What’s better than riding the new BMW 2015 S1000XR? Riding a new BMW 2015 S1000XR, through high-mountain twisties, in Spain.

The S1000XR is a white-knuckle ride that ticks all the boxes. Whether you are taking a leisurely Sunday drive that features horizontal corners or a long-range adventure, the S1000XR has got you covered.

This bike has the same 1000cc, inline 4-cylinder, 160-horsepower engine that is featured in the beast that is the S1000R nakedbike, but the S1000XR has all the latest must-have features too. From lean angle-sensitive ABS Pro, to BMW’s impressive cruise control, the S1000XR will make your toes curl.

The hybrid bikes that are becoming ever more popular allow riders to enjoy the look and feel of long-range adventure bikes like the BMW R1200GS, but without the off-road tires or suspension of a touring bike which makes them perfect for road biking.

While these changes, coupled with a lack of robust baseplates, make the S1000XR impractical for riding far from the beaten track, it gets two thumbs up for what it is really designed for; blasting though those twisty roads at speed.

What makes it so perfect for this purpose is a few unique tweaks like the “detuned” version of the S1000RR inline 4-cylinder superbike engine. While that marginally decreases the horsepower, it does deliver power and torque in more aggressive acceleration than even the legendary RR superbike.

The Rain and Road modes, (there’s two optional extra modes with the “Dynamic” package) set the lean angle-sensitive traction control, wheelie control, engine power output, ABS, adjustable suspension and throttle response to suit your own unique riding style.

The only thing stopping the S1000XR from being one of BMW’s greatest success stories is the fact that this tiger doesn’t just purr, it roars and it may be a little too much for some. But, if you can tame the tiger, you’re in for one hell of a ride.

You can now rent a motorcycle like the BMW S1000XR from 8 different locations in Spain with IMTBike.

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