2025 sees a broad update to the BMW Motorrad fleet, with the F 900 R and F 900 XR both updated, the S 1000 RR sharpened, and the S 1000 R and M 1000 R duo honed in. It was a two-day launch in and around Almeria, Spain, with Day 2 focused on these two 1000 R’s and the RR around Circuito de Almeria.

With a session around track on both of the R’s in the bag, let’s take a quick look at the pair, cover off what’s new in 2025, and try to figure out if there is a better pick for your money this year.

The 2025 BMW S 1000 R is priced at £13,760 as the base price – as specced and ridden at Almeria, it totaled £17,540 – this is with the Sport colour (£420), Comfort package (£970 – includes heated grips, tyre pressure control, keyless ride, cruise control) and the Dynamic Package (£1,305 – includes gearshift assist pro, pro rider modes and dynamic damping control) plus a few other bits from the accessories catalogue.

Moving to the 2025 BMW M 1000 R, the base price is £19,990. Colour options (Black Storm Metallic M Motorsport, Light White M motorsport, and the White Aluminium Metallic) are no extra cost, though selecting the Black Storm Metallic on the online configurator requests the £6,220 M Competition Package – so I guess it isn’t £0. We were riding with this package added, including the M Billet & Carbon Packs, Pillion pack, GPS lap trigger (activation code only), and M Carbon wheels. So as specced and ridden on the day it was a £26,210 total.

Also found in the accessories catalogue is the ‘M Titan’ exhaust system, a full titanium job with Akrapovic can that reduces overall weight by about 2.7 kg. That’s priced at £2,165. Both bikes had these on for the day, as well as the lower engine fairing.

Both 2025 R models are available in UK BMW Motorrad dealerships now.

With a starting base price of £13,760, even at ‘stock’ level this machine is incredible. At your disposal in 2025 is the inline-4 with 170 bhp from the in-line 4, 5 bhp more than the last generation, along with 114 Nm of peak torque - all whilst meeting Euro 5+ homologation.

You’ll find a shorter final drive ration for putting that power on the road/track for even more thrills – plus an optimised shift assist pro as standard, and the new M short-stroke throttle, as seen on the RR and M 1000 R.

All in, power-wise, you’re highly unlikely to need any more power when it’s set up like this – particularly with the superbike-level electronics, including: three standard plus configurable pro rider modes, ABS Pro, launch control, optimised gearshift assistant pro, electronic DDC suspension, drag torque control (MSR) and adjustable engine braking & drag torque control.

For your convenience, also standard is the short licence plate holder (why isn’t this always a standard fit item?), USB-C charging socket under the seat, and SOS E-Call.

A few other notable bits of spec include the new dual-flow LED headlight, 810mm seat height, 16.5-litre fuel tank, 199 kg running weight, twin 330mm discs with 4-piston calipers, paired to a 220mm rear disc with 1-piston caliper, and fully adjustable front USD fork (45mm, spring preload, rebound and compression with electronic damping) and rear shock + aluminium swinging arm (with preload, rebound and compression adjustment with electronic damping).

All in, a seriously competent machine for the money.

BMW’s 2025 M 1000 R builds on the S 1000 R further, by providing the above updates but with even more power for the 999cc shift-cam inline-4 motor – 210 bhp at 13,750 rpm, and 113 Nm at 11,000 rpm – alongside track-focused style with winglets adorning the front.

The M 1000 R revs harder, for longer, and reaches far greater power figures at the top end of the revs, all the way to the upper 14,000 revs. A good dollop of torque is available from around 5,000 revs, and provides consistent pull all the way through to around 13,000 revs. Don’t worry though, the configurable rider modes and pro rider modes work alongside a revised traction control derived from the RR units, and the new M short-stroke throttle.

Away from the bonkers power of the M, aesthetics are the order of the day, with the new paint schemes around the bike, with rear frame and swingarm in platinum grey metallic – the winglets in black textured paint, and clutch and generator covers coated in black. There’s also that dual-flow LED headlight with the all-important M badge proudly adorned between the lights.

Bonus spec time. You have a slightly raised 830mm seat, but the M has all of the same specs as seen above on the S 1000 R (199 kg weight, same brakes and suspension, etc).

Our track day at Almeria Circuit started out in a pretty nasty torrential downpour, with session one for the media group (a huge assortment of around 50 UK dealership staff were also enjoying the day on track with us) setting off in less-than-ideal conditions. Race leathers on, for the most part we all selected rain mode on our first steed – I was on the M 1000 R.

I won’t pretend that I even came close to harnessing the full power of the M 1000 R, let alone delve into the new M quick-action throttle (in rain mode), but the combination of naked-bike comfort and outright lunacy for power was a stunning mix.

Learning the full circuit for the first time, I was in a mini-group with Joe Achilles and Lamb Chop Rides, top guys, and we thoroughly enjoyed learning the blind corners and ‘life at lean’ you’ll find at this Spanish circuit adjacent to neighbour Andalucia. A lovely bunch to share the track with!

Utilising the sport screen on the TFT, returning to the pits I was able to see just how much traction control and braking pressure I used around the damp track: not much in the way of traction control, a fair amount of braking percentage, and around 37 degrees of lean.

Nothing outrageous, but the M 1000 R was truly on my side for the 20-minute session, I had full faith in the electronics suite gently helping where needed, and the heavy braking zone on the back straight before the pit lane was dealt with happily, even in the wet.

A stunning machine visually, brilliant technologically, and astounding mechanically – and watching Chad and Alan Dowds storming around track on these later on was a glimpse into the potential power this machine possesses. Magnificent stuff.

I concluded the day with a stint on the S 1000 R – and considering the marginal difference in spec, minus the engine power and winglets, I was pretty sure that I’d find this fairly similar to the M model. That was exactly the case.

I was certainly able to push the engine a bit more confidently considering the track drying up quite nicely over lunch, but no word of a lie, I was completely shattered from the day. So I decided to do a few laps, and pull into the pit 5 minutes before the end of the session. No shame, I didn’t want to make any mistakes and ultimately run myself into trouble.

In that 15 minute stint, though, I was thoroughly enjoying the ride. The engine has serious pull, you can confidently tuck it into corners and modulate your braking and power going into and coming out of the flowing and fast corners, my 6’3” frame felt absolutely comfortable atop the two bikes. In my eyes, the base S 1000 R model is more than enough bike for me – and in that, more than enough for the road.

It’s quite an obvious decision, in my eyes. Both bikes are stunning, and if you’re after superbike levels of power, the M 1000 R is the ‘obvious’ option – particularly if you want that special BMW M badge, winglets, and the all-imporant proverbial bragging rights amongst your mates.

But fundamentally, the difference between the two bikes is so marginal - particularly for someone who will predominantly be riding on the road - that the only ‘sensible’ option is to save the £6-and-a-bit grand and go for the base model S. Though there's nothing 'base model' about this serious weapon.

Comparatively, the BMW S 1000 R shapes up quite nicely to the Yamaha MT-10 (£14,320, 163 bhp, 212 kg), a monster in its own right, and even the new 2025 Honda CB 1000 Hornet (£9,099, 150 bhp, 211 kg). All three of these bikes will be serious road-going machines, ultimate fun, and there are no real ‘losers’ if you were to opt for any of these motorcycles.

If you’re after the better pick for your money, the cheapest one will do – but your best bet is to give all of them a chance, speak to your local dealership and see which of these two BMW thou's (or four, with the Japanese options) works the best for you.