A bit of a surprise at Milan, as BMW shows off a new carbon-laden version of its S1000RR superbike. The concept machine – dubbed the HP4 Racer – boasts full carbon bodywork, a carbon frame and carbon fibre wheels, as well as a full list of top spec running gear. Ohlins FGR gas forks and Brembo M.50 calipers make up a front end to die for, and the back end also gets the yellow-spring treatment, with a top-spec TTX monoshock.
But it’s the carbon frame and wheels that grab the attention. There’s no figures on mass as yet, but we’d expect the mods to cut about 5-6kg off the already svelte S1000RR.
Is it a match for Ducati’s Super Leggera? Well on paper, some of it even exceeds the Duke – those FGR gas forks are proper WSB and MotoGP spec items, and cost around £15k to buy on their own. On the other hand, the Ducati is a proper road-going bike, and the HP4 Racer looks to be very much a track-only beastie at the moment. That means it can be a bit more mental on the power and weight front, but it does feel a bit like cheating…
In the flesh (or carbon) here at Milan, it looks like a million dollars. Will it cost a million dollars? We won’t find out until the middle of next year – this is very much a late-2017 model, and the concept on show was just a taster of what’s to come…
More as ever when we get it!
