Twenty years ago, BMW discontinued their venerable flat twin boxer engine in favour of a more modern four, the K series. But the boxer refused to go quietly, and the huge public outcry from fans worldwide made sure it's disapperance was only temporary. When the boxer re-emerged in '93 it had undergone a remarkable transformation with double overhead cams, four valve heads, fuel injection and radical suspension. Back in the game in a big way, the bike came in a range of options including a sports bike to follow in the great tradition of the R90S and R100S. Here, by public demand, is BMWs latest sports twin, the R1100S.

And thank goodness the public insisted on it's return, for in the new generation of boxer engined bikes BMW have a range of gems. The combination of lusty, air-cooled engine with state of the art suspension and engine management, bring a character and sophistication to the market which could only have evolved. No draftsman with a clean sheet of paper could ever have visualised such a combination of tradition and space age engineering. Whichever way you look at it the R1100S is an impressive motorcycle. With power output of 98 BHP, a six speed gearbox and a dry weight of only 229 Kg the S is quite clearly a potent mix. Add BMWs radical paralever / telelever suspension systems and ergonomics by the company who invented the word, and you have a recipe for a supremely capable, long distance sports bike. And what fun it is to ride. The 1085cc engine begins to deliver power as soon as you twist the throttle, and as you accelerate through the gears the power just keeps coming. There is some vibration and a little torque reaction from the motor, which will pull to one side when you blip the throttle at a standstill. Underway this is never a problem and it all adds to what some would call "character" - it's just enough to remind you that you're riding a real motorcycle here and not taking a ride on some bland arcade computer game. And forget any old wives tales you may have heard about scraping rocker covers on the tarmac; this bike has enough ground clearance to get your knee down, should you be so inclined.

While well capable of touring, the R1100S is BMWs sportiest model and offers a distinctly racy riding posture. The low bars and narrow, firm seat don't offer the levels of comfort of their dedicated tourers but still manages to feel a lot more comfortable than most Japanese sports bikes. But in the styling department, the S really takes the prize. It's a sleek, purposeful looking bike. The under-the-seat pipes, industrial looking exposed motor, topped with a sculptured, single coloured fairing/tank/seat set up looks sporty and gets a lot of admiring glances. Much sleeker than the bulbous looking K series fours. The R1100S combines the virtues of a traditional air cooled twin cylinder engine with the latest high tech engineering, up to the minute styling and superb build quality. And it's not as expensive as you might think.

Marks out of ten:

Performance:
The big stonking motor is torquey and tractable. Handling is stable, light and flickable, and the brakes are up to the job. You may get overtaken by the occasional R1 but you'll have a bigger grin on the BM. I'll give it seven out of ten.

Comfort:
If you like to sit on your bike like a sack of potatoes and cruise, this might not be the bike which suits you best. The semi racing crouch can be hard on the wrists in town and passengers are perched precariously high up in the air behind you. But this is a sports bike, after all, and BMW have gone to great lengths to make it human shaped. And at speed it's great. I'll give it six for comfort.

Build Quality: Nine out of ten.
No one does it better than BMW. The finish and standards of detailing are top class. And all BMWs now come with a two year unlimited mileage warranty. Even the service intervals are 6000 miles apart.

Value for money: Nine out of ten.
The R1100S will damage your piggy bank by just £7655 for the base model, with ABS available for an extra £750 if required. For comparison that's one and a half grand less than a Yamaha R1 and £850 less than a Ducati ST4S. For this level of engineering and quality the BMW has to be a bargain.

Street Cred: Seven.
The BMW badge is synonymous with quality but still has a rather staid image in some circles. Even the raunchy R1100S looks a little sensible and subdued against the flashier Japanese sports bikes. But don't forget these bikes have their own race series, the Boxer Cup, and what you're looking at here is more or less a homologated production racer. If you're looking for a flash pose you might be tempted away by the multicolured graphics of the latest Japanese bolide. If you want to ooze quality on the street take a good look at the BMW.

Dr.Rod