2017 BMW HP4 Race | Best 2017 Superbike

The 2017 BMW HP4 Race wins Cycle World's 10 Best Bikes for the Best 2017 Superbike category.

As Superbike racing has evolved over the past four decades, almost every manufacturer that has participated in the sport has at one time or another built special homologation models to get an advantage within the scope of the rules. But in recent years, a few of those same brands have decided to push the boundaries beyond the restraints imposed by racing and built no-holds-barred trackbikes. Lighter, more powerful, more exotic, and more awesome.

These technical marvels are as much about showcasing engineering knowledge as they are for developing ideas for future models. Ducati's Superleggera and Desmosedici as well as Honda's RC213V-S are prime examples of super specials that for one reason or another are too radical to compete in most racing series.

BMW's brand-new HP4 Race is all of those things and more. At 377 pounds fully fueled and with 215 hp at the rear wheel, the power-to-weight ratio is stunning. But this bike's real talking points are the chassis components and upgraded elec­tronics that put it into a realm that few riders outside of the World Superbike or MotoGP paddocks have ever experienced.

The HP4 Race is so much more than a fancy paint job. First off, the one-piece, carbon-fiber frame weighs just 17.2 pounds (8.8 less than its aluminum counterpart) and is built by an auto­mated Resin Transfer Moulding process in which all pivots, inserts, and headset races are molded in without any fiber-damaging drilling required post production. An ultra-stiff aluminum Suter-developed swingarm differs dramatically from the S1000RR’s with underslung bracing as opposed to the standard model’s banana beams. The subframe is also CF, but it is a more traditional hand-layup piece and offers three seat-height settings ranging from 32.1 to 33.3 inches.

Because adjustability is absolutely essential on a trackbike, the HP4 Race comes with adjustable-swingarm pivot inserts that alter the position in +/-4mm increments, while the steering head’s offset and rake can be altered with inserts (offset: 26, 28, 30, or 32mm; rake: 24.5 degrees, +/-0.5 or +/-1.0 degree). Ride height can also be adjusted +/-5mm on the Öhlins TTX 36 GP shock absorber, while tasty rearsets can be set to preference too. A quiverful of included front and rear final-drive sprockets will ensure your gearing is ideal wherever you ride.

There is eye candy bolted all over the HP4 Race, but every bit of it is designed for function first. Up front is a WSBK refugee Öhlins FGR 300 inverted fork with titanium-nitride-coated inner tubes and 5.1 inches of travel. If that doesn’t grab your attention, the nickel-plated Brembo GP4 PR Monoblock brake calipers (the same as Valentino Rossi uses) surely will. These have anti-friction-coated titanium pistons and clamp down on thicker (6.5mm) 320mm-diameter steel racing discs and are fed by a Brembo RSC 19x18 master cylinder. Super trick, but easy to miss, is the tiny rear four-piston Brembo caliper (with Ti pistons) that pinches a 220mm disc.

Although looking at the spec sheet is impressive, understanding how it works as a package can only be fully grasped at speed on a racetrack. For that, I headed to the Autódromo do Estoril just outside of Lisbon, Portugal. After getting reacquainted with the circuit on standard S1000RRs fitted with the same Pirelli Diablo SC2 slicks spec’d on the HP4 Race, it was time to get serious.

Like the cockpits of various factory superbikes that I’ve been fortunate enough to ride over the years, the HP4 Race’s is all business. The 2D dash is all about communicating data to the rider in a simple interface, while the MotoGP/Superbike-style mode-control pods are designed for making quick changes on the fly at speed. BMW brand ambassador Nate Kern explained how different the settings on the Race are compared to the RR, meaning traction-control, engine-braking, and wheelie-control settings are completely unique to the HP4 Race (read: aggressive).

Once the engine was started, I was encouraged to get moving quickly before it overheated (hot and humid ambient temps and no radiator fan requires movement). Kern suggested I start in the Intermediate power mode with a fairly traditional-feeling engine-braking setup, conservative DTC, and then I could change them on the fly. I would only have two sessions on the bike and a lot to try. Within a lap, it was quite clear that I was on something very special.

[FTLGarageWorks]

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