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 solution to a pricey GPS mount

So you've gone out and bought your BMW R1200GS, you're ready to circumnavigate the globe's toughest roads - or ride over some potholes on your way to work - but you've got a dilemma: no way to mount your GPS device! So what you should do is exactly what this chap's done and use a spatula and a few rubber bands to mount-up your GPS for easy use. And the bonus is that when you get to where you're going, you can use the spatula with your BBQ and triple it up as a fly-swatter too.

Visordown mag, issue 2 just landed

The latest issue of Visordown mag just arrvied in the office, fresh from the printers. And it's looking great! This month we've got the new KTM 990SMT up against Suzuki's Kayabusa, Honda's VFR800 and BMW's K1300GT - which one is the daddy for sports touring?

Alpinestars launch new 2010 Tech Heated Vest

Alpinestars have launched their first item of heated clothing just in time for our lovely winter. The Tech Heated Vest offers riders excellent body temperature management, using custom flat panel heating elements. The Vest is designed for comfort and ease of use to meet the most demanding of riding conditions.

Please BMW: don't build this

BMW have taken a rapid step in the right direction, what with their K1300S, S1000RR and F800R. Recently rumours have been flying around that BMW are to produce a scooter, possibly a hybrid. And while we know it's well within their means, we'd rather they concentrated on the sharpening the cutting edge of road bikes.

VIDEO: Corser and Heidfeld swap BMW S1000RR and F1 car at the Nurburgring

WSB racer Troy Corser and Formula One fast man Nick Heidfeld recently swapped their BMW race machinery for a lap of the Nürburgring circuit.   Corser, who got to drive Heidfeld’s 700 horsepower car, said: "It was just awesome! The car feels so balanced, the brakes are fantastic, the tyres have unbelievable grip and the steering is very direct but still has a lot of feeling.

Vines motorcycle scrappage

  Following this year’s earlier Budget announcement about the government’s car scrappage scheme, Vines of Guildford BMW has created a similar scheme for motorcycles. Bike owners with motorcycles bought five or more years ago will be given £1,000 off the list price of a new BMW motorcycle when using their old bike as a part-exchange*.  Riders just need to ensure they have at least six months MOT left and the bike must be taxed with clear HPI.  Just like the Government’s car scrappage scheme has been put in place to help drivers, and the car industry, through tough economic times, Vines of Guildford wanted to offer motorcyclists the same opportunity, to purchase a brand new BMW motorcycle with the benefit of the £1,000 part exchange. As well as enjoying this benefit on the purchase price of a new BMW bike, riders can also look forward to complimentary panniers with all new R1200GS and R1200GS Adventure models, and complimentary Zumo sat nav system with the new R1200RT until 30 Sept, plus access to BMW’s Select Finance options to get riders on their bikes straight away with the option to change their new bike every two to three years.

Top 10 Best Sportbikes of 2009

Since it’s inception Motorcycle.com Specs has been the best place for bikers and enthusiasts (like you) to voice their opinions; there has been a lot to spout-off about too! Over 528 Motorcycle models have been updated for you to review in 2009 alone. It’s great to see what the Motorcycle Community has to say about the bikes they ride.

Machineart slims and smooths the BMW R1200GS

Machineart Industrial Design, Slims down and smooths out the most popular adventure touring bike on the market today, the BMW R1200 GS. The R1200GSM (M for Machineart) is designed to be a sleeker, sexier version of the stock GS. The GSM was built to promote the MachineartMoto brand of aftermarket parts for the current GS.

2010 BMW S1000RR Price Speculation

How’d you like to have the latest, most advanced motorcycle in BMW’s current line-up for $1,000 or less? Now that I have your attention I’ll clarify the above by saying that you can have, at some point, the new S1000RR literbike for a stated maximum of no more than $1,000 over the retail of what most of the Big Four will price their liter machines. This was undoubtedly the biggest news from BMW during the U.S.

BMW S1000RR Superbike [video]

Motorcycle.com will be officially shown the totally new BMW S1000RR on Sunday, May 31st during the Superbike World Championship race at the Miller Motorsports Park in Utah. In the meantime, we have a video to get you up close and personal with the new sportbike, thanks to Shahram Shiva, enjoy! Click through to watch the video.