The S1000XR is kind of weird because it's almost perfect. The quick shifter is perfect, the power is perfect, it's usable, and while it's a bit wide and tall, it just does exactly what it's designed to do really, really well.
The BMW S1000XR might just be the closest thing to motorcycling perfection we've experienced and that's coming from riders who've tested everything from budget nakeds to exotic superbikes. This German sports tourer combines a sublime 999cc inline-four engine with electronics that actually enhance rather than intrude, wrapped in a package that's equally at home carving country roads or eating highway kilometres.
That 170 horsepower engine delivers incredible smoothness with a distinctive two-tone whistle in second and third gear that's genuinely addictive. The Dynamic ESA suspension offers just two settings, but they're so well-calibrated you won't miss the complexity. Keyless everything, including the fuel tank, cruise control, and heated grips that'll actually burn you on setting three – it's German engineering at its finest.
Starting around $28,000 but climbing to $38,000 for the Sport variant we tested, it's serious money. The looks are distinctly angular and German, those paniers make city filtering tricky, and it runs a little hot in traffic. But for pure sports touring capability? Well it's the goods.