The German firm has a strong record at the modern TT – and it’s celebrating its wins with this limited-edition version of its awesome BMW M 1000 RR homologation superbike…
I wrote a book marking the centenary of BMW Motorrad back in 2023 (It’s still in print should you fancy treating yourself: ISBN 978-0760374719!). And in that book I devoted a chapter to the firm’s racing efforts.
It’s a weird chapter: there’s a fair bit going on in the early years, up until 1939 when Georg Meier won the Senior TT race at the Isle of Man. After that, there’s little to talk about until the 2010s, with some niche success in places like the Dakar Rally.
The reason for that is simple enough: the firm’s insistence on wide Boxer engines (which obviously don’t lean over very far on a track without some serious compromises), and shaft final drive, which is too heavy for race success (and also brings other problems).
The firm’s early TT success had come about because it had some strong supercharging technology that gave its 500 Boxer twins the edge in terms of power. When forced induction fell out of favour, the R-series flat twins could rarely compete in road or circuit racing, especially with light two-strokes from Japan.
Bizarrely where it did well was in Sidecar Grands Prix, taking almost every title from 1954-74. An obvious application really, since they don’t lean, and shaft-drive is no disadvantage either.
BMW’s racing outlook changed completely in 2009 though, when it finally cracked and built the new S1000 RR superbike. The Bavarian firm, which had always avoided taking the obvious engineering route, did the unthinkable, and simply made a better version of what was out there (when the RR was being developed, that was probably the Suzuki GSX-R1000).
So, Munich came up with a DOHC 16-valve inline-four liquid-cooled fuel-injected engine making the right side of 190bhp, in a twin-spar aluminium frame with top-drawer suspension and brakes – and chain final drive of course. The Germans were back in the two-wheeled racing mix, and since then BMW has had plenty to shout about on track.
And perhaps fittingly, it’s done extra-well at the Isle of Man too. Michael Dunlop won the Superbike race on an S1000 RR in 2014, 75 years after Meier had last won on the island. Since then BMW has owned much of the TT Superbike, Senior and Superstock 1000 classes under riders like Peter Hickman, Davey Todd and Ian Hutchinson.
All of which is a very long way of saying that BMW has a lot to celebrate about that rock in the middle of the Irish Sea. And it’s marking that this year with this, a slick limited-edition TT version of its M1000 RR, the latest top-spec litre superbike from Munich. It’s mostly a cosmetic upgrade – once you add the M Competition package to the M1000 RR, there’s not a lot left to do in terms of performance add-ons.
The main feature is the paint: a lovely British Racing Green base, with chrome-painted aluminium fuel tank, and unique TT graphics with selected left-hand turns on the left fairing side and right-hand turns on the right fairing – smart!
You also get milled numbering on the top yoke, a certificate of authenticity, black Alcantara seat, matt-finish M carbon airbox cover, complemented by Mountain Course graphic and TT logo, M Race Engine Cover Kit, black swingarm, TT branding and lettering on the rear frame, rear paddock stand, stand mounting and an M motorcycle garage mat with M logo and TT logo.
Performance is as stock on the M model: 218bhp, 183kg dry, carbon wheels, titanium exhaust, full electronics – the lot.
Markus Flasch, CEO of BMW Motorrad said, “Racing is part of BMW Motorrad’s DNA. The BMW M 1000 RR Limited Edition Isle of Man TT is therefore the logical evolution of a special model based on the BMW M 1000 RR.
This model bridges our successful TT heritage and our M models, and is a strong expression of racing DNA, technical precision and exclusivity.”
Just 115 of the limited edition TT M-bikes will be made, costing £43,990 – though just five of those will go to the UK which seems a bit mean. More info from your local BMW dealership, but be quick!