» Check out the full story: Turn & Burn II
BMW S1000RR Price: $15,500 Weight: 416 lb. Horsepower: 181.7 hp @ 13,600 rpm 0–180 mph: 16.00 sec. Distance to 180 mph: 2742 ft. Canet did his first timed run of the day on the howling BMW S1000RR and came back wide-eyed. “That thing’s gnarly,” Canet said from inside his Arai. “It wants to wheelie forever. I can’t give it anymore stick. I don’t think I set the front end down until I was doing about 140.” Contemplate that for a moment. As with the Kawasaki H2 and Ducati Panigale, Canet chose to test the Beemer with launch control, traction control, and wheelie control off. “For drag launches, these systems hurt the BMW's performance out of the hole,” he said. “They cause the bike to cut power and bog.”
With everything switched off, Canet said he couldn’t be aggressive with the throttle until third gear, when he could really wring it out. But even in fourth gear, snapping the throttle open would make the S1000RR stand right up. “Makes it pretty fun,” remarked our master of understatement. So, with Canet making the 1-2 and 2-3 shifts at 12,000 pm instead of 14,000 to help keep the front wheel down, the S1000RR posted a fantastic time, hitting 180 mph in 16 seconds flat and streaking to a terminal velocity of 184.5 mph. That makes the S1000RR the fastest motorcycle to 180 mph in our test, edging the H2 by a mere 0.04 second. But let’s remember the Kawi was bone stock, while the Beemer was fitted with a race-kit ECU (allowed) and an accessory pipe (that no other bike got to run). Did that Akrapovic system give the BMW the two-wheel title? We can’t say for sure. But if Kawasaki had let us test the supercharged 300-horse H2R track-only bike, it wouldn’t have been an issue. 
Gadget Reviews: mamaktalk.com
Car Reviews: automoview.com
Entertainment News: 38now.com
Today's Promotions: freepromotoday.com
