Eighteen years, and a new version every two to four of them. Each update answered something: a rulebook, a rival, or the race team's wish list.
| Model year | S 1000 RR | M 1000 RR | What changed |
|---|---|---|---|
| 2009 | 193 | — | Launch |
| 2012 | 193 | — | HP4 introduced |
| 2015 | 199 | — | Major update |
| 2017 | 199 | — | HP4 Race: 215 hp, track only |
| 2019 | 207 | — | All-new, ShiftCam |
| 2021 | 207 | 212 | M 1000 RR launched |
| 2023 | 210 | 212 | Winglets standard on S |
| 2025 | 210 | 218 | M engine revised |
| 2027 | 210 | 218 | Current model year |
BMW revealed the S 1000 RR in Munich in April 2008 and built enough of them in 2009 to take it World Superbike racing. BMW called it its first supersport motorcycle.
It had 193 hp, with Race ABS and Dynamic Traction Control both offered as factory options. The asymmetric headlights divided opinion. The performance did not.
Power stayed at 193 hp. Instead BMW reworked the throttle maps, the intake and the steering geometry.
The headline was a new model for 2013: the HP4, a lighter track-focused version with Dynamic Damping Control, semi-active suspension that adjusts itself as the bike moves.
A thorough refresh brought 199 hp, four kilograms less weight, and Dynamic Damping Control as an option on the standard bike.
In 2017 BMW built the HP4 Race: 750 track-only machines with a carbon-fibre frame and carbon wheels, 215 hp and 146 kg dry. Its construction methods reappeared on the M 1000 RR four years later.
Ten years in, BMW started over. A new engine with ShiftCam variable valve timing, a new frame designed to use the engine as part of its structure, 207 hp, and 197 kg ready to ride: eleven less than before.
The asymmetric face went too. The all-new bike also brought BMW back to World Superbike as a factory team.
BMW's M division built a motorcycle for the first time. The M 1000 RR took the engine to 212 hp at 14,500 rpm with titanium connecting rods, added carbon-fibre winglets, and existed for one reason: to give the World Superbike team a better starting point.
Its full story has its own page.
The S 1000 RR took what the M had proved. Winglets became standard and power rose to 210 hp.
A steering-angle sensor added Slide Control, which lets the rider choose how far the rear tyre may slide on the way out of a corner, and Brake Slide Assist on the way in.
The S 1000 RR got new winglets that BMW says make 50.9 lb of downforce at 186 mph, up from 37.7, ducts in the front mudguard to cool the brakes, and a lighter battery.
Announced in October 2024, days after the first title, the M 1000 RR got a reworked engine: compression from 13.5 to 14.5 : 1, throttle bodies from 48 to 52 mm, and a throttle that needs 58 degrees of twist instead of 72. In Europe it now makes 218 hp.
Announced in July 2026. The S 1000 RR changed little: new paint, a USB charging socket in the Dynamic Package and Edition M Sport, and forged wheels in the M Package.
The M 1000 RR got a third-generation M Motorsport frame as standard: about 1.3 kg lighter, with walls around 30 per cent thinner, and tuned to flex differently.
BMW previewed the next RR with the Concept RR at Villa d'Este in May 2025: carbon and aluminium bodywork, and an engine derived from the M 1000 RR's racing engine, making more than 230 hp.
In July 2026 a production-ready prototype with a new frame and different brakes was photographed testing at the Nürburgring. A reveal at EICMA in November has been reported, but BMW has not confirmed it. Unconfirmed
