naked.
A real niche, then, that market for Hypernakeds, just like the market for one-litre Superbikes, but that does mean that there is a market for these types of motorcycles, however incredibly small the sales numbers may be. Just like those Superbikes, the Hypernakeds can also be seen as the figureheads. Motorcycles that everyone looks up to, eventually going for a smaller (and especially cheaper) version (as in the case of BMW the F 900 R or G 310 R).
Officially BMW Motorrad has not yet released anything about the M 1000 R, but the Germans have already submitted the paperwork for homologation to the authorities and a few things can already be deduced from that.
The M 1000 R, for example, gets the same block as the 2023 S 1000 RR, good for a top power of 207 hp at 13,750 rpm and a maximum torque of 119 Nm that is delivered at 11,000 rpm. That is a huge contrast to the block of the current S 1000 R, which has to make do with a lousy 165 hp @ 11,000 rpm and a maximum torque of 114 Nm at 9,250 rpm.
The figures show that the M 1000 R is much more track-oriented, with both power and torque being delivered at much higher revs, which the S 1000 R will probably be the finer engine on the street. The M 1000 R also has a significantly higher top speed of 280 km/h (just 20 km/h slower than the S 1000 RR), compared to ‘only’ 255 km/h with the S 1000 R.
As far as the bicycle part is concerned, it is coffee grounds to see to what extent BMW has adapted the frame and suspension. The specs show that the M 1000 R is slightly shorter in length, but has a wheelbase about 25 mm longer. The M 1000 R is also about 40mm wider, suggesting wider handlebars for more leverage. A steering damper will be fitted as standard and the suspension will be adjusted in terms of specs on the stronger block.
The question remains how the M 1000 R will look like in terms of styling, but we bet on a mix between the M 1000 RR and the current S 1000 R M edition. In other words: the looks of the M-edition, with winglets and carbon wheels à la M 1000 RR. We do know that the use of carbon has not resulted in a weight reduction, the M 1000 R is specified for 199 kilos of roadworthy and that is exactly the same as the current S 1000 R.
Finally, the price tag. You can bet that for the M 1000 R you will have to dig very deep into your pocket. For the S 1000 R M edition already more than 28k has to be put on the table, we think the M 1000 R will be much closer to the M 1000 RR than that S 1000 R M edition.
– Thanks for information from Motorfreaks.