M 1000 XR Is BMW M's Third Motorcycle, Early Details Reveal It's Also a Monster of a Bike

For German carmaker BMW, that performance division is called M, and has been around ever since the early 1970s. In the decades that have passed since, a wealth of tweaked and beefed-up Bimmers hit the market, giving birth in the process to a sort of cult following.

Starting with 2019, M got involved in the other side of the BMW business as well, and started making special equipment and performance parts for the bikes produced by the Bavarians through their Motorrad offshoot.

The involvement of M in motorcycle making exploded in 2021, when the BMW M 1000 RR was born as the first true BMW M two-wheeler. It was followed shortly by the BMW M 1000 R, and soon a third model will join the range.

Called M 1000 XR, or M XR for short, it too is derived from the S 1000 range, and was previewed this week by the Germans, as they rush to celebrate the 100th anniversary of Motorrad in 2023.

The newcomer is described as a "long-distance sports bike with high long-range capability and supersports riding dynamics for the road as well as the race track." We don't know everything there is to know about it yet – we're told full details will come in the second half of the year – but the info made available paint the picture of a monster bike in the truest sense.

First up, here's what we know about the engine. The frame of the XR holds in its embrace a four-cylinder powerplant equipped with BMW's ShiftCam. It develops 200 horsepower and should be enough to push the bike to a top speed of 280 kph (174 mph).

We're also told the XR tips the scales at just 223 kg (492 pounds) with a full tank. But that's only the baseline, as an available M Competition Package should drop the weight even further – unclear at this point by how much.

Compared to its two other M siblings, the new one brings another level of aerodynamics. We're told things like winglets installed on the body will help with riding stability at high speeds, additional front wheel load will help prevent wheelies, and a front-wheel-oriented seating position will play its part in making the M 1000 XR the one to beat on the racetrack.

Just like with the other two M motorcycles, braking power in this case is ensured by means of M-developed hardware, with the calipers coming in anodized blue and wearing the M logo.

Before more details and photos of the real thing are released, BMW put together a short, three-minute video giving us a more dynamic look at the ride on an Isle of Man backdrop. You can enjoy it in full below.