BMW HP4 Race Engine Life Set at 5,000km (3100 miles)

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.

https://www.asphaltandrubber.com/bikes/bmw-hp4-race-engine-life-5000km/

I like the fact that HP4 Race is all out race track but now, reading this...no thanks. lol.

I guess if you had the money to buy then you have the money to rebuild.

Regardless, I think it is good to know if you're in the market for a used one.

Someone tries to sale USED 3000 miles HP4 Race...DONT BUY!!! lol

Yeah. Thats pricey.

NOLA

I would think the Resale value will go significantly lower when you have some mileage put on.

I know I wouldnt pay 50k for 2k+ miles on this...

Maybe 30k. lol

ummm........That's about the race life of any race bike. I checked the rods on my R6 at the halfway point of the season and just about all the fast guys I know that tried to go more than one season learned a very expensive lesson. Race miles are infinitely more stressful than street miles.

Now, a "C" group rider plodding around on a trackday may see significantly more time than that without any issues. But BMW is likely going with actual race use. That mileage is consistent with what Honda states with their HRC products, Aprilia does with their RSV4 and I bet if you look up the superstock service intervals from Ducati it's the same.

Edit: they said all new engine as in new cases? I truly believe that is someone translating something in German wrong. I bet it just needs a rebuild at that point. It really doesn't have anything that exotic in the motor that isn't already being used in built S1000rr race bikes in the states now, and they aren't known for popping often. The transmission is though. But this model has a WSBK spec transmission with strengthened gears, so should be no worries.

That's an expensive hobby.............

If an HP4 Race engine is transplanted on a road-going S1000RR and is used as a daily, how many road miles before the full rebuild? How close to a stock R engine?

Those specs are always give for race use, not street use. You could probably run it for 20,000 miles on the street with no issue, it's high RPM abuse (i.e. racing) which leads to the excessive wear. All of the destructive forces in the engine (vibration, heat, etc.) are all much more significant under racing conditions. And no, doing a 5th gear roll-on against your buddy's M1R on a back road after your morning coffee shop visit is not the same as racing. ;-)

The problem is you probably couldn't use an engine like that in a daily driver environment. The level of tune (Cams, compression, throttle bodies,etc....) are all set up for the track. The bike will likely run like crap until until you hit 6-7000 rpm.

Yes, it would last considerably longer used as a DD but would still require a rebuild before 30-40 K-miles. Those skinny, low tension piston rings, stiffer valve springs and narrow valve seats aren't designed for longevity. I seem to remember that Aprilia recommends a full rebuild after somewhere around 30-40 hrs at racing RPM's for their RSV4 Superstock bikes.

Serious bikes = serious money ...If you want to play then be prepared to pay

jarelj said:

Those specs are always give for race use, not street use. You could probably run it for 20,000 miles on the street with no issue, it's high RPM abuse (i.e. racing) which leads to the excessive wear. All of the destructive forces in the engine (vibration, heat, etc.) are all much more significant under racing conditions. And no, doing a 5th gear roll-on against your buddy's M1R on a back road after your morning coffee shop visit is not the same as racing. ;-)

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X2

Give me 7 less horsepower and more mileage with the Panigale R. All day

Yes, as others have said this is actually a much higher amount of miles than other manufacturers recommend for changing a race engine. I may be spreading inaccurate rumours but I think Ducati race engines are more like 2-3000 miles or even less on the Superstock bikes, certainly less on the high level bikes which are teared down several times a season. From what I've read and heard the BMW is very popular with road racers such as the Isle of Man because of the reliability and high amount of miles expected from the engines, something I can well believe going by the smooth quality of my S1000RR. Still I prefer the Panigale

redline87 said:

Give me 7 less horsepower and more mileage with the Panigale R. All day

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You aren't comparing apples to apples. Race use intervals on a Panigale are likely the same or less as Royal noted below.