BMW S1000RR

I'm seriously considering purchasing this bike: hellforleathermagazine.com/2011/03/why-t...ic-first-motorcycle/

I took it for a test ride a few months back, I STILL have a grin on my face.

Do y'all have much experience with sportbikes? I'd get it to take it to track days- I've been noticing I'm riding faster and more aggressively than I should on public roads lately.

2011 ZX10R.

188 hp, less than 400 lbs dry weight, traction control and ABS.

The S1000RR has had some problems, according to what I've been reading. Have they won any races with it yet?

I have a ZX11, if I was 40 years younger I'd have a ZX10R :laugh:

Last sportbike I had was a Yamaha FZR1000 back in 1988. I think I had it around 6 months and in that time I got one reckless driving ticket for >100 in a 40 zone, I think two other less offenses, then finally rolled it at about 70mph. The "funny thing" if you can call it that, was the only reason I wrecked it was I knew I was speeding, saw a parked car when I turned a mountain curve, thought it was a cop, panic set in and I locked the front wheel at 70mph. Wasn't a cop, but of course the cops were there to "help" pretty quick and another ticket for careless driving. Downhill grade and they measured 300ft the FZR and I slid and rolled. Well that's my last sportbike. I'm 50 now so possibly thing would be different, back in the youthful days I just couldn't resist that power. The S1000 BMW is one awesome machine, no doubt. My racing days were similar. I got a 1983 GPZ750 that was 6 months old that was wrecked, fixed it up as a roadracer, tried my "skills". Well I can't be a loser so leading the novice race, I drag the exhaust hard last lap, levers the tires off the pavement and I roll that bike at about 80mph. Not enough agony, so I fix it again, try again. This time I was doing nothing wrong that I know of, and simply lowside and wreck again. Half the field wrecked it that race so I don't know if oil on the track or the moon was aligned with mars wrong or what, but that ended my track days. Thank goodness for riding junk! I would never take a bike I cared $0.02 about to the track. Finally sold the GPZ and the guy got killed whithin a couple months, so I think that bike was just posessed. Sorry, rambling on, but again the BMW is a nice machine without a doubt.

I've been Kawasaki my whole life thanks to my Dad who has owned his Z1A since '74. However, the new ZX-10R imported to North America has been re-tuned to meet emissions and sound requirements (nothing a chip and pipe won't fix though). When you factor the re-tuning in as well as the recall- I'm not to thrilled with Kawasaki Heavy Industries, Ltd. these days.

The traction control on the 10R is of completely different design than the S1K (which has 193 at the crank). Won't bother (nor am I capable- want to make sure I have my facts straight) explaining everything between the TC systems. The S1K had a few teething issues when it was first released- a drop sensor as well as something related to the breather pipe- not a full-blown recall as the 10R suffered.

I certainly don't want to start anything by sounding defensive (it probably wasn't the best idea starting this thread on a KAWASAKI forum :blush:); however, I've been doing my homework for the last 6 months on the S1K and 10R.

RonKZ650 wrote:

Last sportbike I had was a Yamaha FZR1000 back in 1988. I think I had it around 6 months and in that time I got one reckless driving ticket for >100 in a 40 zone, I think two other less offenses, then finally rolled it at about 70mph. The "funny thing" if you can call it that, was the only reason I wrecked it was I knew I was speeding, saw a parked car when I turned a mountain curve, thought it was a cop, panic set in and I locked the front wheel at 70mph. Wasn't a cop, but of course the cops were there to "help" pretty quick and another ticket for careless driving. Downhill grade and they measured 300ft the FZR and I slid and rolled. Well that's my last sportbike. I'm 50 now so possibly thing would be different, back in the youthful days I just couldn't resist that power. The S1000 BMW is one awesome machine, no doubt. My racing days were similar. I got a 1983 GPZ750 that was 6 months old that was wrecked, fixed it up as a roadracer, tried my "skills". Well I can't be a loser so leading the novice race, I drag the exhaust hard last lap, levers the tires off the pavement and I roll that bike at about 80mph. Not enough agony, so I fix it again, try again. This time I was doing nothing wrong that I know of, and simply lowside and wreck again. Half the field wrecked it that race so I don't know if oil on the track or the moon was aligned with mars wrong or what, but that ended my track days. Thank goodness for riding junk! I would never take a bike I cared $0.02 about to the track. Finally sold the GPZ and the guy got killed whithin a couple months, so I think that bike was just posessed. Sorry, rambling on, but again the BMW is a nice machine without a doubt.

Hey Ron, thanks for sharing your story. Something like that is what I'm worried about. I don't want to sound like such a bike is justified for street use [it is NOT under ANY circumstances no matter who the hell you are], so I was playing with the idea of track days. Someone said they get 2 or 3 track days (probably 8 or so hours of riding time) on a set of tires and pads before they need replacing. Bikes of that caliber will ALWAYS need things. BMW dealers are notorious for their higher labor costs compared to Jap dealers.

On the other hand, I've seen 1 S1K on the street and I feel like in the long run, it will turn out to be one of the safest bikes out there- definitely the safest literbike, due to its electronics.

I have been riding a 2004 zx-10r for the past few years, and love that bike. As for the BMW, it has impressive statistics, and I know that it had you grinning. Have you ridden any of the other liter bikes? I got to try a GSXR1000 (stupid pointy fairings poked me in the knees) and a CBR1000 (portly, and seemed anemic compared to the ninja) before I purchased my bike. The thing about a modern liter bike is that any of them will have potential beyond your capabilities as a rider. The decision comes down to what feels right, comfortable, looks good to you, and is priced right.

I'll side with steell and say to at least give the new zx-10r a shot. IMO it's a better looking bike than the BMW, and should be comparable in performance. It's also a good bit cheaper. I will add that if you feel that you are becoming too aggressive on a KZ, then any new liter bike will be a sure bet to a ticket or serious pain. You need to have a firm check on your aggression with a superbike even on the track. My 7 year old ninja will do 100mph in first gear, and good luck keeping that front wheel down when the power comes on above 7000 rpm. The damn thing just begs you to do something illegal every time you ride it. BTW the new ninja gets wheelie control along with the traction control, and the ABS is optional.

I guess that I type too slow. I should say that the new ninja has had it's problems as you well know. There were a handful of bikes that got sold before they discovered the "valve surge" and all of the owners were allowed to return their bikes for a new one that was deemed to be clear of the problem, or were sent replacement engines from Kawasaki. I have been a member at zx-10r.net for a while now and everyone there seems to feel like they have been treated fairly by Kawasaki.

One of the members there got his replacement motor and already has the computer hacked, and put a slip on pipe. He's achieved some impressive performance. Geared properly he got 201 mph on gps. He recently took it to the strip and was already breaking into the high 9's with 153mph trap speed, and he's not an experienced drag racer. I will admit that it is a pisser that the US got a de-tuned version, but the jury is still out if BMW has complied with all the EPA regs. Yamaha gave us a neutered R1, and you can bet that the next GSXR or CBR will get similar treatment.

My experience with BMW (not bikes, mind you) was with a 10+ yr old car. The thing had been solid to that point, but everything started to fail and was 1.5 to 2x the price parts would have been on other vehicles.

I would do some maintenance costs research before buying another one - the problems I had were with a specific model line/year range and age it seems.

Edit: And with my riding ability, I think any modern liter bike would be more than I could handle anyhow.

steell wrote:

2011 ZX10R.

188 hp, less than 400 lbs dry weight, traction control and ABS.

The S1000RR has had some problems, according to what I've been reading. Have they won any races with it yet?

I have a ZX11, if I was 40 years younger I'd have a ZX10R :laugh:

It's my understanding he new 10R has piston ring problems BUT Kawasaki is standing behind the warranty.

Both of those bikes are state of the art and no normal rider is ever going to reach the limits the bikes are capable of. Pick your favorite...lay down your cash....HAVE A BALL!

if i was looking for a bike to hire for a job id say they were both over qualified for anything id be hiring for! :laugh:
i dont know about anybody else but in my part of town we dont spend a lot of time doing 160 in the few curves we actually have in the road,too much cow shit and road kill in these parts! :woohoo:

Not that I have ever done a track day before or ridden a modern sportbike for that matter, but from what I understand these bikes get dropped often and take a pretty good beating. Considering that you are not Rossi, could you really tell the difference between the BMW and say a 10 year old litrebike? I am not trying to be a smarta$$, just honestly wondering if for regular people the extra few ponies and technology would be worth the added cost of a brand new high end bike for the track.

i have taken one down a strip bad ass bike but alot of $$$$$$$$$ i have alot of bikes but not one of them ,,,yeeeetttt