If you’re in the market for a BMW HP4 Race – the carbon fiber clad superbike from Bavaria – the $78,000 price tag might not be all that you’re spending on, as BMW Motorrad has a few items in the fine print that you might want to be aware of – the first being the engine life.
According to documents sent to BMW Motorrad dealers in the United States, the 212hp inline-four engine for the BMW HP4 Race comes with an expiration point of 5,000km (roughly 3,100 miles), at which point the entire engine will have to be replaced. Yup, you read that right.
For those trying to do the math, this means that the track-only BMW HP4 Race will need a new engine after roughly 12 track days.
BMW breaks the math down further, saying that a typical race bike goes 2,300 miles during a 24-hour endurance race; 200-300 miles during a race weekend; and that WorldSBK engines are checked between 600 and 930 miles of service.
There is no word yet what a new HP4 Race engine from BMW Motorrad will cost, but we do know that it will come from the factory with performance certification and already broken-in for immediate use.
Of course, this news will only affect a limited number of motorcyclists in the United States, roughly 80 in fact, if BMW’s estimates are accurate.
BMW dealers will have to reach certain order goals in order to submit a purchase request for an HP4 Race, and requests will be filled on a first-come-first-served basis.
Interested owners will also have to sign a waiver showing how they intend to use the BMW HP4 Race, presumably to agree that the machine will only be used for closed-circuit/closed-road use.
It is unlikely that any of these restrictions will sway interested purchasers though. The opportunity to own a carbon-fiber superbike that makes 212hp and weighs 377 lbs (wet) is surely a lurid one, especially one as well thought-out as the HP4 Race platform.
Source: Bothan Spies
