Background:
I have had my HP4 since July 2013 when it was new. With 10,000 miles now on the clock, a dozen or so trackdays, and a couple of tours, I know my bike quite well.
Today I got the opportunity to extensively test ride a '16 plate s1000rr in standard trim with the cast wheels, delimited with 800 miles on the clock.
There has been a lot of chatter about the differences between the two bikes. As an HP4 owner there is always that question in the back of my mind 'Is the new sthou better?'. I was pleased to get the opportunity to make my own mind up.
First impressions.
Switchgear all as it should be, plus the cruise control switch (which I still find bizarre on a 197 bhp sports bike). Dash readout had more information on it, lean angles, brake force and a load of other stuff I have no idea about. It has a fuel mileage countdown to empty readout which is a useful addition. The rest of the stuff was nice to have but not really essential. BMW have pushed the envelope again in terms of menus and toggling through endless setup and setting options. If there is a 4th gen bike and the trend continues, it's probably going to have to be touchscreen or BMW might get sued for RSI by owners. Plus you'll need to go on a training course or part time degree to understand how to change the clock. Anyway, I digress.
The bike was already in race mode and it was time to get going.
On the road.
The first part of the journey was filtering and some speedy bits, traffic and then motorway. Everything felt very familiar, power was where it should be, good stuff. The quickshifter and downshifter worked very well. The quickshifter was smoother than the HP4, less mechanical feeling. The down blipper was very good too, although I found the bike needed to be at higher revs to work really well.
The exhaust noise on the bike is really good, there is no doubt. I prefer my HP4 de-cat full system grumble as opposed to the higher pitched hum of the 3rd gen bike, but as a stock system on a bike out of a factory the 3rd gen noise is very nice indeed. Adding in the nice down blipper farting/spluttering just adds more to the sense of occassion. I could happily live with that all day every day if, and it is a big if, the end can wasn't so damn ugly. How do the germans do it?
So far so good.
Getting up to speed.
On the motorway it became immediately apparent to me that the stock screen is pants for wind protection. I am 5ft 10" and had to tuck right down to get out of the wind blast, if this was going to be my bike then one of the first things I would do is put a double bubble screen on it. I had the same problem with the HP4, so on that basis there is no discernable difference.
After just over an hour of riding to my destination I concluded that the 3rd gen bike felt, and this is hard to explain right, slightly softer than my HP4. Everything about the 3rd gen bike is that little bit smoother on the road.
The full service.
So then it was time to give the bike the full beans on some private tarmac *cough*.
In race mode I used the same DDC settings as I would have used on the HP4 at this venue, -2 front, +1 rear comp and rebound. This bike didnt have a front fork sensor fitted (no surprise) so it was not going to give me exactly the same experience, but very close.
The tyres were K3s. Not ones I had tried before.
It became immediately apparent that this new 3rd gen bike is very much like the HP4 in this environment. It turns in quick, almost too quick sometimes. It has loads of power and revs freely. It will power wheelie in all the gears up to 5. The TC intervenes when required without spoiling the fun. There is enough feel in the front to know what is going on and keep pushing. I am far from being an expert but I couldn't tell the difference in the reworked geometry of the frame or the extra few bhp that was theoretically available. If anything the 3rd gen bike felt ever so slighty more manageable because of the blipper, although I found my left foot slipping and missing the gear lever on a few occassions, but that is rider error and not the bike's fault.
The lean angle readouts were interesting. Looking at the back tyre and the mid 50s lean the bike reported, I do wonder how on earth anyone can get to 59/60 without riding off the side of the tyre wall and crashing as there was nothing left to go at. Maybe lower pressures would have given those few extra degrees? Anyway, it was interesting but ultimately a glance at the tyre tells the rider the real story.
The K3s were very, very good. I was impressed with them, a match for the super corsas. More grip and stickier than the M7RRs but I question their durability. Apples and pears. Great tyre nonetheless.
So, choices.... HP4 or 3rd gen....
It just is not that simple. The 3rd gen bike is a fantastic machine, no doubt about it. If I was looking for a sports bike to buy it would be at the top of my list without a doubt. Fantastic package, great on road, great on *other* roads, lots of gadgets, just very very good. It does fast stuff, it does filtering, it does touring, all weathers. Brilliant.
But there is a but.
It does feel a little as though BMW created the 3rd gen bike and then thought about how to make it appeal to a wider audience by adding 'bits'. And that might be what niggles me.
The HP4 is a homogenated for road use track bike, and the sum of its parts make it feel like that. It has that DNA and when it starts up you get that tingle of excitement. It's a bit of a handful at times TBH. If, for example, you don't play the gearbox like its on a track it will hate you and make you look like a tw@t when it refuses to shift at the traffic lights when you've stupidly pulled up in third because you're not thinking ahead. If, for example, you want to sit doing boring speeds on motorways for many, many hours it will make you suffer long and hard for giving it such a boring job. But when you do get it all together and spank it, the HP4 is awesome. I don't know quite what it is but it seems a little bit sharper, rugged perhaps? Sprinkle on top of that the rarity and strong residuals, it feels a priviledge to own one. Just needs the blipper....
Either way, I'm not changing just yet. If my HP4 and I were permanently parted then my next bike would, at the time of writing, be the 3rd gen sthou.
I have had my HP4 since July 2013 when it was new. With 10,000 miles now on the clock, a dozen or so trackdays, and a couple of tours, I know my bike quite well.
Today I got the opportunity to extensively test ride a '16 plate s1000rr in standard trim with the cast wheels, delimited with 800 miles on the clock.
There has been a lot of chatter about the differences between the two bikes. As an HP4 owner there is always that question in the back of my mind 'Is the new sthou better?'. I was pleased to get the opportunity to make my own mind up.
First impressions.
Switchgear all as it should be, plus the cruise control switch (which I still find bizarre on a 197 bhp sports bike). Dash readout had more information on it, lean angles, brake force and a load of other stuff I have no idea about. It has a fuel mileage countdown to empty readout which is a useful addition. The rest of the stuff was nice to have but not really essential. BMW have pushed the envelope again in terms of menus and toggling through endless setup and setting options. If there is a 4th gen bike and the trend continues, it's probably going to have to be touchscreen or BMW might get sued for RSI by owners. Plus you'll need to go on a training course or part time degree to understand how to change the clock. Anyway, I digress.
The bike was already in race mode and it was time to get going.
On the road.
The first part of the journey was filtering and some speedy bits, traffic and then motorway. Everything felt very familiar, power was where it should be, good stuff. The quickshifter and downshifter worked very well. The quickshifter was smoother than the HP4, less mechanical feeling. The down blipper was very good too, although I found the bike needed to be at higher revs to work really well.
The exhaust noise on the bike is really good, there is no doubt. I prefer my HP4 de-cat full system grumble as opposed to the higher pitched hum of the 3rd gen bike, but as a stock system on a bike out of a factory the 3rd gen noise is very nice indeed. Adding in the nice down blipper farting/spluttering just adds more to the sense of occassion. I could happily live with that all day every day if, and it is a big if, the end can wasn't so damn ugly. How do the germans do it?
So far so good.
Getting up to speed.
On the motorway it became immediately apparent to me that the stock screen is pants for wind protection. I am 5ft 10" and had to tuck right down to get out of the wind blast, if this was going to be my bike then one of the first things I would do is put a double bubble screen on it. I had the same problem with the HP4, so on that basis there is no discernable difference.
After just over an hour of riding to my destination I concluded that the 3rd gen bike felt, and this is hard to explain right, slightly softer than my HP4. Everything about the 3rd gen bike is that little bit smoother on the road.
The full service.
So then it was time to give the bike the full beans on some private tarmac *cough*.
In race mode I used the same DDC settings as I would have used on the HP4 at this venue, -2 front, +1 rear comp and rebound. This bike didnt have a front fork sensor fitted (no surprise) so it was not going to give me exactly the same experience, but very close.
The tyres were K3s. Not ones I had tried before.
It became immediately apparent that this new 3rd gen bike is very much like the HP4 in this environment. It turns in quick, almost too quick sometimes. It has loads of power and revs freely. It will power wheelie in all the gears up to 5. The TC intervenes when required without spoiling the fun. There is enough feel in the front to know what is going on and keep pushing. I am far from being an expert but I couldn't tell the difference in the reworked geometry of the frame or the extra few bhp that was theoretically available. If anything the 3rd gen bike felt ever so slighty more manageable because of the blipper, although I found my left foot slipping and missing the gear lever on a few occassions, but that is rider error and not the bike's fault.
The lean angle readouts were interesting. Looking at the back tyre and the mid 50s lean the bike reported, I do wonder how on earth anyone can get to 59/60 without riding off the side of the tyre wall and crashing as there was nothing left to go at. Maybe lower pressures would have given those few extra degrees? Anyway, it was interesting but ultimately a glance at the tyre tells the rider the real story.
The K3s were very, very good. I was impressed with them, a match for the super corsas. More grip and stickier than the M7RRs but I question their durability. Apples and pears. Great tyre nonetheless.
So, choices.... HP4 or 3rd gen....
It just is not that simple. The 3rd gen bike is a fantastic machine, no doubt about it. If I was looking for a sports bike to buy it would be at the top of my list without a doubt. Fantastic package, great on road, great on *other* roads, lots of gadgets, just very very good. It does fast stuff, it does filtering, it does touring, all weathers. Brilliant.
But there is a but.
It does feel a little as though BMW created the 3rd gen bike and then thought about how to make it appeal to a wider audience by adding 'bits'. And that might be what niggles me.
The HP4 is a homogenated for road use track bike, and the sum of its parts make it feel like that. It has that DNA and when it starts up you get that tingle of excitement. It's a bit of a handful at times TBH. If, for example, you don't play the gearbox like its on a track it will hate you and make you look like a tw@t when it refuses to shift at the traffic lights when you've stupidly pulled up in third because you're not thinking ahead. If, for example, you want to sit doing boring speeds on motorways for many, many hours it will make you suffer long and hard for giving it such a boring job. But when you do get it all together and spank it, the HP4 is awesome. I don't know quite what it is but it seems a little bit sharper, rugged perhaps? Sprinkle on top of that the rarity and strong residuals, it feels a priviledge to own one. Just needs the blipper....
Either way, I'm not changing just yet. If my HP4 and I were permanently parted then my next bike would, at the time of writing, be the 3rd gen sthou.
.
