VIDEO: Take A Lap At COTA Aboard the BMW S1000RR

It's not often that one gets the opportunity to (legally) stretch a literbike's legs, but last week at COTA I got to top out BMW's 2015 S1000RR once every 150 seconds or so. That's about how long it took me to lap the incredible 3.4-mile circuit outside of Austin, Texas, where BMW brought a handful of journalists to sample the new bike.

Check out the video above for a view of this newest Grand Prix circuit from the seat of the S1000RR. Editor At Large Aaron Frank already rode and wrote about this latest German superbike in his First Ride report from Spain, but this was my first experience with the heavily updated S1000RR, which has more power (up a claimed 6 horsepower, plus a lot more midrange grunt) and less weight (down some 9 pounds), totally updated TC and ABS programming, and optional Dynamic Damping Control, the semi-active suspension system which was previously a feature of the ultra-exclusive HP4.

Of note is the near-constant flashing of the traction control warning light (a function of street tires and cold conditions) and the auto blip-downshift function of the optional Gear Shift Assist Pro— just close the throttle and step on the shifter for smooth, clutchless downshifts.

This is a stupendously fast and incredibly sophisticated superbike, but so is Yamaha's new YZF-R1 and Ducati's 1299. I'm looking forward to getting them all together to see which one is the best.