It would appear that BMW are working on a new addition to their flagship M range called the M1000RS – according to California Air Resources Board (CARB) filings.
Very little is known about the bike, but its engine code in the document matches that of the M1000RR homologation superbike , meaning the new model will likely run a version of the RR’s ShiftCam, 999cc, 215bhp powerplant.
Previous incarnations – M1000RR, M1000R , M1000XR – have all existed as inline-four litre bikes before the M badged model was created.
The standard RS in BMW’s range is the R1300RS , which uses the firm’s 1300cc boxer-twin. It seems unlikely that BMW would re-engineer the R1300RS to accommodate the M engine as the necessary changes would be widespread and extensive. Not least because the RS uses a shaft drive and all the M applications so far have used chains .
Far more likely, then, is that the M1000RS will be a completely new bike, a sports-touring model that takes an existing M model’s engine and frame to create a new ‘Reise und Sport’ offering.
Since the M1000XR already covers the tall-rounder space in the range, we would expect the new model to be something more traditionally sports-touring in feel – a proper sportsbike but with clip-ons above the top yoke, more extensive and accommodating wind protection, increased leg room and capacity for carrying luggage.
This would put the bike somewhere in the ballpark of a Kawasaki Ninja H2 SX , standard Aprilia Tuono V4 or KTM 1390 Super Duke GT .
The M1000RR’s ShiftCam motor was substantially reworked for 2025, gaining a new cylinder head and port design, revised compression ratio, a new combustion chamber shape, full-shaft titanium valves and a heavily modified exhaust.
The result is 215bhp and Euro5+ compliance . When we tested the 2025 M1000RR, we found the ShiftCam engine offered a healthy dose of low-down torque, but that it comes alive at the top, pulling hard all the way to a raised redline.
Exactly how much of that 215bhp figure would survive the switch to a sports-touring role remains to be seen. BMW have form for reining in the RR’s output for other applications: when the M1000XR arrived in 2024, BMW had to trim 10bhp from the S1000RR’s peak for it to pass Euro noise regulations, leaving 199bhp. Even so, that’s far more than you need on the road.
The RS badge is significant for BMW. This year the firm are marking 50 years of RS models , a line that began in 1976 with the R100RS – the world’s first large-scale production bike to feature a frame-mounted, wind tunnel-developed full fairing. The badge originally stood for Rennsport on BMW’s race machines, before being reinterpreted as Reise und Sport for the road bikes.
Every RS since has been built around the same do-it-all sports-touring philosophy, and until now that has meant a boxer engine – or, in the case of the K1200RS , a longitudinal four. An inline-four, superbike-derived M1000RS would be a significant departure, aimed squarely at riders who want superbike performance with genuine long-distance ability.
For now, the CARB filing is all we have to go on. But it confirms the M1000RS is coming, and that it will use the most potent version of BMW’s ShiftCam four to do it.
BMW were approached for comment and said: “BMW Motorrad doesn’t comment on spy shots or unreleased models.”
It would make sense for BMW to mark the 50th Anniversary of their RS models with a special new addition and – assuming they do – it’s cool that they’ve opted to d…