BMW

BMW Electric Bike Based on the DC Roadster Could Be in the Cards for Production

by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com It’s a time of complete transformation over at BMW Motorrad. The Bavarian bike maker, a steady and powerful presence in markets around the world, just expanded its lineup with the introduction of its brand new cruiser, the R 18 Big Boxer that should give Harley a bit of a hard time. And electrifications efforts are being made as well, as the motorcycle industry is beginning to slowly shift to this type of propulsion. Back in the summer of 2019, during the #NEXTGen event in Munich, BMW unwrapped the crazy-looking Vision DC Roadster. The two-wheeler was shown as a preview of a possible future when BMW would drop the use of the nearly century-old boxer engine in favor of a battery and electric motor, all wrapped in the (almost) classic body of BMW bikes. At the time, BMW did not say anything about the future of the DC Roadster, but recent filings with the German Patent and Trademark Office uncovered by Electrek could suggest a production version is being considered. This assumption is based on the fact that in the list of desired trademarks, nine of them include DC as relating to motorcycles. Securing the trademark for certain ideas is not something unheard of in the industry, and it doesn’t necessarily mean something is going to get made. In this case, however, chances are the Germans are indeed working on an electric bike. Unlike electric cars, electric motorcycles are still taking their first shy steps. Lost in a flood of failing startups that promised to revolutionize the industry, Harley-Davidson is the only major bike maker to have released a bike powered by electricity. And even if the LiveWire is not exactly the sales hit Milwaukee was hoping for, its capabilities are undoubtedly incredible. And we will […]

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This Hulking BMW K1200LT Is A Half-Ton Triking Heavyweight

by Janaki Jitchotvisut from https://www.rideapart.com 1,200 pounds of three-wheeled fury. For some riders, a BMW K1200LT is the perfect touring machine. The big Beemer is designed to transport you and a passenger—or just a whole bunch of stuff you need to carry—in absolute, confidence-inspiring comfort. Could it be bigger, though? More comfortable? More stable? More… everything? Well, if this video is anything to go by, it absolutely can. Behold, a K1200LT trike! It’s outfitted with a Hannigan trike conversion kit—which adds around 320 pounds and a ton of extra stability—and a five-gallon auxiliary fuel tank to keep you going even longer on your journey. As you might guess, the cost of the kit alone isn’t cheap—currently $8,995 at the time of writing, and that’s not including any installation. So, as SRK Cycles suggests in this video, you might save yourself money, time, and effort by buying one that’s already been converted. Now, I personally haven’t witnessed many BMW trikes in my area; both Harley and Honda Gold Wing trikes are much more commonly spotted around here. If you’re looking to stand out while staying stable and comfortable, that might be one way to do it. The K1200LT came with a reverse gear from BMW, which is a definite plus if you’re contemplating turning it into a trike. If you thought the regular motorcycle was a bit of a bear to maneuver backward before, just imagine what happens when you add an extra 320 pounds to the total weight—not counting the weight of a rider, passenger, and/or assorted stuff you might carry on a trip. Weight at the curb for a K1200LT is around 833 pounds, so the total is up to around 1,200 pounds by the time the conversion is complete. Will this three-wheeler be as much of a conversation

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Custom 2016 BMW R nineT Experiences a Radical Transformation

by Silvian Secara from https://www.autoevolution.com This unholy creature looks eager to demonize public roads! Back in 2013, BMW Motorrad revealed their Concept Ninety, to celebrate the 40th anniversary of the astonishing BMW R 90 S and pay homage to this iconic two-wheeler. Just over a year later, Concept Ninety’s successor, going by the name of R nineT, made its spectacular debut. As of the 2016 model, this vicious beast is powered by a four-stroke DOHC two-cylinder boxer mill, with four valves per cylinder and a humungous displacement of 1170cc. R nineT’s air-cooled engine will gladly generate up to 110 hp at 7,550 rpm, along with a torque output of 88 pound-feet (120 Nm) at 6,000 rpm. This sheer power travels by means of a six-speed constant mesh gearbox, to deliver a top speed of just over 125 mph (201 kph). Up front, the monstrosity is supported by inverted 46 mm (1.8 inches) telescopic forks, accompanied by adjustable dampers and a cast aluminum single-sided swingarm at the rear. R nineT crawls on a pair of 17-inch multi-spoked wheels, provided with 320 mm (12.6 inches) dual floating brake discs and fixed four-piston calipers at the front, along with a single 265 mm disc and a floating two-piston caliper at the back. We won’t be going into any other details, as the heavily modified BMW R nineT we’re going to be looking at has very little in common with the original motorcycle. Marco Ferrara, going by the alias Singular Rides, builds custom bikes for pleasure, working on these projects in his spare time. Recently, this one-man army came across a splendid 2016 R nineT in a showroom and decided to not only purchase this damn thing, but also customize the absolute living hell out of it. For its new design, he drew inspiration

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Roland Sands Reworks the BMW R 18, Dragster Comes Out the Other End

by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com Back in April, BMW Motorrad pulled the wraps off the R 18, the company’s first entry in the cruiser segment dominated by giants like Harley-Davidson or Indian. Since then we’ve heard little about the revolutionary German machine, but the wait seems to have been worthwhile. It appears in the time that has passed since BMW tasked designer Roland Sands with coming up with his own interpretation of the two-wheeler. And what resulted is nothing short of stunning. The centerpiece of the motorcycle is the “most powerful 2-cylinder boxer engine ever used in motorcycle series production,” a 1,802 cc powerplant that develops 91 hp at 4,750 rpm, and provides a maximum of 158 Nm of torque at 3,000 rpm. It is this piece of hardware Sands wanted to highlight in his build, so the end product is a stripped-down R 18 with dragster looks. The overall geometry of the motorcycle has been retained, but the rear end was taken out, and the front reshaped to fit the modified frame. The engine, of course, is exposed in all its glory. “With an engine that’s so visibly the center piece, I immediately thought of muscle cars. My family has always been into going fast and my dad was a drag racer, so I thought it made sense to strip the bike down to the essentials and shape it to go fast on a straight track,” Sands says about his design. The simple yet effective modifications are complemented by two different design collections of milled aluminum parts Sands created for the factory-made R 18s. Called Machined and 2-Tone-Black, they include things like custom front and rear wheels, speedometer housings, handlebar clamps, risers, handlebar grips, hand levers and mirrors. The dragster-shaped R 18 and the design collections are the first

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BMW Reveals New F Series Models, Changes Limited to Visual and Equipment Upgrade

by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com Since a little over a decade now, the motorcycle family over at BMW Motorrad included the so-called F Series. The models in this family are some of the most preferred choices of riders looking for bikes equally good for everyday use, but also packing touring capabilities. This week, the German bike maker announced a series of upgrades for three of the F Series bikes. As such, the F 750 GS, F 850 GS and F 850 GS Adventure get updated with new color schemes, new standard equipment, and more choices when it comes to optional equipment. From this point onward, all three models come equipped as standard with visual upgrades like LED flashing turn indicators, a USB charging device at the front right of the cockpit, but also mechanical ones, including ABS Pro and Dynamic Traction Control (DTC). The engine remains unchanged. The same powerplant breathes life in all three models, namely a 853cc liquid-cooled 4-valve, 2-cylinder, tied to a six-speed gearbox. Despite being the same on all bikes, the engine has different outputs depending on the model it is used for: 77 hp on the F 750 GS, and 95 on the two variants of the F 850 GS. Visually, there are new colors on the table as well. The 750 can now be wrapped in Light White with tank center cover painted in vehicle color, and black matt painted rims, black handlebars and seat bench in red/black. The 850 gets Racing Red with the tank centre cover painted in the vehicle color, and black-coated fixed fork tubes, black rims and seat bench in black/grey. For the Adventure, BMW introduces Ice Grey. You can have a detailed look at all the changes BMW has in mind for the F Series in the press release

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SiriusXM with 360L Makes Its Debut in BMW Vehicles this Summer

from https://www.gurufocus.com PR Newswire NEW YORK, July 16, 2020 SiriusXM’s newest generation audio entertainment platform will be available in most of the luxury brand’s 2021 models NEW YORK, July 16, 2020 /PRNewswire/ — SiriusXM and BMW announced today that SiriusXM with 360L – SiriusXM’s newest and most advanced audio entertainment platform – will be available to BMW customers for the first time in most of the 2021 BMW model year vehicles starting with July production. The SiriusXM with 360L platform will be making its BMW debut in model year 2021 BMWs, including the 2 Series, 3 Series, 4 Series, 5 Series, 8 Series, X1, X3, X4, X5, X6, X7 and Z4 models. The first BMW models equipped with SiriusXM with 360L are expected to be available later this summer. SiriusXM with 360L combines satellite and streaming content delivery into a single, cohesive in-vehicle entertainment experience, upgrading the way the subscriber interacts with the service by providing more choice in entertainment than ever before. SiriusXM with 360L gives drivers and their passengers access to more than 10,000 hours of SiriusXM’s recorded On Demand content whenever they want – including exclusive interviews, unique shows and live performances. It also delivers more live channels than ever from SiriusXM’s acclaimed satellite and streaming lineup, which features an extensive selection of ad-free music, plus sports, entertainment, news and much more. SiriusXM with 360L’s personalized “For You” recommendations and ability to search for related content also make it easier than ever for listeners to discover more of the programming they love. BMW vehicles that feature SiriusXM with 360L will also be equipped to receive software updates that will allow BMW owners and lessees to receive the latest features from SiriusXM. One expected future software update will enable 360L’s newest feature, Personalized Stations Powered by Pandora. With

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BMW Motorrad celebrates 40 years of BMW GS models

from https://chennaivision.com A concept that changed the motorcycle world. A motorcycle concept that is as legendary as it is sophisticated will celebrate its anniversary in 2020: The BMW GS models are turning 40. In autumn 1980 BMW Motorrad presented the R 80 G/S, a motorcycle which combined two very special areas of riding for the first time: Off-road and on-road. Thanks to its unique combination of road, touring and off-road capability – without compromising on everyday use – the R 80 G/S became the conceptual forerunner of the new motorcycle category of touring enduros created by BMW Motorrad. And what is more: The BMW GS models became the perfect synonym for the perfect partner on two wheels to explore even the most remote corners of our planet. To date, BMW Motorrad has been able to hand over more than 1.2 million BMW GS models to customers. Legendary BMW GS talents: Riding dynamics, off-road mastery, comfort and robustness. But it wasn’t just motorcycle adventures that were ideally suited for the BMW GS right from the outset; the R 80 G/S and its descendants also quickly proved their qualities in racing. In 1981 Hubert Auriol rode to victory in the equally prestigious and challenging Paris – Dakar Rally. This is just one of the many motorsport successes that BMW Motorrad was able to celebrate with a GS. The outstanding talents of the boxer GS models – riding dynamics, off-road mastery, comfort and robustness – have been continuously maintained and developed by BMW Motorrad over the past 40 years and successfully transferred to other BMW Motorrad model series. In 1993, the F 650 “Funduro” was the first single-cylinder BMW enduro to come onto the market. While this bike drew its riding dynamics from its low weight and the thrust of the 47 hp

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BMW Vision Next 100

by Cristian Curmei from https://www.autoevolution.com BMW has done it again. Offering us yet another concept vehicle that surpasses all previous bounds and expectations. When I first saw it, a small lump of happiness stuck in my throat, nearly made mew cry. And for good reason. Just look at this wonderfully geometric symphony. You wouldn’t even know what it is if it wasn’t for the wheels and engine screaming “Batman’s motorcycle!!”. In this case, since it’s German, it’s probably a better fit for Fledermaus Mann! In case you missed the in your face design, the BMW emblem should give you an idea of what it is you’re about to touch. It’s called the Vision Next 100, and it is a motorcycle like no other. Just the design itself is one only seen in movies or on concept projects. Thanks to BMW, however, this motorcycle is now a reality. “When we develop a motorcycle,” adds Edgar Heinrich, “we are usually thinking around five to ten years in the future. So taking a look further into the future was especially exciting for us and highly appealing.” With that in mind, BMW worked toward a cycle that is ready to integrate into the future cities our world seems to be developing. Just to give you an idea of what BMW Motorrad has done, please understand that in the photo gallery, the only product that isn’t part of the bike is the rider. But even then, it has to be a naked rider, as even the apparel is specifically designed for the motorcycle and works in tune with it to offer a more pleasing ride. So, to explain this to you I’m gonna start from the top down. In the gallery I’m sure you’ve noticed that the rider has a pair of gigantic but chic

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BMW to Add New Cruise Control System to Motorcycles

by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com For reasons that have to do with the way they are built and used, motorcycles do not benefit from the same wide array of comfort or safety systems developed for cars. Strides are being made though to have some of these technologies migrate to motorcycles as well. As far as cars are concerned, cruise control has been around in some form or another from about the time they were invented, but for motorcycles adapting the tech proved a bit more complicated. There are a few bikes out there with cruise control, such as the BMW S1000RR, or the Yamaha FJR-1300, but the tech is not widely available, and of course not as standard. BMW Motorrad plans to change that, and announced that it would “soon offer this type of rider assistance system.” Called in BMW speak Active Cruise Control (ACC), it is a brand new system that has been developed together with Bosch. It can automatically regulate the speed at which the bike is traveling based on the speed set by the rider and the distance to the vehicle driving in front. The system will try to maintain the distance from the vehicle in front as set by the rider, who can choose one of three settings. To calculate the distance, ACC uses a radar fitted at the front of the motorcycle, and it works together with some of the other systems on the two-wheeler, including the brakes and the ABS system. The system can detect only moving vehicles, and will not react to stopped cars or traffic lights, BMW warns. According to company, the new system is also able to automatically reduce speed during lean angle cornering, while at the same time trying to keep acceleration and deceleration within tolerable limits during an increased

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1976 BMW R45 Gonzo Tried to Be the Opposite of Custom, and It Nailed It

by Daniel Patrascu from https://www.autoevolution.com Usually when going for a custom motorcycle build, most garages choose the flamboyant way of doing things. We usually get to see extensive engineering, sculpted parts, and a wealth of eye-popping colors and visual tricks that are supposed to leave us in awe. But not this build here. Sometime in its past, the motorcycle in the gallery above was a BMW R45. Part of a family of horizontally opposed twin-cylinder machines introduced by the Germans back in the 1970s, it would have probably met the crusher if it weren’t for a Spanish garage that goes by the name of El Solitario MC. Unlike other businesses in this field of work, El Solitario did not try to make the Bimmer stand out in a crowd through some innovative engineering solution, or a design so polished it would have made our eyes hurt. It actually went the other way, with the goal of making it as spartan as possible. El Solitario says it built the bike with “no pressure for results,” and the goal was not to create a bike with “a posh finish or complicated technical solutions.” Instead, they sort of tried to see how much things they can remove from a bike and still keep it functional, and without spending a fortune while doing so. Named Gonzo after the Muppets character, it comes with a shortened and narrowed subframe holding the seemingly unpainted stock fuel tank, a lithium battery, and a beat down, custom seat. It rides on 21-inch front and 18-inch rear wheels, fitted with aftermarket shocks and Michelin tires. The Gonzo was made by El Solitario (we’ve talked about some other of their builds as part of our Two-Wheeler Month coverage) with no particular purpose a long time ago. It spent its past

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