Roadster M 1000 R and racing-homologated M 1000 RR superbike are now yours for the taking - if you dare.

On 23rd September 2003, BMW Motorrad launched the M 1000 R roadster and M 1000 RR racing-homologated superbike at Handlebar at Gillman Barracks. Folks, this was a sight to behold, with many bike enthusiasts, including those from the BMW bike community, turning up to grace the event.

Let's start first with the M 1000 R roadster, or M R for short. See those winglets at the front of the bike? They're functional, providing 11kg of extra downforce at the front at 220km/h.

210hp at 13,750rpm and 113Nm of torque at 11,000rpm are on tap from a 999cc inline four-cylinder engine featuring four titanium valves per cylinder, BMW ShiftCam variable intake camshaft control and a heady 13.3:1 compression ratio but can still use a minimum of 91-RON petrol.

The century sprint is dispatched in a claimed 3.2 seconds and on to a top speed of 280km/h. On a roadster!

The M R comes with a wet anti-hopping multi-plate clutch arrangement mated to a constant-shifted 6-speed gearbox integrated into the transmission housing. BMW Motorrad DTC traction control keeps things nice and safe for the rider.

Forged aluminium rims wear 120/70 ZR 17 and chunky 200/55 ZR 17 tyres front and rear respectively. Stopping duties fall to twin 320mm-diameter discs in front clamped down upon by 4-pot fixed calipers, and a single 220mm-diameter disc at the rear with a single-piston floating caliper.

BMW Motorrad ABS Pro is standard fit. So are various Pro riding modes such as Rain, Road, Dynamic, Race, Race Pro 1–3, Pit Lane Limiter, Launch Control, Dynamic Traction Control (DTC) +/- Shift, etc. which the rider can choose from the TFT display. So can the Dynamic Damping Control or DDC modes. Yep, this roadster has adaptive dampers front and rear.

Plonk down extra moolah and you can get yourself the M R with M Competition package featuring carbon fibre up the wazoo.

Speaking of carbon fibre up the wazoo, taking centre stage at the launch was the drool-inducing last-minute entrant M 1000 RR M Competition, or M RR for short.

Homologated for racing, this superbike certainly looks the part with the centrally-mounted ram-air intake feeding the same engine as the M R from earlier, but with some tweaks. Engine capacity remains the same at 999cc, but compression ratio takes a bump to 13.5:1. While torque remains the same at 113 Nm at 11,000 rpm as the M R, peak horsepower rises to 212hp at a heady 14,500rpm. So does top speed; up to 314km/h.

Those winglets are still functional, but now provide 22.6kg of downforce at 300km/h over the front wheel, while offering up to 6.3kg of downforce at slower speeds even while leaning!

Speaking of wheels, the M RR's rims are made from carbon fibre, wearing the same sized tyres as the M R but sticker more track-focused items. The M R's adaptive dampers are eschewed in favour of compression and rebound adjustable track-day ones instead. Makes more sense in a racing environment. The brakes are the same as the M R's.

So... how much do they cost? The White Motorsport colour M 1000 R costs $75,800. If you want carbon-fibre goodness, the M 1000 R M Competition comes in at $88,800.

The M 1000 RR M Competition, on the other hand, will only be available on an indent basis and will set its owner back an eye-watering $129,800.

All prices are on the road inclusive COE and accurate at the time of this article. For more information, contact BMW Motorrad Singapore.