Click to read: BMW R1100S Boxer Cup owners reviews, BMW R1100S Boxer Cup specs and to see the BMW R1100S Boxer Cup image gallery.
I remember watching a round of the BMW BoxerCup on TV a few years ago when it was a support race for the GP. It was by far the best racing of the day. The sight of around 30 huge flat-twin Beemers nose to tail for the whole 25 lap race with grinding cylinder heads and insane do-or-die late braking that only comes from having identical machinery easily eclipsed Rossi buggering off and winning the GP by a country mile.
Now in its fifth season, the BoxerCup has proved a clever marketing tool for BMW because despite its car side of things having strong ties with racing, their bikes are more linked to touring. With the racing attracting big names such as Randy Mamola, Kevin Schwantz and our own legend Gus Scott it has gone someway into giving BMW some credibility on track. And now BMW has decided to cash in on the racing with this replica.
Now the BoxerCup replica ain't going to radically change sportsbike rider's perception of Beemers overnight but it's actually a pretty capable track bike and a very good road one.
Lining up in the fast group of the trackday waiting to go out on track I was a bit unsure on how the BMW would get on. I mean alongside there were Ducatis on slicks, race prepped CBRs, GSX-R1000s...and me on a road going BMW with a natty paint job and the signature of a former GP rider on the side. Well one thing was for sure, if I could get ahead then it would be a brave rider to try and squeeze past the huge BMW with its cylinder heads sticking out either side taking up half the track.
The first few warm-up laps confirmed one thing, the Beemer is a big bike. Racers are all jockey size so during the BoxerCup they make the bikes look big anyway but at even six-foot plus I had more than enough room on the Sport. The bars are wide and set quite high in more of a touring position than a race-rep's low-slung clip-ons and the pegs are positioned for comfort.
Tyres warmed and with the pace upped slightly the Beemer started to get into its stride, and I started to get out of breath. BMW quote the weights for their bikes including a full tank of fuel and all the oil etc. in the engine, unlike the Japanese who quote dry weights with helium in the tyres, so you can probably take around 20kg off the 229kg quote weight of the Sport as a fair comparison. But either way that's still a large amount of metal to throw around a track, and it feels it.
It takes a fair amount of effort to get the Sport to change direction and after eight laps my fitness regime of beer, takeaways and TV was starting to tell. The large bars help with leverage to turn the bike but most of the effort goes through your legs as you force the peg down to drop the Sport into the corner.
Verdict
Once you have actually got the BMW into the corner it's actually very stable and its weight isn't so apparent. I was a bit nervous about the cylinders grinding out because they don't look that far off the ground and when something solid like an engine touches down it often levers the front wheel off the ground, resulting in a trip into the gravel, but they are a lot higher than they look, mainly due to the suspension.
BMW has stuck with its Telelever front end on the Sport, which does away with the need for normal forks. It's a bit strange to use at first because when you slam on the brakes there are no mechanical signs, such as a dive from the front, to tell you that you are slowing. It's an odd sensation and at first you end up braking too hard because you just don't think you are slowing down. The advantages of this system, according to BMW, are that the front suspension only has to deal with bumps as the braking force goes directly into the Telelever, unlike a fork which has to absorb the braking forces as well as and bumps on the track. With the suspension less loaded up the theory goes that the Telelever can deal with bumps that could force the tyre to lose traction better so you can brake later and harder into a corner. I can't really say if it is better or worse than forks but it does give you confidence to really push the front into a corner and brake stupidly late and because the front isn't diving the engine's heads are kept further away from the track giving more ground-clearance.
On the trackday the Sport could hold the same corner speed going into and mid-corner as most bikes, but on the exit it lost out due to a lack of power. The engine isn't massively powerful and past the apex wanting to drive out it doesn't have much oomph and gets left behind by 600s. Although with the power concentrated low-down gear changes between corners can be kept to a minimum. Also the Metzeler Sportec M-1 tyres never fail to impress whichever bike they are on.
VERDICT
As a road bike the Sport S is very good. The motor produces loads of low-down power, gearbox is excellent and shaft-drive means maintenance is minimal. The fairing makes motorway miles bearable while the tank has a 150-mile range. The only minuses are the engine vibrates a bit and the bike can be heavy at low speed. On track a Sport rider can hold his own through the corners, just be prepared to get passed on the straights and need a muscle relaxing bath when you get home.
EVOLUTION
1998: BMW launches the R1100S with underseat pipes, single sided swingarm and three-quarter fairing. To promote the sporty side of the bike BMW launch the International BMW BoxerCup.
1999: An uprated R1100 S is launched with stiffer suspension, steering damper and new paint scheme.
RIVALS
Aprilia Falco £6999: Owners seem to form a strange bond with the Falco, which isn't surprising because it's a superb all-rounder. As happy on track as it is in a city centre.
Ducati 1000SS £7250: The new 1000cc engine is a beauty and Ducatis always handle well. The looks are a bit dated but it still has a certain appeal.
Suzuki SV1000S £6749: Take the winning formula of the SV650 and give it an extra 350cc. Simple. The new SV is a brilliant bike and a joy to ride.
BMW R1100S BoxerCup Replica Speca
BMW BoxerCup Specs
TYPE - SUPERSPORTS
PRODUCTION DATE - 2003
PRICE NEW - £8495
ENGINE CAPACITY - 1085cc
POWER - 98bhp@7500rpm
TORQUE - 71.5lb.ft@5750rpm
WEIGHT - 229kg
SEAT HEIGHT - 800mm
FUEL CAPACITY - 18L
TOP SPEED - 140mph
0-60 - n/a
TANK RANGE - N/A
