100-year BMW R nineT and 100-year BMW R 18
In December 1922, BMW’s chief designer, Max Friz, put the first complete BMW motorcycle on the drawing board. At its heart is an air-cooled two-cylinder four-stroke boxer engine. The first BMW motorcycle, the R 32, was introduced in September 1923. This heralded the beginning of BMW motorcycle production and created an unprecedented success story.
To celebrate its 100-year history, BMW Motorrad now presents the two protagonists of the Heritage experience world – the R nineT Roadster and the large R 18 Cruiser with large tanks – as 100 Years edition models. In keeping with the year BMW Motorrad was founded, both models are limited to 1923 units each.
BMW R nineT 100 years
The R nineT is unmistakably a BMW and a great road bike, proudly showcasing BMW Motorrad’s unwavering passion for boxer engines.
Compact fuel 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 many other special features. At the heart is still a two-cylinder boxer engine, air/oil cooled, 80 kW (109 hp). In the anniversary edition, the legendary engine is accompanied by a wide range of options and a complex surface concept.
The paint finish combined with the chrome surface also has a tradition of nearly 100 years in the motorcycle industry. Chrome-plated surfaces, usually consisting of copper, nickel and a final chromium layer, are characterized by hardness and offer high strength, very good corrosion protection, but above all a lustrous shine like mirror. This made chrome a popular styling tool for designers from the late 1920s onwards, combined with the concept of high quality paint. For example, the BMW R 75/5 with its fuel tank walls and chrome side skirts is a BMW Motorrad legend. With the new BMW R nineT 100 Years and R 18 100 Years and the Classic Chrome surface concept, BMW Motorrad is reviving this one-of-a-kind complex interplay between paint and chrome.
The fuel tank is a combination of black with white and chrome dual lining, and is complemented by knee pads and 100-year badging. Vintage Chrome is also found on the seat hump. The front wheel cover is also painted black and has a white double liner. The bench with a black/oxblood two-tone combination accentuates the high-quality look.
Many black parts such as fork tubes, air intakes and some parts of the Option 719 complement each other harmoniously. The R nineT 100 Years includes optional 719 Classic wheels with black anodized rims, optional 719 Shadow accessory pack with refreshed cylinder head cap, engine cover, seat holder, oil filler plug and optional accessory pack 719 Shadow II. includes adjustable hand levers and footrests, rear footrests as well as an expandable trunk lid and handlebar rearview mirror.
Adaptive turn signals and the Comfort Package with heated grips, cruise control and a Pro Driving Mode complete this model’s rich features. The anti-theft alarm system can also be retrofitted as part of optional equipment or through the BMW Motorrad Genuine Accessories range.
BMW R 18 100 years
The unmissable heart of the R 18 100 Years is the Big Boxer 67 kW (91 hp), at 1802 cc, the largest displacement engine ever installed by BMW Motorrad.
The color scheme of the R 18 100 Years, like the color scheme of the R nineT anniversary model, is Classic Chrome and therefore combines black paint and a high-gloss chrome finish as well as a dual white lining and 100 badging. five.
The chrome paint concept in Classic Chrome is also found on the rear wheel cover combined with white dual lining.
The front wheel covers and side skirts are painted black, with a double white lining on the front fenders. The seats of the Option 719 are upholstered in a black/buffalo color combination with high-quality diamond embossing.
Black as a tone symbolizing the great tradition of BMW Motorrad also adorns the engine, transmission housing and rear-wheel drive. The correct name is Avus Black – a memory of the legendary high-speed racing circuit in Berlin, where BMW Motorrad once celebrated its racing successes and where the monument to Avus with the factory driver Ernst Henne The BMW Motorrad is still memorialized to this day. Berlin is also home to the BMW Motorrad manufacturing plant. The factory located in Berlin-Spandau is not only the production site but also the leading international motorcycle production factory of BMW Motorrad.
The R 18 100 Years adds many chrome parts from the Chrome design option. High quality and durable electroplated surface coating can be found on the following parts: Steering wheel attachment, gearshift lever and foot brake lever, handlebar clamp, handlebar dumbbells, mirror, brake master cylinder, brake calipers, engine cover caps, cylinder head covers and trim manifolds.
Other features of the BMW R 18 100 Years include a chrome Akrapovič rear muffler with perforated exhaust outlines in the “rotor style” of the BMW brand logo.
The BMW R 18 100 Years also scores Headlight Pro with adaptive turn signals, reverse assist, electronic cruise control and heated grips.
With the R nineT and R 18 models in the Heritage experience world, BMW Motorrad is paying tribute to the nearly 100-year history and tradition of being closely tied to the legendary boxer engine. Tradition and history can also be found at the BMW Motorrad factory in Berlin – the birthplace of almost every BMW motorcycle for over 50 years.
