BMW CELEBRATES 100 YEARS OF MOTORRAD
In December 1922 , BMW chief designer Max Friz put the first full-scale BMW motorcycle on the drawing board . At its heart was an air-cooled two-cylinder fourstroke boxer engine . The first BMW motorcycle , the R 32 , was presented in September 1923 . This heralded the beginning of BMW motorcycle production and launched an unprecedented success story .
To celebrate its 100-year history , BMW Motorrad is now presenting the two protagonists of the Heritage experience world - the R nineT Roadster and the R 18 Cruiser with big boxer - as 100 Years edition models . In keeping with the year in which BMW Motorrad was founded , both models are limited to 1923 units each .
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 . The new R nineT 100 Years becomes an exclusive anniversary edition thanks to numerous other special features . The heart is still the air / oil-cooled , 80 kW ( 109 hp ) twocylinder boxer engine . In the anniversary edition the legendary engine is accompanied by a wide range of options and an elaborate surface concept .
Paint finishes in combination with chrome surfaces also have an almost 100-year tradition in motorcycle construction . Chrome surfaces , usually consisting of a copper , nickel and final chrome layer are characterised by their hardness and resulting high durability , very good protection against corrosion , but above all by a radiant , mirror-like shine . This made chrome a common stylistic device for designers from the late 1920s onwards , in combination with high-quality paint concepts . The BMW R 75 / 5 with chrome-plated tank sides and side covers , for example , is legendary at BMW Motorrad . With the new BMW R nineT 100 Years and R 18 100 Years and the Classic Chrome surface concept , BMW Motorrad is reviving this incomparably sophisticated interplay of paint and chrome .
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 .
Numerous black components such as fork tubes , air intake snorkel and some Option 719 components complement this harmoniously . 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 and the Comfort Package with heated grips , cruise control and Driving Modes Pro complete the extensive equipment of the edition model . An anti-theft alarm system can also be retrofitted as part of the optional equipment ex works or via the range of Original BMW Motorrad Accessories .
The unmissable centrepiece of the R 18 100 Years is the 67 kW ( 91 hp ) boxer engine with the largest displacement ever installed by BMW Motorrad . Both technically and visually , the BMW R 18 borrows from famous BMW models such as the BMW R 5 and puts the focus back on the essentials of motorcycling : Purist , nofrills technology and the boxer engine as the epicentre of riding pleasure . The big boxer is also complemented by numerous special features as well as a high-grade surface concept in the anniversary edition of the R 18 .
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 highgloss chrome surfaces as well as white double lining and a 100 Years badge . The paint-on-chrome concept
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