I got the chance to ride this uber boxer at Magny-Cours this past September following the final Bol d'Or 24-Hour. Despite being in France, the weather was typical British summer-it only stopped bucketing down rain an hour before I took to the track. The first thing you note is the spacious riding position, with the clip-ons set at a flat angle and plenty of legroom; the pegs are set low since the cylinders touch down before your toes do. The narrow, domed screen gives good protection down a long straight, as the boxer engine purrs away like a low-flying prop plane through its titanium, 2-into-1 akrapovic.
Another downpour greeted my second session, demonstrating why the BMW endurance team prayed for the wet stuff all year long. The boxer-twin is an extremely forgiving ride in the damp, thanks to its capable handling and ultra-torquey motor. Pickup from closed throttle is exceptional-it pulled cleanly away from the adelaide hairpin in second gear from as low as 3500 rpm without faltering. The grooved Pirelli rear rain tire dug into the tarmac and lightened the front end, even in the wet. This reflects the Bosch eCU's excellent fueling characteristics and the functionality of its variably progressive butterfly linkage.
Former World endurance and BMW Boxer Cup Champion Stephane Mertens was on hand that day and echoed this impression: "Because of the damp conditions, you appreciate how smooth and flexible the engine is,"he said. "The range of power is so wide, it makes the engine very usable."
Though limited by conditions, handling seemed good. You do notice the effect of the longitudinal crank tipping the boxer into slow turns, which takes a bit more effort than on a bike with a transverse orientation. But that's the only time you notice the lengthways layout. and you forget you're riding a shaft-driven bike thanks to the Paralever rear end. There's just a hint of lift shifting to a higher gear. Up front, the established Telelever works equally well thanks to the fine adjustment available from the Ohlins shock. The uber boxer stays mostly level when you brake hard, with just a hint of dive dialed in, though not enough to reduce front end grip.
As the track dried a little and I was able to attack the Magny-Cours chicanes harder, it took quite a bit of effort to lift the BMW quickly side to side. The jutting, carbon-fiber-encased cylinders inevitably touch down, and not just in a crash. But overall it remains a confidenceinspiring package, able to lap quickly and comfortably for 24 hours at a time, whatever the conditions-essential attributes for a successful endurance racer.
BMW has worked hard to develop a sportier, more exciting profile. as a company that focused for many years on functional touring bikes, its motorcycle range lacked the sporting allure of its four-wheeled products. That's all changing. BMW Motorrad's engineers have been developing new models aimed at repositioning the Bavarian brand along more sporting lines. as the means by which the company returned to top-level roadracing for the first time in 50 years, this endurance racer and its HP2 Sport spinoff are the thin edge of a thick wedge, the first of many performance-focused BMW sportbikes we can expect to see in the very near future-on the racetrack and off.