BMW built 1,000 units of the S1000RR in 2009 to satisfy World Superbike homologation requirements, opening commercial sales in 2010. The engine featured a bore and stroke of 80.0 mm × 49.7 mm, giving it the largest bore in its 1000 cc class at the time. The motorcycle shipped with three riding modes — Wet, Sport, and Race — with a fourth Slick mode unlocked via a dongle supplied with each bike. It was also the first production motorcycle to offer an optional quick-shifter, allowing clutchless upshifts at full throttle.
Each model year brought incremental refinements. The 2012 revision enlarged the ram air intake by 20 percent, updated dynamic traction control, adjusted chassis geometry, and revised suspension valving. In 2013 BMW introduced the HP4, a track-oriented derivative fitted with Dynamic Damping Control (DDC), a system that updated suspension settings every 11 milliseconds in response to sensor inputs — a first on any production motorcycle. The HP4 also introduced combined braking as standard.
The 2015 model reduced weight by 4 kg and raised claimed output to 148 kW (201 PS), achieved through revised porting, a new cam profile, lighter valves, and a larger airbox. A comprehensive electronics suite included lean-angle-sensitive ABS and traction control, on-the-fly mode switching, and launch control available as part of optional packages.
For 2019 BMW released a fully redesigned generation, with an all-new 999 cc engine producing 152 kW (207 PS) at 13,500 rpm. This generation introduced BMW ShiftCam variable valve timing on the intake side, switching between two cam profiles at 9,000 rpm in under 10 milliseconds. The 2019 frame shed 1.28 kg, the steering head angle was steepened to 66.9 degrees, and a 6.5-inch TFT instrument display replaced the previous panel. An M package — the first such designation applied to a BMW motorcycle — added carbon fibre wheels, a lightweight battery, and further chassis adjustments, bringing total weight to 193.5 kg.
In September 2020, BMW unveiled the M1000RR, a higher-specification variant carrying the M prefix traditionally associated with the company's performance cars. The M1000RR featured aerodynamic winglets providing downforce, extensive modifications to the engine, chassis, exhaust, and brakes, while remaining road legal.
BMW entered the Superbike World Championship in 2009 with Spanish rider Rubén Xaus and Australian Troy Corser. Results were modest in the debut season — Corser's best finish was fifth place in the Czech Republic — but the programme demonstrated the platform's potential. A breakthrough came on 13 May 2012 at Donington Park, when Italian rider Marco Melandri, riding for the factory BMW Motorrad team, took the S1000RR's first World Superbike race victory. His teammate Leon Haslam finished second, giving BMW a one-two result on the occasion.
During the 2010 FIM Superstock 1000 Championship, Ayrton Badovini dominated the series on the S1000RR, winning every race but one. The Superstock class was significant because regulations kept machinery close to showroom specification, directly validating BMW's production engineering.
The S1000RR made its Isle of Man TT debut in 2010. Michael Dunlop achieved a landmark result on 31 May 2014, winning the Superbike class aboard a factory-prepared machine entered by Hawk Racing under the Buildbase BMW Motorrad banner. The win ended a 75-year gap in BMW victories at the TT. Three days later Dunlop added the Superstock class win under his own MD Racing banner, and completed a hat-trick with the Senior TT on 6 June.
At the 2016 Isle of Man TT festival, Dunlop won the Superbike and Senior races on the same Hawk Racing machine, setting a new outright solo course record with a lap average of 215.591 km/h (133.962 mph) over the 37-mile circuit.
Peter Hickman won the Macau Grand Prix aboard the S1000RR in both 2015 and 2016.
At the 2012 Qatar Grand Prix, American rider Colin Edwards rode an S1000RR-engined motorcycle for the Forward Racing team in the Claiming Rule Team (CRT) class, marking the inaugural CRT appearance in the premier championship. The Suter chassis carrying the BMW engine finished first in its CRT class and twelfth overall.
The S1000RR established BMW Motorrad as a credible force in open-class superbike competition and commercial sportsbike sales simultaneously. Its early standard inclusion of ABS and traction control on a litre-class race replica influenced industry expectations for electronic rider aids, and successive generations deepened those electronics packages while maintaining competitive performance credentials in both road and track environments.