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 S1000RR stars in new Black Eyed Peas video

WE'RE NOT quite sure exactly what the Black Eyed Peas are trying to say in the video to their latest single 'Imma Be Rocking That Body' but they're cool enough to be using a BMW S1000RR superbike in the new film.Check out Fergie as she gyrates her stuff; from what we can gather she's going to be over there on the next left, rocking her body to a bass clef, while taking pictures with her crew and licking something at the same time. Does her Mum know she talks like that?

BMW S1000RR Valve Train Working at High RPM [video]

I’d like to ramble on about a dozen different things relating to this video, but the 3- minute, 19-second clip speaks for itself. However, once the engine is revving at high rpm, watching the cams, finger followers and valve springs seemingly freeze in action due to the incredible speeds, I was reminded of that whole “Dude, the faster I went the more everything around me seemed to slow down,” experience we’ve all heard about or experienced. Enjoy!

Charge Up you iPhone While You Ride

Motorcyclists can now enjoy total freedom on the open road confident in the knowledge that their cell phones, GPS, MP3 players and latest generation of iPhone/iTouch devices will remain fully-charged and in-service for the duration of the ride thanks to Powerlet’s plug and play systems. “Our product line was inspired by personal experience and the realization that there were no worthwhile options for clean, reliable on-board power for cell phones, stereos and GPS devices,” says Powerlet Products founder Adam Bonislawaski. “Before we came on to the scene, riders would bust out the black tape and wire strippers and cut into their bike’s fragile wiring to tie-in a cheap cigar lighter to power their devices.

Hire a BMW S1000RR

SPYDER Club motorcycle hire club invites two wheeled enthusiasts to join them in southern Spain for 4 days of riding through the mountains of Andalusia on the Aprilia RSV4 Factory, Ducati’s 1198S and the company's latest arrival, BMW’s new S1000RR.  Guests arrive from the 12th February with the final riders leaving on the 7th March. Spyder Club will be based in a villa above the village of Casabermeja and are running a total of 5 trips, each for 6 participants, during that time.The £800 asking price for the short break includes bike hire, accommodation, fuel and food. Ideal if you fancy a blast on BMW's new superbike but don't fancy lashing out £13,000 for one of you own.

Laser unleashes more power from S1000 RR

LAZER has unveiled a new full exhaust system for the BMW S1000RR, which unleashes even more power from the near 200bhp superbike. The system's made from high strength aircraft grade titanium, while the silencer is the new carbon HotCam II. Laser claims the race system will return a power increase of 13.1 bhp.

2009 Carole Nash International Motorcycle & Scooter Show [video]

NEC Birmingham 2009 – The bikes, the babes, the kit and the people. Raptors & Rockets present the 2009 Carole Nash international motorcycle & scooter show from Birmingham, UK. Check out the video highlight list and Tor Sagen’s video walk through from the 2009 NEC show.

BMW C1-E Electric Scooter Concept [video]

The BMW C1-E, prepared for the European Safer Urban Motorcycling (eSUM), was designed to represent safe and environmentally friendly vehicles of the future. Like the C1, which was produced 2000-2003, the concept has a number of safety features such as a roll-over bar, energy-absorbing nose to soften head-on collisions and seat belts. Hit the jump and watch it in action.

BMW Concept 6 [video]

BMW introduced an inline six-cylinder café racer concept at the 2009 EICMA show in Milan, Italy. Inline-six engines have a staple in BMW’s automobiles for decades and the German manufacturer’s motorcycle division took on the challenge of adapting the straight-six to a bike without making it too long or too wide. The result is the BMW Motorrad Concept 6, and an evolution BMW says “will further expand the K-Series in the foreseeable future”.

2010 BMW S1000RR – First Ride

UPDATE:  Full Review now on Motorcycle.com (with video) We just spent the day ripping it up around the fabulous Portimao race circuit in Portugal on BMW’s new S1000RR supersport literbike, and it’s set to blow away perceptions of what a BMW motorcycle is. With 193 crankshaft horsepower and a claimed dry weight of 404 pounds, BMW says the S1000RR has the best power-to-weight ratio of any production bike. And, by the way the S1000 lofts its front wheel onto Portimao’s front straight at 150 mph, we’re becoming believers!

Used Review: BMW Trailguard jacket and trousers

Ride a  BMW, wear the official gear. The Trailguard is one of their top-range textile two-piecers. Fitting brochure is mind-bogglingly complicated, I went into Vines of Guildford and got them to measure me up instead.