2024 BMW M 1000 XR Review – First Ride

An M bike for every road

Wet, cool, low visibility. What other conditions could I possibly ask for when getting to test BMW’s carbon fiber-laden, $30.5 grand 200+-horsepower M tourer? Our half day onboard the BMW M 1000 XR started out of Malaga, Spain, and wound up into hills fully socked in with the morning’s marine layer. Water began to bead up on my visor as I attempted to keep the lead rider’s taillight in view on the highway. Fantastic.

2024 BMW M 1000 XR

What’s in an M?

We’ve actually already covered the details of both the standard 2024 S 1000 XR and M 1000 XR here. So, what’s it like to ride?

2024 BMW S 1000 XR and M 1000 XR – First Look

Pretty fucking great. What did you expect? We’re not finding cigarette butts in our Ducati crankcases or shattered parts in our engines due to poor metallurgy anymore (most of the time). Things are generally pretty great these days compared to what was happening not that long ago. We’ve taken a step, or maybe a giant leap for moto-kind.

Anyway, I don’t want to toot my own horn, but I’ve been to some places. I’ve seen some things. I’ve ridden motorcycles in incredibly exotic locales around the world thanks to my job, but I somehow keep finding my way back to the Iberian Peninsula. Let’s just disregard that it's a central locale for the rest of the world to travel to so it makes logistical sense for many manufacturers. The roads, oh, the roads. There is no shortage of serpentine tarmac in this part of the world, and what’s better is that people actually like motorcycles here, instead of just tolerating them. As I slipped the clutch a bit more than expected to get rolling, I was reminded I’m perched on a carbon-clad, hopped-up version of BMW’s Sport Tourer with the 999cc Inline-Four Shiftcam engine hiding under said carbon. Off we went for what would no doubt be a thrilling ride. We climbed the mountain and into the atmosphere much earlier than expected. A vague tail light was all I had to follow as the lead rider had mostly disappeared into the mist as we ascended. Like I said earlier, fantastic.

As we made our way above the clouds, wet patches and cold tires left me hesitant of pushing the pace on this fire-breathing Bavarian dragon. On a rocket ship destined for disaster should your right wrist get too greedy, I had to tamper my enthusiasm for a bit. Fortunately, after a coffee stop or two, the roads mostly dried, and we were fully caffeinated for our own Spanish GP in the hills above the Costa del Sol.

The M 1000 XRs we rode were fitted with the M Competition Package, which gets you a handful of bling, and carbon fiber all around, but the two things that make the biggest difference are wrapped in rubber at each end. BMW says the “road ready” weight with the M Competition package is 485 pounds. That’s a 6.6-pound weight savings over the standard M 1000 XR (and 15.4-pounds less than the S 1000 XR). Purchasing that lightness will only cost you $5,495 which, if you only wanted the carbon wheels, isn’t actually a bad deal. As tested, the bikes we spent our time on retail for $30,500.

While the extra ponies over the base model are always appreciated, 170 hp versus 201 hp for a streetbike is already overkill. If you’re tracking your sport tourer, well, maybe that’s a different story. For our Andalusian rip, the chassis, brakes, and power were at the forefront of the experience – in that order. If you’ve never ridden a motorcycle with carbon fiber wheels, it’s hard to imagine just how much of a difference shaving that much unsprung mass makes. Dare I say the steering is nearly telepathic. Choose a line, adjust mid-corner, whatever you need to do, it’s almost as if the bike has done it before you’ve fully comprehended the action. It’s truly an eye-opening experience. Of course, for a street bike that will potentially have to reckon with less than ideal roads during its lifespan, brittle wheels can be a tradeoff. The internet is full of stories about carbon wheels failing catastrophically. The forged hoops on the standard M might be the prudent choice for the practical of us.

The M’s upgraded closed-cartridge electronic Marzocchi suspension works in conjunction, of course, with the lithe wheels to make the entire chassis a willing dance partner in the Spanish countryside. While cornering, the M 1000 XR is stable, whether it be through tight switchbacks or bumpy sweepers. On the highway, your first line of suspension is the cushy seat. It’s truly comfortable. I can’t remember the last time I was this happy with a stock seat. In addition to the luxe saddle, the suspenders do an equally good job of absorbing bumps on the highway or around town. The fact that you can dial the suspension in with a few button presses for your comfort or performance is nearly requisite these days on a bike of the M XR’s ilk, and I found the settings to work well when swapping from one end of the spectrum to the other.

Once you find yourself hard on the Nissin-made anodized blue M brake calipers, the suspension continues to deliver performance no matter what you ask from the dual 320mm rotors. The upgraded radial master cylinder builds confidence while delivering feedback from the Bridgestone Battlax RS11’s contact patch straight to the machined, break-away and adjustable brake lever (part of the M competition package).

Regardless how you feel about wings, on a schnitzel this spicy, I’ll take all the downforce I can get. The (claimed) 201-horsepower tourer is all too ready for lift off as you spool the power up toward its 14,600 rpm redline. A lot more time and perhaps a racetrack would give a better test than a half wet/half dry half day’s jaunt on board the M 1000 XR, but to say the engine delivered an exhilarating experience is at least the understatement of the day. The larger sprocket and shorter gears in 4 through 6 help the M to never feel long in the tooth. It doesn’t have the same pavement-crushing torque that a V-Twin may deliver off the bottom, but the mid-range is plenty healthy and will catapult you from corner to corner as the revs build. Maybe it was simply the g-forces from the acceleration, but I had a smile smattered across my face for the entire (dry) part of the ride as my fellow countrymen and I chased down our lead rider.

The amount of electronic adjustment is, as many high performance machines are these days, mind melting and a half day’s ride was hardly enough time for me to get comfortable enough to see how well the Brake Slide Assist function worked, let alone configure Race Pro modes, or really dig into altering the bike’s setting much at all aside from switching ride modes from Road (in the wet) and Dynamic (in the dry).

I was envious of the Brits starting their day upon the R12 Nine T. I still am. I would have relished spending more time on the M 1000 XR. Instead, it was back to the hotel for lunch and then our turn on the classic. The morning’s ride had gone by in a flash and left me with just the lingering umami from my taste test on board BMW’s latest M. If given the chance, I’d happily continue my research back Stateside for a few weeks.

Scorecard

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