BMW Motorrad
Encyclopedia
BMW Motorrad is the motorcycle
brand of the German company BMW
, part of its Corporate and Brand Development division. The current General Director of the unit is Hendrik von Kuenheim.
BMW Motorrad has produced motorcycles since 1923, and revenues for 2009 were €
1,069 million from the sale of 87,306 motorcycles, a drop on the 2008 figure of €1,230 million from the sales of 101,685 motorcycles.
In May 2011, the 2,000,000th motorcycle produced by BMW Motorrad was a R1200GS
.
The company began as an aircraft engine
manufacturer in the early 20th century and through World War I
. BMW manufactured its first motorcycle in 1923, the R32
, which featured a flat-twin boxer
engine. BMW Motorrad still uses the flat-twin boxer configuration, but now manufactures motorcycles with a variety of engine configurations.
, Germany,
although some engines are manufactured in Austria, China, and Taiwan.
BMW Motorrad produced 82,631 motorcycles in 2009,
compared with 104,220 in 2008, a fall of 20.7%
The most popular model is the R1200GS
and its sibling R1200GS Adventure, which sold 24,467 units – accounting for 28% of BMW's annual production.
Current production includes a variety of shaft, chain, and belt driven models, with engines from 450 cc to 1,649 cc; and models designed for off-road
, dual-purpose, sport
, and touring
activities.
In 2008, BMW introduced the DOHC Boxer HP2 Sport,
and entered the serious off-road competition motorcycle market with the release of the BMW G450X motorcycle.
BMW Motorrad motorcycles are categorized into product families, and each family is assigned a different letter prefix. The current families are:
, an annual car, truck, and motorcycle race that runs from Europe to Africa and has featured riders such as Simon Pavey
and motorcycling celebrity Charley Boorman
. BMW Motorrad motorcycles have won the Dakar Rally six times.
In 2007, BMW Motorrad announced its entry to the 2009 Superbike World Championship season
, where it is racing the BMW S1000RR
. The 2009 season factory team was known as Team Alpha BMW and includes Spanish rider Ruben Xaus
and Australian rider Troy Corser
. In the 2010 season
, Xaus and Corser were joined on the track by Team Reitwagen BMW riders Andrew Pitt and Roland Resch, also riding the S1000RR.
Motorcycle
A motorcycle is a single-track, two-wheeled motor vehicle. Motorcycles vary considerably depending on the task for which they are designed, such as long distance travel, navigating congested urban traffic, cruising, sport and racing, or off-road conditions.Motorcycles are one of the most...
brand of the German company BMW
BMW
Bayerische Motoren Werke AG is a German automobile, motorcycle and engine manufacturing company founded in 1916. It also owns and produces the Mini marque, and is the parent company of Rolls-Royce Motor Cars. BMW produces motorcycles under BMW Motorrad and Husqvarna brands...
, part of its Corporate and Brand Development division. The current General Director of the unit is Hendrik von Kuenheim.
BMW Motorrad has produced motorcycles since 1923, and revenues for 2009 were €
Euro sign
The euro sign is the currency sign used for the euro, the official currency of the Eurozone in the European Union . The design was presented to the public by the European Commission on 12 December 1996. The international three-letter code for the euro is EUR...
1,069 million from the sale of 87,306 motorcycles, a drop on the 2008 figure of €1,230 million from the sales of 101,685 motorcycles.
In May 2011, the 2,000,000th motorcycle produced by BMW Motorrad was a R1200GS
BMW R1200GS
The BMW R1200GS and R1200GS Adventure are motorcycles manufactured in Berlin, Germany by BMW Motorrad, part of the BMW group. It is one of the BMW GS family of dual sport motorcycles. Both motorcycles feature a 1,170 cc, 2-cylinder boxer engine with 4-valves per cylinder...
.
History
Aircraft engine
An aircraft engine is the component of the propulsion system for an aircraft that generates mechanical power. Aircraft engines are almost always either lightweight piston engines or gas turbines...
manufacturer in the early 20th century and through World War I
World War I
World War I , which was predominantly called the World War or the Great War from its occurrence until 1939, and the First World War or World War I thereafter, was a major war centred in Europe that began on 28 July 1914 and lasted until 11 November 1918...
. BMW manufactured its first motorcycle in 1923, the R32
BMW R32
The BMW R32 was the first motorcycle produced by BMW under the BMW name. An aircraft engine manufacturer during World War I, BMW was forced to diversify after the Treaty of Versailles banned the German air force and German aircraft manufacture...
, which featured a flat-twin boxer
Flat-twin
A flat-twin is a two cylinder internal combustion engine with the cylinders arranged on opposite sides of the crankshaft. It is part of the class of flat engines, sub-type "boxer", and shares most characteristics of those engines.-Motorcycle use:...
engine. BMW Motorrad still uses the flat-twin boxer configuration, but now manufactures motorcycles with a variety of engine configurations.
Current production
All BMW Motorrad's motorcycle production takes place at its plant in BerlinBerlin
Berlin is the capital city of Germany and is one of the 16 states of Germany. With a population of 3.45 million people, Berlin is Germany's largest city. It is the second most populous city proper and the seventh most populous urban area in the European Union...
, Germany,
although some engines are manufactured in Austria, China, and Taiwan.
BMW Motorrad produced 82,631 motorcycles in 2009,
compared with 104,220 in 2008, a fall of 20.7%
The most popular model is the R1200GS
BMW R1200GS
The BMW R1200GS and R1200GS Adventure are motorcycles manufactured in Berlin, Germany by BMW Motorrad, part of the BMW group. It is one of the BMW GS family of dual sport motorcycles. Both motorcycles feature a 1,170 cc, 2-cylinder boxer engine with 4-valves per cylinder...
and its sibling R1200GS Adventure, which sold 24,467 units – accounting for 28% of BMW's annual production.
Current production includes a variety of shaft, chain, and belt driven models, with engines from 450 cc to 1,649 cc; and models designed for off-road
Off-roading
Off-roading is a term for driving a vehicle on unsurfaced roads or tracks, made of materials such as sand, gravel, riverbeds, mud, snow, rocks, and other natural terrain.-Off-road vehicle:...
, dual-purpose, sport
Sport bike
A sport bike, also written as sportbike, is a motorcycle optimized for speed, acceleration, braking, and cornering on paved roads, typically at the expense of comfort and fuel economy in comparison to less specialized motorcycles...
, and touring
Touring motorcycle
A touring motorcycle is a type of motorcycle designed for touring. Although any motorcycle can be used to tour with, manufacturers have brought specific models designed to address the particular needs of these riders...
activities.
In 2008, BMW introduced the DOHC Boxer HP2 Sport,
and entered the serious off-road competition motorcycle market with the release of the BMW G450X motorcycle.
BMW Motorrad motorcycles are categorized into product families, and each family is assigned a different letter prefix. The current families are:
- F series – parallel-twin engines of 798 cc capacity, featuring either chain or belt drive. Models are F650GS, F800GSBMW GS parallel-twinThe BMW F800GS and F650GS are members of the GS family of dual-sport motorcycles manufactured in Berlin, Germany by BMW Motorrad. Both bikes were launched in 2008, and use the same 798 cc parallel-twin engine with chain drive, but with different power outputs and equipment levels...
, F800RBMW F800RThe BMW F800R is a naked motorcycle introduced by BMW Motorrad in 2009. It is the newest addition to the F-series, which includes the F800S, the dual-sport F800GS & F650GS, and the sport touring F800ST....
, F800SBMW F800SThe F800S was a sport bike made by BMW Motorrad from 2006 to 2010. Along with the F800S, other bikes in the F-bike range are the dual-sport F800GS, the sport touring F800ST, and the naked F800R....
and F800STBMW F800STThe BMW F800ST is a sport touring motorcycle, made by BMW Motorrad from 2006. Along with the closely related BMW F800S, other bikes in the F-bike range are the dual-sport F800GS, and the naked F800R...
. - G series – single-cylinder engines of 449 to 652 cc capacity featuring chain drive. Models are G450X, G650GSBMW F650 singleThe BMW F650 is a family of single-cylinder motorcycles that was produced by BMW Motorrad beginning in 1993. Models include the F650ST Strada, F650 Funduro, F650GS, F650GS Dakar and latterly the G650GS...
(available in some markets), G650 Xmoto, G650 Xchallenge and G650 Xcountry. The 450 cc engines are manufactured by KymcoKymcoKYMCO KYMCO KYMCO (trade name for the Kwang Yang Motor Co, Ltd is a Taiwanese company that manufactures motor scooters, motorcycles, and ATVs for worldwide distribution. Founded in 1963, the company originally made parts for Honda. The company built its first complete scooter in 1970 and began...
in Taiwan. The 2009 and 2010 650 cc engine parts were manufactured Rotax in Austria, with the engine being assembled by Loncin Holdings, LtdLoncin Holdings, LtdLoncin Holdings, Ltd is a large company in Chongqing, China that distributes throughout the world. It is perhaps best known for its Loncin brand of motorcycle and ATVs produced by its subsidiary Longxin Motorcycle Industry Co., Ltd....
in China. - R series – twin-cylinder boxerFlat engineA flat engine is an internal combustion engine with multiple pistons that move in a horizontal plane. Typically, the layout has cylinders arranged in two banks on either side of a single crankshaft and is sometimes known as the boxer, or horizontally opposed engine. The concept was patented in 1896...
engines of 1,170 cc capacity featuring shaft drive. Models are R1200GSBMW R1200GSThe BMW R1200GS and R1200GS Adventure are motorcycles manufactured in Berlin, Germany by BMW Motorrad, part of the BMW group. It is one of the BMW GS family of dual sport motorcycles. Both motorcycles feature a 1,170 cc, 2-cylinder boxer engine with 4-valves per cylinder...
, R1200R, R1200RTBMW r1200rtThe BMW R1200RT is a touring motorcycle that was introduced in 2005 by BMW Motorrad to replace the R1150RT model. It features a flat-twin engine with a six-speed gearbox and shaft drive.-Previous RT models, 1970s to 2004:...
and R1200S. - K series – four-cylinder engines of 1,157 to 1,649 cc capacity featuring shaft drive. Models are K1200LT, K1300GTBMW K1200GTThe BMW K1200GT is a sport-touring motorcycle made by BMW. The second generation K1200GT, introduced in 2006, uses essentially the same inline-4 engine as the BMW K1200S sportbike, which held the world speed record in 2005 for its class at 173.57 mph ,and the K1200R...
, K1300RBMW K1300RThe BMW K1300R is a naked motorcycle launched at the end of 2008 to replace the K1200R as BMW's flagship urban motorcycle. The K1300R produces a claimed @ 9,250 rpm from its 1,293 cc Inline-four engine with torque of @ 8,250 rpm...
and K1300S. In 2011, BMW Motorrad launched the six-cylinder 1,649 cc K1600GT and K1600GTLBMW K1600The BMW K1600GTL and K1600GT are motorcycles announced by BMW Motorrad in July 2010,and unveiled at the Intermot motorcycle show in Cologne in October 2010.The bikes went on sale in March 2011....
. - S1000RRBMW S1000RRThe BMW S1000RR is a sport bike initially manufactured by BMW Motorrad to compete in the 2009 Superbike World Championship, that is now in commercial production...
– sport bikeSport bikeA sport bike, also written as sportbike, is a motorcycle optimized for speed, acceleration, braking, and cornering on paved roads, typically at the expense of comfort and fuel economy in comparison to less specialized motorcycles...
with transverse-mounted, 999 cc inline-four engine.
Racing
BMW Motorrad regularly enters its motorcycles in the Dakar RallyDakar Rally
The Dakar Rally is an annual rally raid type of off-road automobile race, organised by the Amaury Sport Organisation...
, an annual car, truck, and motorcycle race that runs from Europe to Africa and has featured riders such as Simon Pavey
Simon Pavey
Simon Pavey is a motorcycle enduro and off road racer, currently based in Wales.Pavey started his racing career in Sydney in 1981 with a motorcross race in Appin and won his first race at the same circuit that year...
and motorcycling celebrity Charley Boorman
Charley Boorman
Charley Boorman is an English TV adventurer, travel writer and actor. He is well known for his association with motorcycles and enthusiasm for biking.-Education:...
. BMW Motorrad motorcycles have won the Dakar Rally six times.
In 2007, BMW Motorrad announced its entry to the 2009 Superbike World Championship season
2009 Superbike World Championship season
The 2009 Superbike World Championship season was the 22nd season of the Superbike World Championship. It was the second season in which HANNspree had been the title sponsor of the championship...
, where it is racing the BMW S1000RR
BMW S1000RR
The BMW S1000RR is a sport bike initially manufactured by BMW Motorrad to compete in the 2009 Superbike World Championship, that is now in commercial production...
. The 2009 season factory team was known as Team Alpha BMW and includes Spanish rider Ruben Xaus
Rubén Xaus
Rubén Xaus is a motorcycle road racer. He currently competes in the Superbike World Championship. For 2009, he joins the new factory BMW team, his first ever campaign in WSBK on anything other than a Ducati. He was runner-up in this series in 2003, and spent the next two years in MotoGP with mixed...
and Australian rider Troy Corser
Troy Corser
Troy Gordon Corser is a professional motorcycle road racer, the and Superbike World champion....
. In the 2010 season
2010 Superbike World Championship season
The 2010 Superbike World Championship season was the 23rd season of the Superbike World Championship...
, Xaus and Corser were joined on the track by Team Reitwagen BMW riders Andrew Pitt and Roland Resch, also riding the S1000RR.