BMW Boxer Cup, Reviewed by Rick Kallmayer

My boxer cup is a 2003, single-spark example. It is number 182, which makes it one of the last of the 2003 examples, of which a total of 200 were sold in the US. I have owned the bike since last February and it still has only about 1,800 miles on it. This is mostly because Margie likes to come along on most of my rides, and the R1150RT is my choice for two up travel. The boxer cup did manage to spend one day at a track day last year, but it is a long way from being broken in at this point. OK, so on to some observations.

1. The bike is a visual stunner and draws lots of stares and compliments wherever it goes.

2. It looks and performs like a race bike, but the stock exhaust makes it a poser.

3. The chasis is very stable, it turns in quickly and will hold your line even if you have to make a panic stricken braking action in the middle of a corner. My only complaint about the front end is that it lacks some of the feedback that you get with a really good telescopic fork.

4. The special suspension struts are more stiffly sprung and have more damping than the stock pieces on an R1100S. The front strut has a compression damping adjusting knob right on top of the tank, but does not allow spring preload adjustments. The rear strut has both adjustments. They are also one inch longer at both ends. This adds up to a taller seat height, but adds significantly greater cornering lean angles. This is a good thing, whether you are interested in maximum cornering speed, or just worried about scarfing up those really trick carbon fiber valves cover covers with the titatium skid plates. They require special valve covers, and I think a set of new covers and new skid plate covers are about $800, but you can check with Jack for an actual price.

5. The lower handle bars create what I think is a better riding position for agressive riding than the stock "S" bars. The trade off is that your wrists will ache if you have to ride in stop and go traffic for very long.

6. The bike comes with the wider rear wheel and tire that is optional on the standard "S". I think the larger contact patch does help acceleration out of turns on the track, but doubt that this has much impact on the street. Looks "phat", though.

7. The belly pan was developed for better aerodynamics at the high velocities seen on race tracks. It is wonderously lightweight. It shore is purty, and it is a trick piece that is all carbon fibre, painted blue with racing decals all over it. The rear attachment points are the same frame lugs that the center stand would use, so the bike does not have a center stand option. The belly pan is a little tricky to remove and mount, and you must be very careful to avoid damaging the paint or the pan itself. It costs $2,300. to replace if you mess it up ! The rear mounts are a little weird and don't work very well, but I have found that the replacement studs that come with the rear race stand work much better and make the task of mouting/dismounting the belly pan much easier.

8. The thing comes alive on the track. Even a huge, ham-fisted goof such as myself was able to turn respectable lap times with this bike. It has enough power to keep up with the 600 cc crotch rockets, and it is even a match for some of the older Ducati's on power. Just don't try to corner with them......those big old cylinders do still limit your cornering clearance much more than the svelte Sv650's and Ducati's.

9. BMW did not supply these bikes with braided stainless brake lines in either 2003 or 2004, shame on them ! The brakes are pretty awesome, but look out of place on a "race bike" as much as the wimpy exhaust does. I have just instaled a set of Spiegler replacement lines and they look much better. I am not happy with the shape of the ends of the front lines, however, and will be talking to Spiegler to suggest a change that mimics the stock line fitting.

10. I also had to do something about that pathetic exhaust note, so I have just installed a Laser exhaust and chip in the bike. They make two models of the exhaust system, one for the street and one that is the actual pipe and chip that they co-developed with BMW for the Boxer Cup race series bikes. Let's just say that BXR182 is no longer a poser ! The race pipe makes beautiful, albeit loud, music. This set also does not include the flange for the license plate mount, so I am fabricating my own. This chip and pipe, along with a less restrictive air cleaner element, makes ten percent more power over almost the entire RPM range, a difference that you can feel when you rotate the throttle. It also brings the weight of the bike down to 485 pounds wet.

11. Margie says she likes the back seat and passenger riding position just fine, so I have reluctantly agreed to leave the rear foot pegs on the bike.

12. One final note. The battery on this non-ABS, stripped down model is also miniaturized. At temperatures in the 30's, you only get three or four tries to start the engine before the battery quits. Don't ask me how I know !