BMW S1000RR (2009 - 2014)

When BMW launched the S 1000 RR, it was not simply adding another superbike to the market; it was announcing that BMW Motorrad intended to compete head-on with the best in World Superbike. The first production run was tied to homologation, and the bike’s combination of huge power, compact chassis and race-derived intent immediately changed perceptions of what a BMW sports bike could be.

The original S 1000 RR stood out because it paired litre-bike performance with electronic rider aids that were advanced for the time. It became a benchmark superbike quickly, praised for being both brutally fast and unusually usable, and it helped normalise the idea that high-performance road bikes would increasingly rely on integrated electronics as much as engine output.