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.
The Nimbus is a Danish motorcycle produced from 1919 to 1960 by Fisker and Nielsen of Copenhagen, Denmark, also manufacturers of "Nilfisk" brand vacuum cleaners. Two basic models were produced, both with a 750 cc four-cylinder engine.
The BMW R90S is a 900cc sport motorcycle produced by BMW from 1973 to 1976. BMW commissioned designer Hans Muth to oversee the R90S, which became the flagship of the boxer engined "/6" range. Sporting distinctive two-tone paintwork, a bikini fairing and a new tail, the R90S was intended to shrug off the enduring image of BMW bikes as staid and utilitarian.
The Killinger and Freund Motorcycle was an attempt in 1935 by a group of five German engineers from Munich to design a more streamlined and modified version of the German Megola front-wheel drive motorcycle. The work took three years to complete but the result was impressive. The engine displacement stayed the same as the Megola at 600 cc but was much lighter and more simplified than a standard 100 cc motorcycle of the time.
The Honda CD175 is a 174 cc (10.6 cu in) motorcycle made from 1967 to 1979 by the Honda Motor Company. Described by Honda as a "great new all-rounder, at home around town or putting the highway behind you", it was the touring model in Honda's 175 cc motorcycle lineup that also included the sportier CB175 and the off-road CL175 version. The CD175 shared some components and design elements in common with other models from Honda including the early-model pressed steel backbone frame, sometimes known as "T bone".
The Yamaha FZR1000 is a motorcycle produced by Yamaha from 1987 to 1995. Classed as a sports motorcycle.
A motorcycle's suspension serves a dual purpose: contributing to the vehicle's handling and braking, and providing safety and comfort by keeping the vehicle's passengers comfortably isolated from road noise, bumps and vibrations.
The R60 and R60/2 are 600 cc boxer-twin that were manufactured from 1956 to 1969 in Munich, Germany, by BMW.
The R69S, R69US, and R69 are motorcycles, fitted with 594 cc boxer twin engines, that were manufactured by BMW in Munich, Germany.
A motorcycle fork connects a motorcycle's front wheel and axle to its frame, typically via a yoke, also known as a triple clamp, which consists of an upper yoke joined to a lower yoke via a steering stem, a shaft that runs through the steering head, creating the steering axis. Most forks incorporate the front suspension and front brake, and allow the front wheel to rotate about the steering axis so that the bike may be steered. Most handlebars attach to the top clamp in various ways, while clip-on handlebars clamp to the fork tubes, either just above or just below the upper triple clamp.
For the WWII-era motorcycle, see BMW R75
The 247 cc BMW R27, introduced in 1960, is a shaft-driven, single-cylinder motorcycle manufactured by BMW.
BMW Motorrad is the motorcycle brand and division of German automotive manufacturer, BMW. 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.
The Kawasaki A1 Samurai is a 250 cc (15 cu in) standard class Kawasaki motorcycle which was sold from 1967 through 1971.
A telescopic fork is a form of motorcycle front suspension whose use is so common that it is virtually universal. The telescopic fork uses fork tubes and sliders which contain the springs and dampers.
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.
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.
The BMW WR 750 was a supercharged racing motorcycle from BMW with two-cylinder, four-stroke flat twin engine that was first built in 1929, and developed through 1935 solely for racing by the factory.
Alfred Böning (1907-1984) was the chief engineer at BMW in the 1930s who was responsible for designing many iconic BMW motorcycles and motorcars. He reigned over the BMW design studio as a chief engineer before being replaced by chief engineer Fritz Fiedler and was promoted to become head of the automotive drawing office. Among his designs were the legendary 1934 BMW R7 motorcycle, that never saw the light of the day.
The BMW R 18 is a cruiser motorcycle manufactured by BMW Motorrad and was officially introduced in April 2020 and launched in September 2020 in Germany. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, an official introduction at the BMW dealers was not possible, therefore it was presented virtually on the internet.
