Super Short RR: “SSR10” BMW S1000RR Custom

Swiss S1000RR from VTR Customs…

The BMW S1000RR was Munich’s first step into modern superbike territory, competing head to head against the race-developed fours from Japan and Italy. It didn’t take long for the new German literbike to prove its prowess on the track, as Ayrton Badovini dominated the 2010 FIM Superstock 1000 Championship Cup, winning all but one race — especially significant since Superstock bikes so closely resemble their production counterparts.

In 2015, the second-gen RR arrived with a host of upgrades that made it faster, more powerful, and better handling. The new bike boasted 199 bhp, a wider spread of torque, and smoother, more versatile electronic riding aids.

“BMW have raised the superbike bar and produced a superbike even better than the HP4.” –MCN

Recently we featured the S1000XR “STR10” from Switzerland’s VTR Customs, one of the world’s top customizers of BMW Motorrad machines. The XR was intended as one of a pair of sibling customs, both inline fours, and the “sister” bike is the S1000RR you see here.

FOO KIN FAST: BMW S1000XR Supermoto Tracker

Whereas the XR had a naked streetfighter style, the RR would retain more of its supersport character.

“It must have a super-short tail, semi-naked, and some bling-bling like the US guys, but not as much as they like — rather a VTR US-style.”

Nicknamed the “SSR10” — a shortening of “Super Short RR 1000cc” — the bike is running a highly modified front fairing for a racy half-clad silhouette.

“The first big decision was to cut the stock full fairing into a half fairing while keeping the ‘nose down’ line and the ‘shark look’ on the right hand side.”

In keeping with the “Super Short” concept, the bike is running a JvB multifunctional tail on a modified subframe with a bespoke Sattlerei Knobel seat. Swiss law can be quite rigorous when it comes to customization, so it was a challenge to find somewhere to mount the license plate that would allow hot laps at the track and remain street-legal. The VTR team looked high and low before finding just the right place:

“Underneath the seat for the ‘streetfighter’ look, which didn’t harm any lines or lean angles and met Swiss law, too!”

The bike’s Nardo grey main color was dictated by its sister bike, but the VTR team wanted to incorporate some of the “bling” common to the US sportbike scene. So they had the original forged wheels powder-coated candy chrome red and decked out the bike with an array of BMW HP and Ilmberger carbon parts as well as red, blue, and gold accents.

The VTR crew is well-known for their irreverent humor, and it’s on display here in the form of the rider’s name — a perfect complement to the “FOO KIN FAST” STR10.

“As the sister bike of ‘FOO KIN FAST,’ the pilot earned the name ‘HO LEE SHIT — and from there on they were friends forever.”

All in all, this is one highly potent machine, a 199-hp custom superbike as comfortable on the show circuit as the racetrack…and the highways and byways between. Below, the VTR crew gives us the full breakdown on the build with more photos courtesy of Patrick Usseglio (@patrick.usseglio_photography).

Custom S1000RR: In the Builder’s Words…

Concept Idea and Naming

Second in our four-cylinder builds was the RR “sister.” We’d already seen the 2019 RR (and used some parts of it on the XR) so the goal was to “beat” the super nice looking 2019 RR and to prove that a 2018 can also look very nice and radical too. Inspired by a Turbo RR from Motokouture and influenced from the US supersport custom scene, decisions were quickly made. It must have a super-short tail, semi-naked, and some bling-bling like the US guys, but not as much as they like — rather a VTR US-style.

Naming? Sister of “STR10” but as Super Short RR -> Say hello to the “SSR10.” 10 for the same reason as the STR. 1000ccm is far too long for a race number so kept it short: “SSR10” was born.

Design

The first big decision was to cut the stock full fairing into a half fairing while keeping the “nose down” line and the “shark look” on the right hand side. At the same time we’d like to show some “technique” and race style. Super Short means super short and having a 2019 RR tail on the XR, it was also so clear we needed something different from any kind of existing BMW tail.

As a new sales point for KEDO / JvB parts, we were looking at the JvB shelf and found a very good matching “universal” tail which would continue the sharp and clean look, but give the bike a radical tail section. The rest involved cutting and fitting the BMW subframe and parts underneath the JvB tail. Sounds easy — in reality, quite a bit of a challenge…

The final “must” on the overall checklist was the Swiss twist on the US supersport custom scene. Color scheme was already decided from the sister bike: Nardo grey and loads of carbon parts. So no candy colours and chrome wheels (that’s too much bling-bling for Switzerland anyway 😉 But coating the original forged wheels in a candy chrome red was the solution for us.

The Build

After cutting the front fairing to the style and look we wanted, the second task was the whole tail section. We tested two different sizes of the JvB multifunctional tails. At first, we thought the smaller one was better and more radical looking. After discussing it with the team, however, we finally went for the 5cm longer version because it had better harmony with the rest of the build and less of a “Mad Max” look. After cutting the rear frame, the next task was finding space for all the bits pieces usually stowed under the two-seat version, but there was almost no space…

The carbon fiber parts were mounted at same time we got the wheels back in candy chrome red and all the painted parts in Nardo grey. At the same time, we received some special brake and clutch levers, BMW HP foot pegs, etc.

After putting all this together on the bike, we stood in front of it and all three said the same thing: it’s too “busy.” We need to “calm” the look by removing the silver, gold etc. standard pieces from the original RR. So off they went. We disassembled the whole front fork down to parts and pieces, because we wanted them to be black, as well as the gold brake calipers, etc.

Two weeks later all the parts were back on the bike again: Shit, too calm… But then we struck upon the right “VTR style” by adding just a little color to the bike with blue radiator hoses and a few red anodized parts. And black gloss on the tail instead of Nardo grey to make it shorter looking. Lettering, logos, and the usual VTR “shit” brought us to the finish line.

So, as the sister bike of “FOO KIN FAST,” the pilot earned the name “HO LEE SHIT” — and from there on they were friends forever.

For the exhaust, we went as radical as possible under Swiss law: super short, big-bore SC Project muffler. The seat as well is as racy as possible but with a nice twist, one as usual by our “home” upholsterer Yves Knobel.

Finished? Not yet. To get it street legal on the Swiss roads, the number plate holder was the last challenge. After building our Spitfire bike, this is usually a piece of cake, but not this time. Putting it on the side was too much Harley-style and too low for really fast laps on a track. Regular position at end of the tail looked ugly because the tail is so small and has a very nice line; you destroy the whole tail. But then, ah-ha! Underneath the seat for the “streetfighter” look, which didn’t harm any lines or lean angles and met Swiss law, too!

The bike was sold two days after the Swiss Moto show in February. SSR10 has a new home at a well-known client’s garage. So she and we feel happy, and she misses her sister STR10 only a little.

And, just to be clear and to avoid several email requests, none of the parts is available to shop or as a kit. They are all handmade to measure. One of our client promises is we are building single and unique bikes and no copies will ever be reproduced by us.

Build Specs:

– Basis: BMW S1000RR, 3500Km (Ex-demo bike)
– KEDO / JvB universal GFK tail – customized
– Wheels: BMW Forged HP wheels 6×17” / 3.5 x 17”
– Tyres: Metzeler Racetec 190/55-17 and 120/70-17
– Tail Light: KEDO / JvB
– Turn indicators: Kellermann Atto
– Exhaust: SC Project
– Handlebar: BMW stock
– Brake & Clutch levers: Pro Brake
– Carbon Parts: BMW HP & Ilmberger
– Gas Tank Cap: Rizoma
– Engine, Drive, Frame: Standard BMW S1000RR
– Suspension: BMW standard
– Seat: Custom made by VTR Customs and Yves Knobel upholstery, Kaltbrunn
– Paint job: Nardo grey by Paint Shop Freuler, Benken