We recently brought you a first ride report of the BMW S1000R in India, and now here's a line-up of it taking on two of its rivals, the made-in-Japan Kawasaki Z1000 and British-built Triumph Speed Triple.
All three bikes come with four-stroke and liquid-cooled engines, mated to a six-speed gearbox. The BMW S1000R is clearly the most powerful of these three bikes, with a 999cc, in-line four-cylinder motor that churns out 160.2bhp at 11000rpm and 11.4kgm of torque at 9250rpm along with riding aids that consist of different power modes, suspension settings, a quick shifter and ABS, among others.
Next up is the Kawasaki Z1000, powered by a 1043cc, in-line four-cylinder engine that pumps out about 20bhp less power than the BMW, 140bhp at 10000rpm while 11.3kgm of peak torque is made at 7300rpm, the power delivery on which deserved to be more manageable, with Kawasaki not putting their best foot forward to offer traction control. Likewise, there’s a frugal array of riding aids other than ABS.
The Triumph Speed Triple, on the other hand, develops 132.7bhp of maximum power made at 9400rpm and 11.3kgm at 7750rpm, developed by a 1050cc, in-line and three-cylinder powerplant.
All three bikes come with inverted telescopic forks, and a monoshock bolted on to an alloy swingarm at the rear, which is single-sided on the Speed Triple. The BMW S1000R comes with an aluminium twin-spar chassis and is the lightest among this trio, weighing 207kg, 7kg less than the Speed Triple and 14kg less than the Z1000, both built around a similarly twin spar alloy frame.
Braking is managed by 320mm disc brakes in front while the rear is a 220mm disc on the S1000R. The Z1000 runs 310mm petal discs in the front and a 250mm petal disc at the rear, which helps dispense heat better. Braking duties on the Speed Triple are managed by 320mm front discs and a 255mm disc at the rear, both with ABS.
As far as pricing goes, the BMW S1000R is priced at an eye watering Rs 22.83 lakh (ex-showroom, Mumbai) making this clearly the most expensive here, one that offers an undoubtedly pricey deal to value for money conscious buyers. Meanwhile, the Kawasaki Z1000 is far better priced at Rs 12.5 lakh (ex-showroom, Pune), retailed through two outlets, Pune and Delhi. The Triumph Speed Triple is available for Rs 10.4 lakh (ex-showroom, Delhi), backed by a wider sales and service network, along with a 24x7 customer helpline, making this our pick, as the best rounded package to own and live with of the trio.
Azaman Chothia
Vishal Venugopal
