BMW Motorcycles

About BMW

BMW's motorcycle history began in 1921 when the company commenced manufacturing engines for other companies. Motorcycle manufacturing now operates under the BMW Motorrad brand. BMW (Bayerische Motoren Werke AG) introduced the first motorcycle under its name, the R32, in 1923.

BMW merged with Bayerische Flugzeugwerke in 1922, inheriting from them the Helios motorcycle and a small two-stroke motorized bicycle called the Flink. In 1923, BMW's first "across the frame" version of the boxer engine was designed by Friz. The R32 had a 486 cc (29.7 cubic inches) engine with 8.5 hp (6.3 kW) and a top speed of 95 to 100 km/h (59 to 62 mph). The engine and gearbox formed a bolt-up single unit. At a time when many motorcycle manufacturers used total-loss oiling systems, the new BMW engine featured a recirculating wet sump oiling system with a drip feed to roller bearings. This system was used by BMW until 1969, when they adopted the "high-pressure oil" system based on shell bearings and tight clearances, still in use today.

The R32 became the foundation for all future boxer-powered BMW motorcycles. BMW oriented the boxer engine with the cylinder heads projecting out on each side for cooling as did the earlier British ABC. Other motorcycle manufacturers, including Douglas and Harley-Davidson, aligned the cylinders with the frame, one cylinder facing towards the front wheel and the other towards the back wheel. The R32 also incorporated shaft drive. BMW has continued to use shaft drive on its motorcycles and did not produce a chain driven model until the introduction of the F650 in 1994.

In 1931, BMW introduced the single-cylinder shaft-driven R2, which, as a 200 cc motorcycle, could be operated in Germany without a motorcycle licence at that time. The R2 headed a series of single-cylinder BMW motorcycles, including the 400 cc R4 in 1932 and the 300 cc R3 in 1936.

The BMW R12 and R17, both introduced in 1935, were the first production motorcycles with hydraulically damped telescopic forks.

In 1937, Ernst Henne rode a supercharged 500 cc (31 cubic inches) overhead camshaft BMW 173.88 mph (279.83 km/h), setting a world record that stood for 14 years.

Construction was so good that during World War II Harley-Davidson copied the BMW engine and transmission—simply converting metric measurements to inches—and produced the shaft-drive 750 cc (46 cubic inches) 1942 Harley-Davidson XA.

The terms of Germany's surrender forbade BMW from manufacturing motorcycles. In 1946, when BMW received permission to restart motorcycle production from US authorities in Bavaria, BMW had to start from scratch.

In 1955, BMW began introducing a new range of motorcycles with Earles forks and enclosed drive shafts. These were the 26 hp (19 kW) 500 cc R50, the 30 hp (22 kW) 600 cc R60, and the 35 hp (26 kW) sporting 600 cc R69.

On June 8, 1959, John Penton rode a BMW R69 from New York to Los Angeles in 53 hours and 11 minutes, slashing over 24 hours from the previous record of 77 hours and 53 minutes set by Earl Robinson on a 45 cubic inch (740 cc) Harley-Davidson.

For the 1968 and 1969 model years only, BMW exported into the United States three "US" models. These were the R50US, the R60US, and the R69US. On these motorcycles, there were no sidecar lugs attached to the frame and the front forks were telescopic forks, which were later used worldwide on the slash-5 series of 1970 through 1973. Earles-fork models were sold simultaneously in the United States as buyers had their choice of front suspensions.

In 1970, BMW introduced an entirely revamped product line of 500 cc, 600 cc and 750 cc displacement models, the R50/5, R60/5 and R75/5 respectively and came with the "US" telescopic forks noted above. The engines were a complete redesign. The roller and ball-bearings in the bottom end had been replaced by shell-type journal bearings similar to those used in modern car engines. The camshaft, which had been at the top of the engine, was placed under the crankshaft, giving better ground clearance under the cylinders while retaining the low centre of gravity of the flat-twin layout. The new engine had an electric starter, although the traditional gearbox-mounted kick starter was retained. The styling of the first models included chrome-plated side panels and a restyled tank. The /5 series was given a longer rear swingarm, resulting in a longer wheelbase. This improved the handling and allowed a larger battery to be installed.

The /5 models were short-lived, however, being replaced by another new product line in 1974. In that year the 500 cc model was deleted from the lineup and an even bigger 900 cc model was introduced, along with improvements to the electrical system and frame geometry. These models were the R60/6, R75/6 and the R90/6. In 1973 a supersport model, the BMW R90S, was introduced. In 1975, the kick starter was finally eliminated.

In 1995, BMW ceased production of airhead 2-valve engines and moved its boxer-engined line completely over to the 4-valve oilhead system first introduced in 1993.

Moto blog

The future of law enforcement?

THANKFULLY you're not looking at latest addition to the US Police force's motorcycle fleet - it's the futuristic machine that featured in the 2009 movie "Star Trek" .It's being prepped before being suspended mid-air in the "Born to be Wild: Vintage and Celebrity Motorcycles" exhibition in the Reagan Library's Air Force One Pavilion in Simi Valley, California. Looks a bit like a BMW R1200S, don't you think?

Yoshimura ingredients to improve the S1000RR recipe

Imagine that the BMW S1000RR is a brownie, well the best way to improve a brownie is to add chocolate chips or in this Yoshimura trinkets. Here are some trick bits from Yoshimura: Yoshimura USA has just released a whole host of accessories for BMW’s flagship sportsbike, the S1000RR. Including performance, cosmetic and protective parts all are exquisitely made and come with the standard Yoshimura guarantees of quality, excellent fit and functionality.

I would not, could not, ride a BMW C1

As the chair of this session I will start. On my walk to work this morning I got beeped at by BMW's C1 scooter whilst crossing the road. This, my most detested mockery of two-wheeled transport, beeped at me for no reason whatsoever but what angered me more was the pitiful horn the BMW has, it was a roadrunner like ‘meep’.

Aprilia Takes a Shot at BMW [video]

The very successful viral video BMW created for its S1000RR sportbike earlier this year has yet again been made fun of by another manufacturer, this time being Aprilia with their RSV4.  Now I am sure its not going to get the same amount of attention as the BMW spot but I love a good cat fight, hopefully BMW will respond…  stay tuned. Get the Flash Player to see this player.

Own (what could be) a piece of motorcycling history

Get bidding for what could be a revolutionary motorcycle, as the advert states all you need is, "a fair wedge of ingenuity" to marry together a BMW K75 and the 1.4 diesel engine from a Citroen AX. Thankfully the seller will be able to help with the project: "I have most of the design lodged firmly in my head, and will be more than happy to provide information." With a starting price of £100 and no bids the diesel project bike only has one day left on eBay

Free BMW panniers for new 1200GS owners

BMW is offering a set of complimentary panniers with the purchase of any new R 1200 GS motorcycle registered between 01 June and 30 September 2010 to celebrate the GS's 30th Anniversary.The offer covers both the standard R 1200 GS and R 1200 GS Adventure machines, as well as the special-edition 30 Year Anniversary R 1200 GS and Adventure models.The company's Vario Panniers, worth £506.57, will be offered (given) to anyone buyingthe R 1200 GS, and a pair of Aluminium Panniers, worth £665.45, to new GS Adventure owners.

Used Review: Arai RX-7 Corsair helmet

This is the lid that saved me from a face full of road and stopped a big bacon slicer (a front disc) from carving a canyon in the top of my head.  This helmet was transformed from gleaming white accessory to scrap when I got back from taking the new BMW S1000RR to Morocco. A pedestrian ran into me from behind a bus and the two of us hit the ground. She’s okay and so am I apart from getting knocked out and breaking my shoulder.

Vespa Matches S1000RR Tablecloth Trick [video]

Never underestimate the little guy. You may remember the video of the BMW S1000RR pulling a tablecloth out from under a meticulously decorated table. Well, a proud Vespa owner attempted a similar trick with his 50cc scoot.

Long Way Round camerman tests ebike in London rush hour

WE'RE MORE USED to seeing him busting a gut on a fully-kitted BMW R1150GS, so testing a silent, non-emission electric motorcycle must have been a weird experience for 'Long Way Round' cameraman Claudio Von Planta. The clip gives a great impression of how a first-generation ebike copes with London's traffic two-up.

AC Schnizter lets rip with BMW S1000RR goodies

GERMAN TUNING house AC Schnitzer has unveiled a gaggle of bolt-on accessories for the BMW S1000RR superbike.The kit comprises of: Stealth silencer, Superbike steering conversion, clutch and brake levers, crashpads, Performance Sports Air Filter, mirror extensions, brake fluid - need we go on. There's even a top yoke mounted bar kit for those that don't want to reach down to the standard bike's low clip-ons.Sounds all fine and dandy if you've a heap of cash to chuck at what's already an expensive machine.Call us boring but isn't a 'standard' one good enough?