I love a good horsepower war.
Whenever we get manufacturers going head-to-head against one another for outright dominance, you get some seriously special machines with some genuinely interesting engineering. But there comes a point when those same manufacturers go too far and build something that literally can't be used by anyone outside of someone who races professionally. And I fear we're at that point with the top-tier superbikes.
We've seen this occur in Aprilia's, KTM's, and Ducati's latest offerings, as they've all upped the antes in bids to add everything their engineers can think up to make each faster and faster around a track. But each is a street motorcycle, something that's meant to be used with a license plate on the back of it. Yet, these machines are now faster and more capable than nearly every single one of their owners. None of these customers could ever hope to touch the true envelope of their performance. That is unless your last name is Marquez, Bagania, Acosta, or Toprak. Which makes me wonder, why even?
The latest in this series of hypersonic missiles is the updated 2025 BMW M 1000 RR. It's faster than ever before, has real downforce, and seems just as silly as those other motorcycles. And before you say anything in the comments, no, being able to pull wheelies on the highway doesn't count as enough skill to be worthy of this bike.
The core of the update is the motorcycle's engine which, despite now being Euro 5+ emissions compliant, still makes over 200 horsepower and will rev to 15,100 rpm—it's slightly down from the prior year's, but who cares. That's largely thanks to new titanium valves, higher compression ratio, new intake and exhaust ports, revised air intake, and larger throttle valves. Elsewhere, BMW's Flex Frame saw a few small improvements and changes, there's a new M Quick Action Throttle, updates to the motorcycle's traction control system and slide controls, ABS Pro and Brake Slide Assist, and a few other bits and bobs.
But that's not all. The real party piece, and one of the chief architects of its untouchable capability, are the aero elements that've been updated, revised, or altogether changed to make the bike stick to the pavement better.
The headliners are BMW's M Winglets 3.0, which are the latest iteration of the brand's front aerodynamic wings. According to the company, "As part of the updated aerodynamics, the M Winglets have been newly constructed. Made from carbon fiber (CFK), they now produce more aerodynamic downforce — both in an upright riding position and when leaning. The rider benefits from increased confidence in the front wheel when leaning and higher cornering speeds at the same lean angle. At the same time, the tendency to wheelie has been reduced even further. Despite the aerodynamic downforce load at 186 mph increasing from the previous 49.8 lbs. to 66.1 lbs., there are no compromise in top speed."
That sort of increase isn't just felt at 186 mph either, as BMW states you get an additional 4.2 pounds at 93 mph, 7.3 pounds at 124 mph, and 11.5 pounds at 155 mph. But again, who's going to be able to even eek out additional pounds? What's wild is that BMW sorta even admits this motorcycle is too much for the average person, as rather than having an executive give the opening line—which is common—it had the company's own WSBK champion Toprak Razgatlioğlu talk about it.
"With the new M 1000 RR, the BMW Motorrad engineers have once again made a significant leap in terms of performance," the racer starts, adding, "More downforce, an optimized Flex Frame, and the M Quick-Action Throttle with a reduced rotation angle are essential points for even faster lap times. Additionally, track day riders benefit from the new features - Slide Control and Brake Slide Assist, thanks to the steering angle sensor."
None of us are Toprak, though. We're just fleshy humans who don't spend every waking hour at the track and haven't been racing tarmac since we were three years old. We'll never be able to use these bikes properly, though I'm sure I'll get hate mail from folks who take umbrage to that absolute fact.
Unfortunately, BMW didn't release the price of the new M 1000 RR, but it's safe to say it'll be expensive. Right now, the current iteration will set you back $34,040, which is a pretty penny. But this is more...everything. Apart from horsepower. But what do you think? Do you actually think you can tame this beast or are you just lying to yourself?
