The German brand BMW, without exaggeration, is familiar to every person, even those far from the world of automobile and motorcycle products. For many, this brand is associated specifically with cars belonging to premium class transport. However, the German concern with a century-old history is actively developing other areas. One of them is the production of motorcycles. A separate division is engaged in the production of motor vehicles, which is called BMW Motorrad.

BMW logo design changes since 1917

Let's go back 100 years

Despite the worldwide fame of the concern «BMW», few people know that the first direction of activity was precisely the creation of motorcycles, the production of which began more than a hundred years ago. Work on motorcycle products began after the events of the First World War, in 1921. However, the company itself began its activities a couple of years earlier.

Karl Rapp (1882-1962)

Gustav Otto (1883-1926)

In 1913, the two companies Rapp Motorenwerke and Otto Flugzeugwerke decided to join forces. The owners of these trademarks were entrepreneurs Karl Rapp and Gustav Otto, whose activities were related to aircraft construction, but were not particularly successful.

Otto Flugzeugwerke aircraft

Rapp 200 hp aircraft engine

In 1916, Bayerische Motorenwerke GmbH appeared on the territory of modern Germany, based on the merger of the two previously mentioned companies. A year later, the new company re-qualified as a joint stock company. Franz-Josef Popp was appointed its general director. It was he who in 1917 recruited engineer Max Fritz, who specialized in the development of aircraft engines, into the ranks of his employees. Later, it was the efforts of this young but brilliant engineer that led to the appearance of the BMW motorcycles that are famous today.

Franz-Josef Popp (1886-1954)

Engineer Max Fritz (1883-1966)

In 1917, the company began active production of aircraft engines, which were successful during wartime. In the same year, all products of the brand are produced under the symbol of a spinning propeller.

The events of 1919 forced BMW to cease its main activities. This turn of events was prompted by the signing of the Versailles Peace Treaty, according to which Germany could no longer produce aircraft.

Companies «BMW» I had to master a new direction, which became the production of motorcycles. The first model was announced by the brand in 1923. The creator of the first bike was engineer Max Fritz. The principles he used are still used by the company today. We are talking about a boxer engine equipped with cylinders located transverse to the direction of movement, a box connected to the engine and a driveshaft.

Assembly shop of the first motorcycle - BMW R32

The first bike model presented was called R32. The motorcycle weighed 120 kg and was capable of speeds of more than 90 km/h. During the three years of existence of this transport, the company sold more than 3 thousand motorcycles.

Conquering motorsports

Gradually, the BMW brand is ceasing to be faceless and little-known. The number of bikes sold is growing, and their popularity is increasing. And a huge contribution to the fame of the German company was made by motorsports, as well as experience in the aviation industry. The materials used in the development of engines began to be used in motorcycle technology, making it powerful and of high quality.

The basic model of the R32 motorcycle is further developed by motorcycle racer Rudolf Schleicher. Thanks to his innovations and modernization, in 1925 the world was presented with an improved model of the bike, which was called the R37.

Motorcycle racer Rudolf Schleicher (1897-1989)

Improved BMW R37 model

In 1929, Rudolf Schleicher rides an R37 motorcycle in a motorcycle race, where he manages to set a new speed record. On the new representative of the R-series, the pilot managed to accelerate to 219 km/h. The first record is followed by a series of others, as well as victories in various competitions. Thanks to these achievements on the track, BMW gains worldwide fame.

Motorcycle BMW R12 1935

Motorcycle BMW RS54 1954

The records set only add incentive to the company's engineers to work harder and achieve new achievements. After World War II, the company, with difficulty, managed to restore motorcycle production. And all the efforts paid off many times over, thanks to the release of the BMW RS sports motorcycle in 1954. The new model has become one of the fastest, capable of accelerating to 200 km/h.

Conquering world markets

On its 50th anniversary, the German manufacturer produces its 500,000th motorcycle. The popularity of the brand is constantly increasing, which is why BMW products can be found not only in the markets of Germany and European countries. Gradually, the brand exports motorcycles to other continents, including North America.

Motorcycle BMW R27 1960

Motorcycle BMW R75/5 1969

Until 1980, the main line of the German manufacturer was represented by sports bikes and motorcycles with sidecars. But in the 80s of the last century, the company began production and released its first off-road bike.

Motorcycle BMW K100LT 1983

Motorcycle BMW R100RS 1977

According to many motorcycle experts, BMW is the founder of enduro motorcycles. The brand's engineers have always been one step ahead of other manufacturers, so it is not surprising that it is in the line «BMW» The first to appear were large and comfortable motorcycles for off-road riding.

They tested bikes in this segment in desert conditions and extreme circumstances, and released them on tracks for racing.

BMW motorcycles today

Today, the line of motorcycles of the German brand includes bikes from a variety of segments. Thanks to this, every motorcycle fan will be able to find a model that suits their needs. The BMW product range includes:

1. Sport. A line of high-speed motorcycles that can reach speeds of up to 200 km/h. The bikes are designed for pilots who participate in racing or who prefer high-speed riding.

Sport class model R1250RS

Sport class model F900XR

2. Tour. A series of bikes for travel. Models in this range are characterized by convenience and comfort, designed for driving on roads of varying quality, including off-road. Motorcycles in the Tour segment are always equipped with comfortable driver's seats, ensuring comfortable riding over long distances.

Tour class model R1250RT

Tour class model K1600GT

3. Roadster. Family of road motorcycles. BWM designs the bikes in this line to improve handling and speed. They are not as comfortable as the previous series, but in terms of speed they are not inferior to sports models. The Roadster series bikes are considered universal models for those pilots who like to ride long and fast.

Roadster class model S1000R

Roadster class model G310R

4. Adventure. Line of touring motorcycles. Models in this series are considered universal and are characterized by an ergonomic design. For convenience on long trips, bikes in this line are equipped with comfortable seats and leg rests, and an advanced electronic system.

Adventure class model R1250GS

Adventure class model F850GS

5. Urban mobility. A series of city bikes. It presents small motorcycles, but extremely mobile and maneuverable, designed specifically for riding on busy city roads.

Urban mobility class model CE02

Urban mobility class model C400GT

Bikes from the German manufacturer are usually classified not only by segments. Motorcycles are divided into several series based on the type of engine installed on them.

R-series

The first series of motorcycles produced by BMW Motorrad for over a hundred years. A distinctive feature of bikes R-series is a two-cylinder boxer engine. Its key features are characteristics such as:

high power;
excellent torque;
amazing sound;
non-replaceable reliability.

Boxer engine BMW R1200GS 1.2 liter

General structure of a boxer engine

Another important feature of the German brand's boxer engines is their smooth operation. The company's engineers were able to achieve this through the use of a balancing shaft. It is located inside a hollow auxiliary shaft and provides optimal smoothness and a soft forced idle throughout the entire speed range.

Today the company «BMW» uses two types of boxer engines in motorcycles of its own production:

1. Volume 1170 cm³ and air-oil cooling.
2. Volume 1254 cm³ and air-liquid cooling.

Motorcycles with a two-cylinder boxer engine have been produced by the company since 1923. Today, the R-series includes the following bike models: R80, R80GS, R80R, R100GS, R100R, R850R, R850RT, R850GS, R850C, R1100GS, R1100R, R1100RS, R1100RT, R1100S, R1150R, R1150RS, R1150RT, R1150GS, R1200C, R1200S, R1200ST, R1200RT, R1200RS, R1200R, R1200GS, R1250RT, R1250RS, R1250GS, R1250R, R1300GS, HP2 Enduro, HP2 Sport, HP2 Megamoto, R NineT, R18.

BMW R1100GS 1998

BMW R1150GS 2001

BMW R1200RT 2016

BMW R1250RS 2022

BMW R18 2021

BMW R Nine T 2022

The brand’s lineup includes R-series bikes, which also have four-cylinder in-line liquid-cooled engines. This class includes sports, road, touring enduros of the following models: M1000RR, M1000R, S1000RR, HP4 (Race), S1000R, S1000XR.

BMW M1000RR 2021

BMW S1000RR 2022

K- series

This line of the BMW manufacturer includes motorcycles equipped with in-line gasoline engines. The first bike model with a similar engine rolled off the company’s assembly line back in 1978. Today, the injection in-line engine has several configurations:

1. Three-cylinder in-line longitudinal engine

A similar engine was installed by the company on the following bike models: road K75 and touring K75RT, production of which ended in 1996.

K75 three-cylinder in-line engine

BMW K75RT 1993

2. Four-cylinder in-line longitudinal engine

This engine was installed by the company on sports, road, touring, and sports touring motorcycles. With this type of engine, the brand released 10 bike models: K1, K100, K100RS, K100RT, K100LT, K1100RS, K1100LT, K1200LT, K1200GT (K41), K1200RS.

K1200RS four-cylinder inline engine

BMW K1200RS 2001

3. Four-cylinder in-line transverse engine

A more modern modification of the in-line engine that was installed on the model: K1200GT (K44), K1200R, K1200S, K1300S, K1300GT, K1300R.

K1200S four-cylinder transverse engine

BMW K1300S 2012

4. Six-cylinder in-line transverse engine

The most modern modification of the company's in-line engine «BMW». It is still installed today on the K1600 touring motorcycle.

K1600 six-cylinder transverse engine

BMW K1600GTL 2013

F- series

A line of motorcycles powered by BMW two-cylinder in-line engines:

1. 798 cm³

The 798 cm³ liquid-cooled four-stroke engine³ is installed on the brand's touring enduro, sport tourer, road and sports motorcycles. A total of 7 motorcycle models were produced in the class: F650GS, F700GS, F800GS, F800R, F800S, F800ST, F800GT.

BMW F650GS 2001

BMW F800R 2016

2. 853/895 cm³

Four-stroke in-line engines with a displacement of 853/895 cm³ were installed on BMW touring enduros, crossovers and road motorcycles. Today, with this type of engine, the German brand’s lineup includes 6 versions of motorcycles: F750GS, F850GS, F800GS (2024), F900GS, F900R, F900XR.

BMW F850GS 2022

BMW F900R 2021

In F- series «BMW» Three models of motorcycles are presented, which are equipped with a four-stroke single-cylinder in-line engine with a volume of 652 cm³. These are: the F650 and F650GS touring enduros, as well as the F650CS road model.

G-series

The G-series features motorcycles equipped with a single-cylinder, four-stroke in-line engine in several displacement options. Today the line includes single-cylinder in-line engines:

1. 652 cm³

The line of motorcycles with this engine capacity is represented by only two bike models. This is a touring enduro G650GS, capable of accelerating to 167 km/h and characterized by a power of 48 hp. The engine was also installed on the G650X enduro, capable of accelerating to 170 km/h and having a power of 53 hp.

BMW G650GS 2012

BMW G650X 2007

2. 450 cm³

The 450 cm³ liquid-cooled single-cylinder in-line engine³ was installed by BMW in the G450X motorcycle, which was produced from 2007 to 2010. The bike can accelerate to 145 km/h and produce 40 hp. as standard.

3. 313 cm³

The in-line four-stroke engine with a volume of 313 cm³ is installed by the manufacturer on two models of motorcycles. The G310R road bike is equipped with this type of engine, developing up to 143 km/h. The power of the model is 34 hp. The engine is also installed on the touring enduro G310GS, which accelerates to 143 km/h. The motorcycle's power is 34 hp.

BMW G450X 2007

BMW G310R 2018

Models of BMW