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

BMW Motorrad USA Reports 7.4% Growth in 2011

BMW Motorrad reported a 7.4% growth in U.S. sales in 2011, nearly double the growth reported in the previous year. The 7.4% growth is also higher than the overall worldwide growth of 6.4% BMW recently announced.

Preliminary 2012 MotoGP Entry List Released

The International Motorcycling Federation (FIM) has released a preliminary entry list for the 2012 MotoGP World Championship. The provisional list includes 21 riders in the premiere class, including nine classified as Claiming Rule Team entries. Defending MotoGP Champion Casey Stoner will wear the #1 plate for the 2012 season, the first with both CRT entries and the new 1000cc engine displacement cap.

BMW Set New Sales Record in 2011 – Husqvarna Sales Continue Plunge

BMW sold 104,286 motorcycles in 2011, the most units the German manufacturer has sold in a single year in its entire 90-year history. 2011 sales surpassed the previous record of 102,467 units sold in 2007. 2011 also saw a 6.4% increase in BMW’s motorcycle sales over the 98,047 units sold in 2010.

Crank(er) up the volume

Want to listen to your tunes on the go but don't want to wear earplugs? Well this new Sportech Cranker tankbag could be for you. It features an integrated speaker and amplifier and runs off 4xAA batteries.

BSB 2012; Mystic Mac investigates

In my opinion, the smartest move in the BSB off season has to be Michael Laverty moving from Swan Yamaha to HM Plant Honda. With a ban on electronics for 2012, and in particular traction control, WFR's Graham Gowland has already proved to Laverty how competitive an EVO spec Fireblade can be - so I’m tipping both these riders to be bang on the money at the Brands Hatch season opener in April. Unlike BMW, Kawasaki and Yamaha, Honda have deliberately developed their road-going Superbike without electronics to give a user friendly feel with good mechanical traction, so it’ll be interesting to see how the opposition copes with their high-tech trickery stripped off.

Boxer Design Superbob Concept – 158 HP Turbocharged V-Twin

French firm Boxer Design has unveiled a new 1000cc turbocharged V-Twin concept model at the 2011 Salon de la Moto show in Paris. The Boxer Superbob is powered by a 88-degree V-Twin engine claiming 158 hp at 9500rpm and 92 ft-lb. of torque at 8000rpm.

Husqvarna Reveals BMW G650GS-Engined Concept Strada

Husqvarna unveiled a new streetbike model powered by the engine from parent company BMW’s G650GS. The Husqvarna Concept Strada was int4roduced in Paris at the Salon de la Moto show. Though Husqvarna is calling the supermoto-styled Strada a concept, but the new model is near production ready, with Husqvarna expecting to begin sales in 2012, possibly as a 2013 model.

The future. But we can't have it

It's no secret that we motorcyclists are getting older. We're ageing because less people are passing their bike test each year (roughly 30,000 last year compared to 50,000 for the 10 years before the new two-part test) and so not only is the pool not growing it's not even being replenished and so the average age isn't being diluted down by yoof. When the going gets tough in any situation, you really get to see who's got their shit-sorted and who's light enough on their feet to adapt to change.

The (Italian) girls of EICMA: Part 2

It's not often a scooter catches your eye like the BMW C600 but that's because it's not often that Marco Melandri's girlfriend is standing next to it. EICMA can only mean one thing: new motorcycles. Oh and a handful of girls draped over them..

2012 BMW C600 Sport and C650GT Scooter Preview

While Japanese OEMs persist in their cautiousness, BMW continues its assault on new markets, most recently with its incredible S1000RR literbike. Over the past four years, the German company has nearly doubled its 500cc-plus market share from about 7% to 13%, and the 2011 model year is on pace to set a sales record of more than 103,000 motorcycles. For 2012, BMW enters the lucrative scooter segment with a pair of twin-cylinder maxi-scoots claimed to combine the agility and comfort of a scooter with the riding qualities of a motorcycle.