BMW-History | |
The germ cell of BMW were the Rapp works at the
edge residents of Munich of the upper meadow field.
These supplied engines to the Austrian naval pilots.
Starting from 20 July 1917 one firmierte as "Bavarian
engine works GmbH". The new trade mark
represented a rotary propeller in the white-blue,
Bavarian national colors. BMW should build the best
aircraft engines of the world under the technical
designer max of Friz soon, but the lost war and the
Versailler contract destroyed all hope in the war
years of the enterprise the engines of civilian
aviation grown to the corporation to offer to be able.
In addition, thus BMW lived engines in the first years
of the Weimar Republic of compressed air brakes, built,
how the motorcycle motorrad-Boxer M 2 B 15, which
proved among other things in the Nuernberger Victoria
KR 1 qualities. By the assumption of the unsuccessful
Bavarian aircraft plants in the proximity one arrived
completely at own motorcycles. The one was called
"speedy", a small, transmissionless twostoke.
NR. 2 was the "Helios", a 500er route
machine with along inserted BMW M 2 B 15 engine and
pendulum fork. Both sold more badly than quite, and
modified themselves of Friz. That sneezing realm
however succeeded to Friz in December 1922: It created
2 B 15-Boxers a completely new concept, which stands
to today more than all other designs for the
motorcycles of BMW while maintaining M. R 32 carried
the engine transverse to the driving direction. To
this engine the three-course transmission was
angeblockt and to the rear wheel ran directly neither
a chain still another belt, but a wave. The wave drive
was used from BMW to 1993 exclusive and became so a
kind "second brand name".
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BMW R42 - the Tourenmodell 1926 |
This logical concept astonished the professional
world not only as route motorcycle, but showed also in
the sport the teeth. Young engineer Rudolf Schleicher
gave 32 ohv lightmetallhaeds and to R equipped
sidesteered to date with bag cylinders from cast iron
and trimmed now R 37 baptized machine on scarcely 20 HP.
Thus Schleicher and Fritz Roth won the six-day travel
for frightening the victory-used British 1926 in
England. Before one had presented the first a cylinder
machine with BMW, R 39. The sporty 250er was more
expensive than competition models, sold themselves first
well. Engine problems were already 1926 the reason for
the attitude of their production. Up to the appearance
of the next a cylinder machine five years passed, in
which BMW from an enterprise fighting for surviving
became to a world-well-known mark. Both sports
association and ohv machine were developed further and
supplemented still in each case by a 750er version. The
building of aircraft engines could be taken up again,
and the entrance into the automobile business, already
planned, succeeded 1928 by the assumption of the
Eisenacher company DIXI. Beside large boxern 1931
appeared einzylindrige R 2 with 200 cm, which were
supplemented already soon by the similarly conceived
model R 4. The a cylinders should always bring from now
by high numbers of items money. Substantial model care
and a crucial technical innovation experienced the 750er
of BMW 1935 by the introduction of the teleskopfork at
the front wheel, which should affect the building of
motorcycles world-wide. 1936 year stole BMW of the
competition with 24 HP strong ohv-500er R 5 the show.
The black machine with "rohrrahmen" and teleskopforkl
worked delicate and smoothly. Road-hugging property,
travelling comfort and achievement were superior in the
whole to all other half litre machines. Apart from
innumerable world records, German championship and
successes in the area haven the victory became
unforgettable the 500er BMW compressor-loaded by George
Meier with 1939 with the tourist Trophy on the Isle of
man.
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BMW R25/3 - the "Einzylinder" 1953 |
1949 were it so far: After currency reform and
establishment of the FRG the 250th appeared R 24 and the
500er "Boxermaschine" R 51/2 as the first
advancement of prewar-models. In 50's the 250er BMW to
the usually-sold machines of its class and nearly each
year was modernized. The boxer with 500 and 600ccm
received first new engines, in order to demonstrate
starting from 1956 as full rocker machines the state of
the art in the building of chassis.
The motorcycle crisis of the late 50's and the bad sales of the automobile program fell BMW into the deepest crisis since 1919. The a cylinder motorcycles and Isetta small car helped to survive BMW. Into the 60ern BMW was through the auto+'s building again slowly better. But without orders for authority BMW would have had to stop the building of motorcycles. The sales sagged from 30.000 machines 1954 on 5400 1957. In the 60's the paragraph recovered again a little, reached however world-wide never 10,000 machines in the year.
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BMW R90/S - the first "Superbike" 1973 |
Not least by the US export, the motorcycle business
began itself to recover again in the 60's. There a trend,
the end of the decade on Europe began over-sloshes
should: Motorcycle-drive as leisure activities. In the
spring 1969 the presented model generation stood for the
new conceptions of the motorcycle driving, without
leaving traditional BMW characteristics like the wave
drive, high reliability and simple maintenance. The /5
series with 500, 600 and 750 ccm possessed a teleskopfork
as front wheel guidance again, in the back still a
rocker. Thus the modern times rung in became, those
today also over 50.000 machines in the year and a
conversion of 1 in the building of BMW motorcycles.
Mill. DM Bavaria to one the largest European motorcycle
farmer makes.
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BMW R100/GS - the last 2V-"GS" 1995 |
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Typelist Motorbike: 1923-1926 - BMW R32 / 1925-1926 - BMW R37 / 1925-1926 - BMW R39 / 1926-1928 - BMW R42 / 1927-1928 - BMW R47 / 1928-1929 - BMW R52 / 1928-1930 - BMW R57 / 1928-1929 - BMW R62 / 1928-1929 - BMW R63 / 1929-1934 - BMW R11 / 1929-1934 - BMW R16 / 1931-1936 - BMW R2 / 1932-1937 - BMW R4 / 1936-1937 - BMW R3 / 1935-1942 - BMW R12 / 1935-1937 - BMW R5 / 1937-1938 - BMW R6 / 1937-1940 - BMW R35 / 1937-1938 - BMW R20 / 1938-1940 - BMW R23 / 1938-1940 - BMW R51 / 1938-1941 - BMW R66 / 1938-1941 - BMW R61 / 1939-1941 - BMW R71 / 1941-1944 - BMW R75 / 1948-1950 - BMW R24 / 1951-1953 - BMW R25/0 / 1951-1953 - BMW R25/2 / 1953-1956 - BMW R25/3 / 1950-1951 - BMW R51/2 / 1951-1954 - BMW R51/3 / 1951-1952 - BMW R67 / 1952-1954 - BMW R67/2 / 1955-1956 - BMW R67/3 / 1952-1954 - BMW R68 / 1955-1960 - BMW R50/1 / 1960-1969 - BMW R50/2 / 1955-1960 - BMW R69 / 1956-1960 - BMW R60/1 / 1960-1969 - BMW R60/2 / 1956-1960 - BMW R26 / 1960-1967 - BMW R27 / 1960-1962 - BMW R50/S / 1960-1969 - BMW R69/S / 1969-1973 - BMW R50/5 / 1969-1973 - BMW R60/5 / 1969-1973 - BMW R75/5 / 1973-1976 - BMW R60/6 / 1973-1976 - BMW R75/6 / 1973-1976 - BMW R90/6 / 1973-1976 - BMW R90/S / this list works on... but an "Oldtimer" must be 25years old ! by Andy Schwietzer |