[THE DEBRIEF] BMW S 1000 RR PROJECT UPDATE—SHOCK SWAP
Is an M 1000 RR shock and linkage a performance improvement over the stock setup?
I left New Jersey Motorsports Park at the end of the last year’s riding season genuinely impressed with my 2025 BMW S1000RR. What’s not to like? Solid lap times, 162 mph on the front straight, and, overall, very good handling. It’s a bike I enjoy riding, but… There’s always a but.
During the off-season, I have been training primarily in Florida. I was curious how the S 1000 RR would perform at Jennings GP, a 2-mile, 14-turn track that is notoriously hard on rear tires and a true test of rear grip. It didn’t take long to find out. The answer was, “Not well.”
The shock was near its limits at NJMP, but at Jennings, the BMW had very little rear grip. The harder I pushed, the worse the situation became. After the first day, I parked the bike until I could find a solution. I wasn’t going any faster without addressing the lack of control.
There are many aftermarket shock options for the S 1000 RR, but installing any one of them would likely require upgrading the fork cartridges to maintain chassis balance. I wanted a solution that was as close to stock as possible, while substantially improving rear control.
