Yes, Yes, we know that we haven’t featured much BMW stuff this year – there is literally radio silence from the SA folks despite our best efforts and we hope that at some stage this will change. In Dirt And Trail magazine, we featured all the new Adventure models and you can read about those here. As it happens, BMW does have some road models coming in and here’s what you can look forward to in the new year.
The 2024 S1000XR and the new M1000XR.
The S1000XR gets a raft of updates, including more power, while the M1000XR debuts as the third member of BMW’s high-performance M family, joining the M1000R and M1000RR.
2024 BMW S 1000 XR
The big change for the S1000XR which shares its donk with the S1000RR is a large increase in horsepower over the 2023 model.
For 2024, BMW is claiming 170 hp, which is achieved, they say, by “Optimising intake channel airflow and revising the engine maps.”
That’s 5 hp more than the current model and it comes at the same 11,000 rpm. Torque still arrives at 84 lb.-ft. at 9,250 rpm.
Ergonomics on the 2024 S1000XR have been refined, they say with the seat of the long-distance sportbike redesigned. It’s a bit higher , longer and wider which they say “makes it easier to shift butt cheeks during changing riding conditions”.
Three different seat heights are available. The suspension has been upgraded to offer more spring preload.
According to BMW, The Shift Assist Pro feature has been refined for more precise shifting, and adaptive Headlight Pro has been added as standard equipment.
The new model will offer a Keyless Ride and upgrades the 9Ah battery to a 12Ah capacity unit.
A USB charging socket is now standard. How cool is that!
BMW also looked at cosmetics for 2024. They have given the rear section new side panels and new air intakes.
The radiator trim gets a textured surface, and the front fender is now painted in the same colours as the rest of the bike.
There are new colours for 2024, with Blackstorm Metallic 2 as the standard choice, and Gravity Blue Metallic (Style Sport) or Light White/M Motorsport (M Package) as options.
The 2024 BMW M 1000 XR
BMW describes this as “The lightest and most powerful cross-over motorcycle in the world.” The third and newest member of BMW Motorrad’s M series rolls in with the same high-performance aims as its M1000R and M1000RR siblings.
The bike is based on the current S1000XR and S1000RR, and tuned “To a level of performance and exclusivity the M series is meant to convey.”
The same inline four-cylinder ShiftCam mill as the M 1000 RR, with a peak of 201 hp at 12,750 rpm, 31 hp more than in the new S 1000 XR. Max torque is still 83 lb.-ft. at 11,000 rpm, but maximum engine speed on the M XR has been increased to 14,600 rpm.
BMW Says that the new M-XR engine is significantly more powerful than the four-cylinder of the S 1000 XR across the entire rev range from acceleration to pulling power.
Much of this, they say, has to do with lighter engine internals and optimised intake flow. The M-XR also gets a shorter secondary gear ratio – a 47-tooth sprocket as opposed to the S 1000 XR’s 45 teeth and the new M’s fourth, fifth, and sixth gear ratios are shorter.
At the back end, a lighter exhaust system is fitted with short, compact titanium end piece.
Adjustable throttle maps are available, Rain, Road, Dynamic, and Race, and Race Pro1–3, along with the latest generation of Dynamic Traction Control (DTC) and DTC wheelie function on a six-axis sensor.
The M comes with rider aids galore, like Shift Assist Pro, Launch Control, Pit Lane Limiter, and Hill Start Control Pro, even a Brake Slide Assist feature for the sideways racers.
Suspension is high end with the M100XR getting 45mm fork tubes with separate compression and rebound functions for the two legs along with Dynamic Damping Control (DDC), BMW’s new generation of electronic damping adjustment, as standard features.
The blue anodized callipers are shared with the M1000RR and the M1000R, biting down on twin 320mm discs.
The new M 1000 XR’s has a big 6.5-inch TFT display with data logging options for track fundi’s. An optional M Competition Package might appeal to those who are serious about lap times, with a host of carbon bits that amount to much extra weight loss.
M-specific colours and M branding are all over the bike, with a granite grey engine cover, black fuel filler cap, and blue spring on the rear shock.
The M logo decorates the seat, which adjusts to three heights.
Colours include high-contrast basic Light White version or the M Competition Package with high-gloss Blackstorm Metallic paintwork and high-gloss carbon fibre side panels.
Both variants include the M graphic language of light blue/dark blue/red.
No news on ETA or pricing from BMW SA, but we suggest getting hold of the nice folks at BMW Motorrad Fourways to place your order.
