BMW Motorcycles
Tradition And Fascination On Two Wheels

In 1923, when there was already a nearly incomprehensible variety of motorized two-wheel vehicles, BMW presented its first motorcycle in Paris: the R32. An unusual success story followed. This distinguished motorcycle with a 2-cylinder, horizontally opposed engine and articulated shaft drive proved to be brilliantly reliable and superior to the majority of its competitors.

Racing played a strong role in the development of BMW motorcycles from the very start, and the victories which BMW achieved on the race tracks of the world can scarcely be counted. Riders like Ernst Henne or Schorsch Meier slowly became legends.

Accustomed to success, BMW remained true to the horizontally opposed engine for exactly 60 years. Not until 1983 was a totally new generation of motorcycles added to the famous boxer-engine R Series. The new K Series models featured modern, performance-oriented technology and 3- and 4-cylinder in-line engines. Today, both R and K Series BMW bikes offer industry-leading motorcycle technology, such as anti-lock braking systems (ABS), electronic engine management and innovative front and rear suspension systems.

BMW Mobile Tradition brought the following motorcycles to Laguna Seca on the occasion of the 1996 Monterey Historics:

• One of the first BMW R32 motorcycles from 1923
• 750 cc machine from 1936 with which Ernst Henne achieved world speed records
• The legendary 500 cc supercharged machine that Schorsch Meier rode to countless major racing successes, including the 1939 Isle of Man TT - the first time a non-British rider and motorcycle won this famous event over a 37-mile island road circuit

See Also:

• BMW Racing Motorcycles of the '20s and '30s
• BMW Racing Motorcycles Since the '50s
• BMW World Sidecar Champions