Ducati Motor Holding S.p.A. is the motorcycle-manufacturing division of Italian company Ducati, headquartered in Bologna, Italy. The company is owned by German automotive manufacturer Audi through its Italian subsidiary Lamborghini, with Audi itself owned by the Volkswagen Group.
A flat-twin engine is a two-cylinder internal combustion engine with the cylinders on opposite sides of the crankshaft. The most common type of flat-twin engine is the boxer-twin engine, where both cylinders move inwards and outwards at the same time.
BMW's motorcycle history began in 1921 when the company commenced manufacturing engines for other companies. BMW's own motorcycles—sold under the BMW Motorrad brand—began in 1923 with the BMW R 32, which was powered by a flat-twin engine. Production of motorcycles with flat-twin engines continues to this day, however BMW has also produced many models with other types of engines.
In automotive engineering a multi-valve or multivalve engine is one where each cylinder has more than two valves. A multi-valve engine has better breathing and may be able to operate at higher revolutions per minute (RPM) than a two-valve engine, delivering more power.
A motorcycle engine is an engine that powers a motorcycle. Motorcycle engines are typically two-stroke or four-stroke internal combustion engines, but other engine types, such as Wankels and electric motors, have been used.
The BMW GS series of one purpose off-road/on-road BMW motorcycles have been produced from 1980, when the R80G/S was launched, to the present day. The GS refers to either Gelände/Straße or Gelände Sport. GS motorcycles can be distinguished from other BMW models by their longer travel suspension, an upright riding position, and larger front wheels – typically 19 to 21 inch. In May 2009, the 500,000th GS was produced, an R1200GS model.
The Harley-Davidson Sportster is a line of motorcycles produced continuously since 1957 by Harley-Davidson. Sportster models are designated in Harley-Davidson's product code by beginning with "XL". In 1952, the predecessors to the Sportster, the Model K Sport and Sport Solo motorcycles, were introduced. These models K, KK, KH, and KHK of 1952 to 1956 had a sidevalve engine, whereas the later XL Sportster models use an overhead valve engine. The first Sportster in 1957 had many of the same details of the KH including the frame, fenders, large gas tank and front suspension.
Unit construction is the design of larger motorcycles where the engine and gearbox components share a single casing. This sometimes includes the design of automobile engines and was often loosely applied to motorcycles with rather different internal layouts such as the flat twin BMW models.
The BMW R1200RT is a touring or sport touring motorcycle that was introduced in 2005 by BMW Motorrad to replace the R1150RT model. It features a 1,170 cc (71 cu in) flat-twin engine with a six-speed gearbox and shaft drive.
Douglas was a British motorcycle manufacturer from 1907–1957 based in Kingswood, Bristol, owned by the Douglas family, and especially known for its horizontally opposed twin cylinder engined bikes and as manufacturers of speedway machines. The company also built a range of cars between 1913 and 1922.
The R60 and R60/2 are 600 cc boxer-twin that were manufactured from 1956 to 1969 in Munich, Germany, by BMW.
The BMW R1100GS is a dual-sport motorcycle that was launched in 1993, and manufactured from 1994 to 1999 by BMW Motorrad in Berlin, Germany. The bike has a 1,085 cc (66.2 cu in) flat-twin (boxer) engine, first seen in the R1100RS which was launched the year before in 1992, and was the first member of the GS family to use an air- and oil-cooled engine rather than the earlier air-cooled airhead engines which had been used on BMW motorcycles since the R32 in 1923.
BMW Motorrad is the motorcycle brand of the German company BMW, part of its Corporate and Brand Development division. It has produced motorcycles since 1923, and achieved record sales for the fifth year in succession in 2015. With a total of 136,963 vehicles sold in 2015, BMW registered a growth of 10.9% in sales in comparison with 2014. In May 2011, the 2,000,000th motorcycle produced by BMW Motorrad was an R1200GS.
Humber Limited was a pioneering British motorcycle manufacturer. Humber produced the first practical motorcycle made in Britain by fitting one of their Humber bicycles with an E. J. Pennington two-horsepower motor in 1896.
The BMW R65 was a light touring motorcycle introduced by BMW in 1978 to add a mid-size motorcycle to its product line. The original R65, contrary to the views of some commentators has the same sized frame as the larger R series motorcycles, the R65 does however have a shorter swingarm than its siblings and therefore a shorter bolt-on rear sub-frame, this along with the shorter front forks and 18" front wheel gives the illusion that the R65 frame is smaller. The initial "model' R65 was manufactured until 1984. In 1985 the R65’s engine was put into the same frame and suspension as the R80 which featured a single rear shock absorber (mono-shock). Additionally, between 1981 and 1984 the R65LS was manufactured. This R65 variant had a small triangular fairing that was designed by Hans Muth.
The BMW R 80 G/S is a motorcycle that was manufactured in Berlin, Germany, by BMW Motorrad from 1980 to 1987. Production totalled 21,864 bikes. It was the first in the BMW GS family of specialised dual-sport bikes, of which over 500,000 have been produced, and is often considered the world's first "Adventure Bike" able to be equally as capable both on and off-road. The designation G/S stands for the German words Gelände/Straße, which mean offroad/road – highlighting the bike's dual sport design.
The BMW R2 was a 198 cc overhead valve single-cylinder motorcycle produced by BMW between 1931 and 1936, the smallest motorcycle ever to enter series production with the firm. Despite its much smaller design and engine capacity, the R2 retained many features of the larger boxer twin motorcycles in the range, such as cardan shaft drive and a pressed-steel duplex frame. The R2 was the smallest in the range of singles produced during the 1930s by BMW, with its big brothers being the 305 cc R3 and the 400 cc R4.
The BMW R1100S is a sports motorcycle that was manufactured by BMW Motorrad between 1998 and 2005. Introduced some 25 years after the R90S, the company's first sports bike, the R1100S was the first BMW bike having clip-on handlebars, rearset footrests and a removable cowl to cover the pillion seat. Producing nearly 100 hp, it has been described as a "sporty sports-tourer".
BMW R100, with variant models designated by T, S, CS, RS, RS Classic, RT, RT Classic, TIC,TC, R and GS is a BMW motorcycle series, using a two-cylinder four-stroke boxer engine of 980 cc capacity. Model production began in 1976, with a premature shutdown and subsequent restart in 1985, and final completion of the series in 1996.
Flathead motorcycles are a type of bike that was a standard for pre-war motorcycles, in particular US V-twins such as Harley-Davidson and Indian, some British singles, BMW flat twins and Russian copies thereof.
