Ballistic Bavarian BRUISER

While some of the super nakeds on the market are now being equipped with engines that supply a power output that rivals that of full-on litre-plus sportsbikes, there’s still an argument to choose a softer, more road-focused power delivery that isn’t in the stratospheric heights of that produced by the likes of the Ducati V4 Panigale or BMW M1000R. And while the S1000R has been in the BMW range for some time, the 2021 version is most definitely a brand new bike.

The format may remain the same, but the engine has been changed, as has the frame and subframe, and the suspension too, with an impressive reduction in weight now bringing it below the 200kg mark. That frame and engine are from the new generation S1000RR sportsbike (as launched in 2019), although while that has a potent (and, frankly, mind-bending) 200bhp output, the naked version doesn’t have the same engine spec, spinning out a more flexible