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90 Years To and Fro...Here To There...Hello Nine T
It all started in 1916 as a reorganization of Rapp Motorenweke, and following WWI and the Treaty of Versailles BMW and Rapp were both forced out of aircraft manufacturing, this is where the ride really begins.
In 1921 BMW began producing its first flat twin engine, originally intended for use as a portable industrial engine. However the M2B15 quickly became popular with local German bike makers Victoria of Nuremberg and Bayerische Flugzeugwerke. In 1922 BMW merged with Bayerische Flugzeugwerke, inheriting their Helios bike which would become the basis of the R32.
R32 (1923)
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The R32 was the first bike produced by BMW under the BMW name. After inheriting the Helios from Bayerische Flugzeugwerke BMW Design Director Max Friz suggested it should be dumped into a creek at the nearest instance. Instead of that BMW decided to rework the Helios into something with more market appeal, hence the R32 was born.
The R32 came with a 486cc engine cranking out a staggering 8.5 hp and propelling itself to a top speed of 100 km/h. The R32 was revolutionary for its pioneering of recirculating wet sump lubrication, at the time all bike makers were using a total-loss lubrication system (picture a 2 stroke burning oil). The R32 also became the foundation for all future boxer BMW's.
The cylinders on the R32 were oriented with the heads sticking out from the frame (as opposed to traditional inline orientation) this was done for cooling purposes. The R32 also gave BMW its trademark shaft drive, which was used exclusively until 1994 when a chain drive was introduced for the F650.
R12 and R17 (1935)
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The R12 and R17 were the first production motorcycles with telescoping hydraulically dampened front forks. The R12 and R17 would form the basis of one of Germanys most efficient war time tools.
R75 (1941)
![]()
At the request of the German military development of the R75 was begun in 1938. An all new Overhead Valve 750cc plant was designed for the R75 and that engine would form the basis for popular post war bikes the R51, R53, R67 and R68.
The sidecar on the R75 was designed with a drive shaft connected to the rear drive wheel, essentially making it a high powered trike. The Sidecar/bike combo had a locking rear diff and selectable road or off road gears, making the R75 highly maneuverable in the varying terrains of WWII. R75 was especially successful in the desert campaigns of North Africa, its boxer mounted twin cooled far better than typical twins and its shaft drive was much more reliable than chain driven rivals of the Americans and English, which were getting fouled by desert grit.
R24 (1948)
![]()
BMW was banned from building bikes after WWII, all their blueprints and schematics were confiscated. In 1946 BMW received permission from the US to begin building bikes again, starting from almost scratch the R24 was born as a reverse engineered pre-war R23. The R24 had no rear suspension but was highly popular in west Germany, in 1950 production surpassed 17,000 units. This period is significant because it saw BMW split in two. With one BMW in West Germany producing the dated R24 while the Soviet controlled BMW in East Germany was still operating out of the original BMW facilities and still producing the R75.
R69 (1955)
![]()
In June of 1959 the R69 set a new record from New York to Los Angeles. The R69 made the trip in 53 hours and 11 minutes a full 24 hours better than the previous record set on a Harley. The R69 would continue on until 1969.
R90S (1973)
![]()
The Bike that inspired the Concept 90 was designed by Hans Muth to create a bike unique from the conservative appearance of BMW motorcycles, BMW was looking to escape the styling of the R69 and usher in a new era. Boy did they.
K1 (1988)
![]()
in 1988 BMW introduced ABS to their lineup, the K1 was the first to wear it. Designed as a high speed sports tourer, the K! was perfectly comfortable cruising the Autobahn at 240 km/h for long periods of time. The K1 was the slipperiest bike of its time with a world leading drag coefficient of .38. The K1 was plagued with cooling issues because of its fully enclosed fairing, and it was either loved or loathed by customers and journalists alike. However the K1 did change the perception of BMW Motorrad forever.
F650 (1994)
![]()
F650 was the first bike to break the BMW tradition of shaft driven motorcycles. the F650 was a joint project between BMW and Aprilia. The BMW's were built alongside the Aprilia in Italy and used an Austrian sourced powerplant. In essence the F650 was the most un-BMW bike to be sold by BMW.
S1000RR (2009)
![]()
The S1000RR was initially designed to dominate the 2009 Superbike World Championship. 1000 S1000RRs needed to be produced to satisfy homologation regulations and continued to expand the production numbers ever since. There are a few differences between the race bike and street version, the production model sports a higher compression ratio and cranks out a vicious 200 hp at 14K revs compared to race bikes 193 at 13K revs. The race bike is about 100 pounds lighter however. The S1000RR has gone on to become the worlds fastest production motorcycle and developed a cult like following.
NineT (2014)
![]()
90 years of history have gone into the development of the NineT. As far as information goes the Nine T will be powered by a Air/oil-cooled flat twin Boxer 4-stroke, two camshafts and four radially aligned valves per cylinder, shaft driven, 6 speed transmission and dry clutch that should be good for 110 horses and 80-90 lb-ft of torque. Inspired by the Concept 90 anniversary bike celebrating the R90, the NineT will be a culmination of 90 years of BMW history and innovation all rolled into one for the quintessential Teutonic experience.
Now we wait...
It all started in 1916 as a reorganization of Rapp Motorenweke, and following WWI and the Treaty of Versailles BMW and Rapp were both forced out of aircraft manufacturing, this is where the ride really begins.
In 1921 BMW began producing its first flat twin engine, originally intended for use as a portable industrial engine. However the M2B15 quickly became popular with local German bike makers Victoria of Nuremberg and Bayerische Flugzeugwerke. In 1922 BMW merged with Bayerische Flugzeugwerke, inheriting their Helios bike which would become the basis of the R32.
R32 (1923)
The R32 was the first bike produced by BMW under the BMW name. After inheriting the Helios from Bayerische Flugzeugwerke BMW Design Director Max Friz suggested it should be dumped into a creek at the nearest instance. Instead of that BMW decided to rework the Helios into something with more market appeal, hence the R32 was born.
The R32 came with a 486cc engine cranking out a staggering 8.5 hp and propelling itself to a top speed of 100 km/h. The R32 was revolutionary for its pioneering of recirculating wet sump lubrication, at the time all bike makers were using a total-loss lubrication system (picture a 2 stroke burning oil). The R32 also became the foundation for all future boxer BMW's.
The cylinders on the R32 were oriented with the heads sticking out from the frame (as opposed to traditional inline orientation) this was done for cooling purposes. The R32 also gave BMW its trademark shaft drive, which was used exclusively until 1994 when a chain drive was introduced for the F650.
R12 and R17 (1935)
The R12 and R17 were the first production motorcycles with telescoping hydraulically dampened front forks. The R12 and R17 would form the basis of one of Germanys most efficient war time tools.
R75 (1941)
At the request of the German military development of the R75 was begun in 1938. An all new Overhead Valve 750cc plant was designed for the R75 and that engine would form the basis for popular post war bikes the R51, R53, R67 and R68.
The sidecar on the R75 was designed with a drive shaft connected to the rear drive wheel, essentially making it a high powered trike. The Sidecar/bike combo had a locking rear diff and selectable road or off road gears, making the R75 highly maneuverable in the varying terrains of WWII. R75 was especially successful in the desert campaigns of North Africa, its boxer mounted twin cooled far better than typical twins and its shaft drive was much more reliable than chain driven rivals of the Americans and English, which were getting fouled by desert grit.
R24 (1948)
BMW was banned from building bikes after WWII, all their blueprints and schematics were confiscated. In 1946 BMW received permission from the US to begin building bikes again, starting from almost scratch the R24 was born as a reverse engineered pre-war R23. The R24 had no rear suspension but was highly popular in west Germany, in 1950 production surpassed 17,000 units. This period is significant because it saw BMW split in two. With one BMW in West Germany producing the dated R24 while the Soviet controlled BMW in East Germany was still operating out of the original BMW facilities and still producing the R75.
R69 (1955)
In June of 1959 the R69 set a new record from New York to Los Angeles. The R69 made the trip in 53 hours and 11 minutes a full 24 hours better than the previous record set on a Harley. The R69 would continue on until 1969.
R90S (1973)
The Bike that inspired the Concept 90 was designed by Hans Muth to create a bike unique from the conservative appearance of BMW motorcycles, BMW was looking to escape the styling of the R69 and usher in a new era. Boy did they.
K1 (1988)
in 1988 BMW introduced ABS to their lineup, the K1 was the first to wear it. Designed as a high speed sports tourer, the K! was perfectly comfortable cruising the Autobahn at 240 km/h for long periods of time. The K1 was the slipperiest bike of its time with a world leading drag coefficient of .38. The K1 was plagued with cooling issues because of its fully enclosed fairing, and it was either loved or loathed by customers and journalists alike. However the K1 did change the perception of BMW Motorrad forever.
F650 (1994)
F650 was the first bike to break the BMW tradition of shaft driven motorcycles. the F650 was a joint project between BMW and Aprilia. The BMW's were built alongside the Aprilia in Italy and used an Austrian sourced powerplant. In essence the F650 was the most un-BMW bike to be sold by BMW.
S1000RR (2009)
The S1000RR was initially designed to dominate the 2009 Superbike World Championship. 1000 S1000RRs needed to be produced to satisfy homologation regulations and continued to expand the production numbers ever since. There are a few differences between the race bike and street version, the production model sports a higher compression ratio and cranks out a vicious 200 hp at 14K revs compared to race bikes 193 at 13K revs. The race bike is about 100 pounds lighter however. The S1000RR has gone on to become the worlds fastest production motorcycle and developed a cult like following.
NineT (2014)
90 years of history have gone into the development of the NineT. As far as information goes the Nine T will be powered by a Air/oil-cooled flat twin Boxer 4-stroke, two camshafts and four radially aligned valves per cylinder, shaft driven, 6 speed transmission and dry clutch that should be good for 110 horses and 80-90 lb-ft of torque. Inspired by the Concept 90 anniversary bike celebrating the R90, the NineT will be a culmination of 90 years of BMW history and innovation all rolled into one for the quintessential Teutonic experience.
Now we wait...
