BMW M 1000 XR prototype revealed, will make more than 200hp upon launch

After unveiling the M 1000 R and M 1000 RR, BMW Motorrad’s M division is gearing up for a third model, called the M 1000 XR. Currently, the company has only taken the wraps off the prototype version of this bike and not all the technical details are out yet, but it sure seems like it will be able to give a few supernakeds a run for their money. 

BMW M 1000 XR prototype: details

The M 1000 XR uses the same engine as the updated S 1000 RR superbike, and the company claims that in this bike, this mill will make upwards of 200hp while weighing 223kg (wet). That’s 3kg less than the already very capable S 1000 XR. This weight can further be brought down by the M Competition Package, which is an optional extra, although by how much isn’t known yet.

One detail that really stands out is the massive wings, something that’s fast becoming a hallmark of all serious go-fast two-wheelers. The M 1000 XR will also be equipped with a road-legal Akrapovic slip-on exhaust just like the other two M 1000 models. 

To ensure the bike comes to a halt as quickly as it accelerates, the M 1000 XR will come equipped with similar braking hardware as the other two M-badged bikes, in the form of blue anodised Nissin monobloc calipers. There also appear to be swathes of carbon fibre on this prototype, but what trickles down to the production version remains to be seen. Notably, this is the only M 1000 model to not use the inverted WSBK-esque swingarm and it appears to get the same swingarm as the S 1000 XR it is based on. Unlike that bike, however, it gets bar-end mirrors and a shorter windscreen.  

"With the M 1000 XR prototype, we are providing a first preview of the third M model at BMW Motorrad in our anniversary year. We have developed the M 1000 XR, M XR for short, based on the current S 1000 XR, S 1000 RR and M 1000 RR, as a long-distance sports bike with high long-range capability and supersports riding dynamics for the road as well as the race track," said Dominik Blass, product manager.