[THE DEBRIEF] WHY I CHOSE A 2025 BMW S 1000 RR AS MY NEXT TRACK BIKE

Reconnecting with my purpose for riding motorcycles

Over the past few years, motorcycling hasn’t brought me the same sense of enjoyment it once did. When I’m at the racetrack, I’m either working as a crew chief, setting reference laps, toiling away on setup, or watching from the sidelines.

All for other people.

And, yes, I did buy a new bike last year that was (and still is) fun, but I wanted to get back to the feelings I had in my foundational years: exploring a big, fast motorcycle in the journey to quicker but safer lap times with minimal wrenching.

So, I set out to put my hands on a machine that would help me reconnect with my original quest. Based on many years of experience (and a lot of trial and error), I narrowed my criteria to the following key prerequisites:

• Exceptional handling

• Competitive power

• Strong, confidence-inspiring brakes

• Widely supported by the industry

• Turnkey adjustability as I pick up the pace

• Top-tier electronics

• Built-in data capability

And, let’s be clear, I didn’t want a project. My choice needed to be a set-it-and-forget-it bike that works well in nearly stock trim.

What I Considered

Before landing on the 2025 BMW S 1000 RR, I rode and evaluated a broad range of late-model sport bikes, including, in alphabetical order:

• BMW M 1000 R

• BMW S 1000 RR

• Ducati Panigale V4 S

• Ducati Streetfighter V4 S

• Kawasaki ZX-10R

• Suzuki GSX-R750

• Suzuki GSX-R1000

• Triumph Speed Triple

• Triumph Street Triple RS

• Yamaha YZF-R1

• Yamaha MT-10

Each machine had its own strengths, but none of them checked every box like the recently updated S 1000 RR.

Why This Bike? Why This Spec?

I went with the 2025 BMW S 1000 RR base model with the M Package, which includes:

• M Forged wheels

• M footrests

• M Endurance seat

Standard features that I like:

• Lightweight wheels

• Adjustable swingarm pivot

• Manual steering damper

• Reversible shifter

• Strong brakes

• Proper triple-clamp offset

• Swingarm length and wheelbase

• Current electronics with a lot of adjustability

• Solid standard aerodynamics

Essentially, the S 1000 RR is an M 1000 RR from a couple of years ago but for less money and with fewer complications.

Buying Experience

I bought the bike from my local BMW dealer. No games, no markup. I paid retail, with some cashback from BMW as part of a sales promotion. Easy transaction all around.

The Break-In: Not Fun, but Necessary

In my 30-plus years of owning motorcycles, many of them new, I’ve never had to follow such an exhaustive break-in routine. Normally, I take the engine through a few heat cycles, treat it gently for a couple of track sessions, and call it good. But with this bike, I knew what I was signing up for: an 8,000-rpm limit and 30 to 40% maximum throttle for at least 500 miles.

Of course, Washington, D.C., where I live, happened to be going through its hottest, most humid month on record. So, yeah, sweating bullets while riding on the street in stop-and-go traffic wasn’t ideal. But I got through it with a bunch of 20- to 150-mile rides.

Key Takeaways from Break-In Miles:

• On the street, the ergonomics are rough. The M Endurance seat was too tall and too firm, so I swapped it for a Sport seat I found on eBay. Huge improvement.

• Clutch feel is tricky. The action is light, but a narrow friction zone leads to inconsistent launches.

• The engine emits a lot of heat. I found myself standing off the bike at stop lights and sticking out my legs on the freeway to cope with the inferno roiling beneath me.

• Vibration was everywhere—hands, feet, basically every contact point—making this model a tough sell for street-only use.

• On the upside, I learned the dash controls and layout inside and out, and the bike got noticeably smoother with mileage. (Big thanks to Steve Weir for his input on proper break-in.)

Initial Service and Track Prep

The first service (free at 600 miles) was quick and handled by the selling dealer. The service manager squeezed the bike into his schedule, and I wandered around the showroom until the work was completed. No issues there.

First Track-Day Impressions

I brought the S 1000 RR to New Jersey Motorsports Park’s 12-turn, 2.25-mile Thunderbolt Raceway for a private rental day while working with a client. The ambient temperature was 96° Fahrenheit and very humid—brutal conditions for both bike and rider.

I ran the stock Metzeler Racetec RR tires at 29 psi front and 27 psi rear (cold) and dialed-in the RacePro electronic settings. My approach was simple: Ride it as delivered. There is value in understanding base character before making modifications that might mask or skew feedback.

Track Context:

Overall lap record: 1:20.07 (Cameron Beaubier/Yamaha YZF-R1)

Stock 1000 lap record: 1:21.85 (Hayden Gillim/Honda CBR1000RR-R)

Initial Impressions:

• Brakes: Immediate pulsation under light braking, even after several heat cycles on the street. This issue is not ABS-related. Increasing pressure at the lever made it worse.

• Engine: The stock tune is awful. The noise/emissions map creates such a massive hole in the powerband that I had to tell my student to leave a gap behind me exiting several key corners. The other issue is the abrupt transition to “real” power. You better have the RR pointed in the right direction when the engine finally opens up.

• Chassis: Excellent. The bike turns quickly, is stable, and provides solid feedback. With minimal effort, I did a 1:34.0 lap time.

Throughout the day, I ran a lot of laps with my client, who was riding on a Ducati V4 R, and I made a few adjustments:

• Plus 1.25mm rear preload: This helped mid-corner balance and corner-exit sharpness.

• Plus two clicks front rebound: Release was quicker in the final phase of braking, while maintaining the same line.

• Minus 1.5 psi front and rear: Hot pressures were creeping up too much in the afternoon. Even with the quick pace my student was setting, the Metzelers held up well.

Closing Session and Results

In my last session of the day, I did four flying laps with a best of 1:31.1 and a theoretical best of 1:30.8. Considering the heat, stock tires, and restricted throttle map, that’s a solid lap time. After studying the data and becoming more familiar with the bike, I believe a sub-1:30 lap is possible in this absolute stock condition.

Final Thoughts

I am impressed with the 2025 S 1000 RR, even in near-stock trim. Here is what stood out for me after my day of testing at NJMP:

• Power is there; it just needs to be uncorked.

• Top speed improved throughout the day.

• Brakes, while very powerful, need attention (pulsing persisted).

• Chassis is excellent, even with the standard suspension

• Directional changes are effortless.

• Quickshifter and auto-blipper work flawlessly.

• Rear-tire feedback was clear and predictable under hard acceleration.

• Corner exits were composed and strong.

• Vibration, while still present, wasn’t as bothersome as I expected.

• I never quite trusted the stock tires, but they never let me down.

• Gearing may change, depending how aggressively I tune the engine.

• Close to the gold standard, meaning I was within 10 seconds of the MotoAmerica Stock 1000 lap record on a showroom stocker.

Next Steps:

• ECU tune (while still using the stock tires)

• Full AIM data logging

• Grippier track-specific tires

Two Videos and a Data Graph Below:

• A longer video, where I go into even greater depth on all of the above subjects

• My end-of-day hot-laps video on the 2025 BMW S 1000 RR

• A GPS speed graph of the S 1000 RR versus a track-prepped, slick-shod Ducati V4S

Review video -

Hot Laps -

AIM speed comparison -

AIM GPS data graph comparing a mid-1:28 lap at NJMP Thunderbolt on a Ducati V4S (RED) vs. my 2025 BMW S 1000 RR all stock (BLUE).