To celebrate 100 years of BMW motorcycles the company has announced a pair of limited edition machines – an R nineT and R 18 – with both being limited in production to just 1923 units.
Australian Road Rider would have loved to have seen a replica of the original R 32, but maybe a tiny engine, giant wheels and pre-war brakes wouldn’t have attracted the sort of attention the company is looking for.
The R 32 was a roadster of sorts though, so it’s unsurprising the anniversary model is an R nineT.
“The reduced design language of the R nineT is shaped by 100 years of motorcycle construction and BMW Motorrad’s unbroken passion for the boxer engine. Classic roadster design skilfully sets the scene with a compact tank and upright seating position as well as high- quality materials and stylish design elements,” BMW said in a press release.
The bike will feature high-grade paint-on-chrome surfaces and exquisite milled parts and wheels.The tank is a combination of black with chrome and white double- lining and is complemented by knee pads and a 100 Years badge. Classic chrome is also found on the seat hump. The front wheel cover is also painted in black and features white double lining. The seat bench in two-tone combination black/oxblood rounds off the high quality look.
The R nineT 100 Years includes the 719 Classic wheels option with black anodised rim rings, the Option 719 Shadow milled parts package with milled cylinder head covers, engine housing covers, seat holders, oil filler plug and the Option 719 Shadow II milled parts package, consisting of adjustable hand levers and a footrest system, pillion footrests as well as expansion tank covers and handlebar end mirrors.
Adaptive turning light, heated grips and cruise control are standard.
For the big boxer, BMW’s stylists have used special paintwork and surface concept with Classic Chrome.
Given it already has styling cues from older BMWs, it’s no surprise the company chose its biggest Boxer ever to celebrate 100 years of producing motorcycles.
The colour scheme of the R 18 100 Years, like that of the anniversary model of the R nineT, is in Classic Chrome and thus combines black paintwork and high-gloss chrome surfaces as well as white double lining and a 100 Years badge. The paint-on-chrome concept in Classic Chrome is also found on the rear wheel cover in combination with white double lining. The front wheel cover and the side covers are painted in black, complemented by white double lining on the front mudguard. The Option 719 seat upholstered in the bicolour combination black/oxblood with high-quality diamond embossing blends in harmoniously.
Black as a symbolic colour scheme of great BMW Motorrad tradition also adorns the engine, transmission housing and rear axle drive. The exact designation is Avus Black – a reminiscence of the legendary high-speed race track in Berlin, where BMW Motorrad once celebrated great racing successes and where the Avus monument with BMW Motorrad factory rider Ernst Henne still commemorates it today. Berlin is also home to the BMW Motorrad production plant. The plant located in Berlin-Spandau is not only a production site, it is also the lead plant for the international motorcycle production of BMW Motorrad.
The R 18 100 Years is complemented by numerous chrome parts from the Chrome design option. The high-quality and durable galvanic surface coating can be found on these parts: Handlebar fittings, gearshift and foot brake levers, handlebar clamps, handlebar weights, mirrors, brake master cylinders, brake calipers, engine casing covers, cylinder head covers and intake manifold trims.
Other features of the BMW R 18 100 Years also include chromed Akrapovič rear silencers with perforated tailpipe trims in the “propeller style” of the BMW brand logo. Safety and comfort are ensured by Headlight Pro with adaptive turning light, reversing aid, electronic cruise control and heated grips.
With the R nineT and R 18 models in the Heritage experience world, BMW Motorrad is paying due tribute to its almost 100-year history and tradition, which is inextricably linked with the legendary boxer engine. Tradition and history can also be found at the BMW Motorrad production plant in Berlin – the birthplace of almost every BMW motorcycle for over 50 years. The iconic design and the unmistakable boxer engine illustrate that it’s about the roots of BMW Motorrad, about historically inspired shapes and details, about an authentic riding experience and about reducing motorbikes to the essentials. In short: The Heritage world of experience is all about a unique attitude to life, shaped by the legendary boxer engine.
