The BMW S1000RR Optimus Praem is a new addition to Paris firm's race bikes
“Autobots, roll out!” said legendary leader of the Transformers, Optimus Prime. And roll out they did.
French custom building firm, PRAEM, recently came out with the ‘Optimus PRAEM’ in collaboration with BMW Motorrad France to create a stunning, retro-fitted S1000RR-based endurance-styled racer that takes us back to the days of the Bold d’Or at Circuit Paul Richard.
Endurance racing pushes machines and its riders to the limit for six, eight, 12 and even 24 hours. And it’s more than just about speed; it’s also about reliability rather than velocity. One of the rules of this very special category in the motorcycle racing world is that rare machines has to be based on stock motorcycles without prototypes.
Brothers Florent and Sylvain Berneron, the force behind PRAEM, wowed the industry last year with their RVT1000R SP1-based, Honda RC51. Now they’re back with the BW S1000 RR Optimus that’s about “performance and style”.
It’s one of the fastest bikes right now with a 199 stout German horsepower under its tank. The entire factory-spec panels were stripped off and replaced with hand-made panels while the tail-piece has a large round cut-out that’s specific to many endurance motorcycles. Some of the visual upgrades are the anodised aluminium hose fitting, Sparco-type blue hoses as well as the large weld seam on the tank. And although the carbon wheels and carbon/ceramic brake discs were modified, with the addition of an Akrapovic exhaust system and a period-correct looking silencer, the BMW S1000RR chassis retained its stock electronic suspension and engine.
The wheels of the Optimus were made by Rotobox with carbon-fiber units while the carbon-ceramic Sicom brake discs were used in the front. This helps in the reduction of the weight of the bike by 20kg compared to the normal S1000RR and the usual PRAEM machine that weighs about 184kg with a full tank of fuel.
Additionally, its colours pay homage to one of the famours BMW Art Cars, the Alexander Calder BMW 2.0 CSL that was raced in 1975 at the 24 Hours of Le Mans in France.
The Berneron brothers’ philosophy with their PRAEM bikes was “to use legendary motorcycles as bases”. They said that they “tried to keep the maximum on-board technology” such as the DTC traction control, DCC electronic suspension, Race ABS and launch control, “all while taking the S1000RR into another aesthetic universe”.
We believe they’ve accomplished their goal as the Optimus PRAEM looks out of this world.