2020 BMW S 1000 RR Review | MC Commute

Ever since BMW released its S 1000 RR for the 2009 model year, the bike has wowed us with its potent and exhilarating performance. Whether burning laps around racing circuits or racking up the odometer with heated grips on “high,” few other liter-class sportbikes offer the versatility of the Bavarian bike.

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For 2020, BMW engineers went back to the drawing board re-engineering nearly every component of the motorcycle in the effort of delivering an even more adept superbike. We highlight the laundry list of updates and improvements in the 2019 BMW S 1000 RR First Look article.

We also gave it an initial shakedown test during the 2020 BMW S 1000 RR First Ride Review. Now we put it through its paces during our work week commute in this episode of MC Commute. Tune in to see how the BMW performs on the street. After watching this video, sound off in the comment section below and let us know what you think of the changes BMW has made to its new S 1000 RR.

Videography/Edit: @AdamWaheed
Photography: Kevin Wing

[jepark]

Those fked up headlights in the last generation is what made it really special

[magellanicspaceclouds]

That was a pretty comprehensive review. Some other reviewers even fail to mention the RPM flat spot. Good job Adam.

[vanduc]

lol, love that he stalled it!
I've been riding since '94 and I still manage to do that from time to time. feel like the biggest moron in the world when I do..
Good to know I'm not the only one and even the professionals do the same!

[bernhtp]

I own the 2020 RR and have over 1000 miles on it. Mine is (Brentuning) flashed and this dramatically improves the performance and character of the bike. Not only are the limits gone, but it’s smoother and sounds better. It’s amazingly fast and drivable. I’ve also done a couple of track days on the 2020 RR (and previous generations) via California Superbike School.

For a “commute” review, you should have looked at a bunch more of its features such as the Bluetooth integration (both phone and helmet), Nav, useful phone app, and the brilliant hill stop assist (it holds the brake for you when stopped on a hill so you can relax with a quick squeeze of the lever). The Sport display on the TFT console is easily selected, which gives more information such as max brake pressure, max DTC intervention, current and max left/right lean angle and a bunch more. It’s very cool.


You only use the programmable Race Pro modes when you want something special (e.g., do higher wheelies/stoppies). In fact you can select how high (either way) you will allow it to go. For the track, I keep wheelie intervention high so it only allows about a 6” wheelie, so when the power wheelie rises exiting from a corner, you don’t need to let up on the throttle. Just keep the throttle pegged and it gives the max amount it should.


The US-tune RRs at CSS had rough vibration at high revs/throttle as you describe. For whatever reason (maybe the tune), mine is considerably smoother. The handling, brakes, suspension, programmability, console and so much else are amazing. This is a great bike.

[SaarN]

Lol at 5:23, this is something that my dad would do.

[shubhamkatke]

That iconic shark gills look fantastic . All future s1000 should be coming with those gills. It's signature of the bike

[nepgar]

Am I the only one who sees the face of a Yamaha R3 in this lil fella?

[Kurlach]

I feel sorry for US buyers with those restrictions; I’m in the UK and have an M Sport with 2, 500 miles on and believe me it’s way faster than the previous generation. And getting into neutral gets easier as you get more miles on it 😁😉

[scribehades]

Love how dude makes wheelies look like the easiest thing.

[Joric]

When you cycle the power like that did it keep your settings or revert to nanny mode?

[xzeflipb]

I like how you explain things objectively without being overly hype about about the bike's power. The rest of the review channels just blurs the speedometer and mumbles like they have a lisp.

[hondaracing]

XWorks flashed my bike and I couldn't be happier. 44hp gain in 2nd and 3rd gear.

[LazyOwl]

although I like the asymmetrical headlights of the old model.

[windyrun]

Great review. I appreciate your professionalism in presenting both the pros and cons. High value report.

[thomasbalotte]

"We've already turned off traction control, put it in race pro 1 mode..." "...can't get it into neutral"

[Scorpionsubstance]

Amazing how you covered every single intricate detail I was wondering about with my BMW S1000RR. I am coming off a Daytona 765 moto 2 and you have answered all my questions, thank you.

[JK-qjqp]

Can’t wait for you to do a review on this bike with an unrestricted ecu on a track 👍

[ilmostro]

I don’t know about all that ECU talk, somehow other manufacturers like Ducati, Yamaha, and Suzuki can build a new liter bike that has power below 9K RPM, but whatever the issue is, it’s a real problem here. I demoed this for my video and I was surprised just how flat and limp this engine is below 9000 RPM. On the street its useless. It’s like riding a 600cc power-wise until you hit the explosion of power at 9K. Unimpressive torque as well. BMW needs to fix this bike. Also I had a hell of a time finding neutral and the demo bike I rode had over 2K miles on it so it wasn’t a break in issue. And I see the issue is here as well. They need to fix all of this for 2021.

[angelite]

It's not acceptable to have "excessive vibrations" throughout the bike while moving up the revs - and it's one of the most expensive bikes in the competition.

[movingforward]

I like your honest reviews ! Seems like everything has to be reflashed nowadays. Cheers !