mika
Still Wondering
Happy Birthday
BMW PressClub puts out historical pieces periodically. While we were in West Bend last year BMW was celebrating ninety years. PART I looked at the aero engine roots of the company. Here is PART II of three parts on the history of the company.
Ninety Years of BMW –
the Symbol of Innovation.
PART I. BMW Aircraft Engines.
PART II. BMW Motorcycles.
PART III. BMW Cars.
Ninety Years of BMW – the Symbol of Innovation.
The spirit of innovation has transcended through the history of BMW for no
less than 90 years. And indeed, this ongoing innovation of the white-and-blue
brand has been borne out and initiated consistently by the creativity, skill,
and consistency of the company’s employees. The products created in this
process have at all times combined proven and new technologies in a
most characteristic manner, forming a sophisticated, trendsetting symbiosis
at all times.
PART II. BMW Motorcycles.
With the Treaty of Versailles imposing a ban on the production of aircraft
engines in Germany, BMW’s spectacular story of success came to an abrupt
end. Looking for alternatives, BMW’s engineers first focused on the BMW IIIa
aircraft engine, creating the M 4 A 12 “Bayern” engine as a stationary power
unit or for driving boats, tractors or trucks.
At the same time the Company set out in search of new business
opportunities, establishing a worthwhile new option in the early ’20s: With the
re-construction of Germany calling for appropriate mobility, demand for
motorcycles was growing. So in response BMW developed a small power unit,
a 500-cc flat-twin – the horizontally-opposed Boxer. Both the pistons and
crankcase of the new M 12 B 15, as it was code-named by the company, were
made of aluminium, reducing the overall weight of the engine to a mere
31 kg or 68 lb. Initially the company sold this engine to manufacturers of twowheelers
before deciding in 1922 to enter the prosperous motorcycle
market with its own machine.
][bThe BMW R 32: the first motorcycle in the world with flat-twin and
a drive shaft.[/b]
Max Friz’s idea was to fit the engine into the new motorcycle with its cylinders
facing crosswise to the direction of travel. This, in turn, placed the crankshaft in
a longitudinal configuration extending from front to rear. The transmission
with its shafts also in lengthwise arrangement was driven directly by a friction
clutch, the two housings were bolted to one another. A drive shaft then served
to feed drive power from the gearbox to the rear wheel.
While all of these components were already on the market, Max Friz was the
first to combine these individual elements to create the innovative concept of
the BMW R 32.
The big day came on 28 September 1923, when BMW presented not only its
range of modern engines, but also for the first time on an official occasion the
company’s own motorcycle at the German Motor Show in the Exhibition Halls
on Kaiserdamm in Berlin. And this was indeed a bold step into the market,
with the company entering into the ring against more than 130 motorcycle
manufacturers in Germany alone. What made this step even more courageous
was that BMW’s 8.5-horsepower motorcycle was one of the most expensive
models in the market at its base price of 2,200 Reichsmarks.
Substantial success in the market nevertheless soon proved that BMW had
chosen the right concept standing out clearly from the competition not only
through the smooth surfaces of the engine/transmission unit, but also through
the frame structure with two fully-enclosed steel pipe loops running parallel
to one another.
The low position of the flat Boxer engine significantly improved the
motorcycle’s centre of gravity and, as a result, its riding qualities. And while the
front wheel fork allowed only limited spring travel, the use of leaf springs
helped to provide a certain inherent damping effect. Deep-black paintwork
burnt into the body and elaborately designed white decal lines, finally,
clearly set the standard in the motorcycle’s quality of finish.
First motorcycle engine with light-alloy pistons.
Setting new standards in terms of the motorcycle’s technical components was
even more significant. And indeed, the first riders of BMW motorcycles were
able to emphasise with pride that they benefited in full from all the experience
BMW had already gained as a manufacturer of aircraft engines. This involved
both the choice of materials and the use of light alloy in production of the
pistons, as well as a level of functional reliability hardly ever seen before on a
motorcycle. There was no failure-prone chain drive between the engine
and transmission, no chain or belt leading to the rear wheel, and both the valve
shafts as well as the springs were fully encapsulated at the top of the cylinders
to keep dust out and oil in.
In conjunction with fully enclosed lubricant circulation, this not only kept
the motorcycle clean at all times, but also significantly facilitated the process
of maintenance and service.
At the time, the best way to promote a new motorcycle and, in particular,
a new and “young” brand was to achieve outstanding success in motorsport.
Precisely this is why young engineer Rudolf Schleicher decided to enter the
hill-climb event on the Mittenwalder Steig in the Bavarian Alps, clocking up the
day’s fastest time on his BMW on 2 February 1924 and entering the annals
of Bayerische Motoren Werke’s motorsport history as the first-ever winner
bearing the white-and-blue colours.
Schleicher was not only a fast rider, but also a very imaginative engineer:
Using a cylinder head cast out of light alloy for the first time in motorcycle
construction and featuring overhead-hanging (OHV) valves encapsulated
beneath a cover hood, all of which had been designed by Schleicher, three
BMW works riders entered the Solitude race in Stuttgart on 18 May 1924
and promptly won three categories at the event.
Before the end of 1924, this new design concept was carried over to the new
R 37 sports model which, offering maximum output of 16 hp, almost doubled
the engine power of the former R 32.
The pressed-steel frame becomes the “German school”.
Very soon BMW started coming along with new concepts and innovations
generating growing demand for the brand’s machines: Stable pressedsteel
running gear replaced the tubular frame, helping to avoid cracks on the
soldered connection points and giving the machine a very muscular and
powerful look. Indeed, this new concept soon became a great success and
was therefore adopted by a number of competitors in Germany, leading to
the term “the German school of motorcycle construction” defining this design
and engineering concept abroad.
1934: the birth of the telescopic fork.
In 1934 BMW motorcycles made their first appearance on race tracks and
off-road courses with a brand-new type of front-wheel fork: slender, smooth,
and without any kind of visible spring. This design concept with integrated
oil pressure damping quickly proved its merits against the toughest
competition and made its market debut just a year later in the new BMW R 12
and R 17. “Apart from the exterior looks – no thin tubes, no springs at
the outside, no lubricating nipples, and no components visibly assuming an
operating function – the new wheel forks offer a genuinely perfect
effect”, stated one of the most renowned testers in lauding this milestone
in international motorcycle construction.
Innovation in production: protective gas welding for greater frame
stability.
A year later the BMW R 5 hailed the advent of a brand-new generation
of models. For the first time conically drawn steel tubes with an elliptical
cross-section were welded to one another by protective gas welding,
a further innovation being the use of adjustable dampers on the telescopic
forks. The new 500-cc power unit, in turn, came with two camshafts and
a single-piece tunnel-shaped engine block.
In terms of performance, this new BMW was able to match its fastest
competitors from Britain, and in terms of riding comfort it was clearly
superior to its British competition. In 1938 BMW further increased this
leadership, introducing the R 51 with straight-travel rear-wheel suspension.
When in the early ’40s the army asked for an off-road machine with power also
being transmitted to the sidecar wheel, with a reduction gear for off-road riding
and even a reverse gear, BMW responded right away with the introduction
of the R 75: An all-new construction from the ground up, the R 75 boasted a
750-cc ohv power unit, a frame in hybrid construction combining its central
profile with bolted-on tubular connections, a telescopic fork with double-action
hydraulic damping, and appropriate drivetrain technology to meet the army’s
specific demands. To convey drive power to the sidecar by means of a crossshaft,
there was also a limited-slip differential.
Weighing 420 kg or 926 lb, this sidecar machine was able to carry a
substantial load of more than 400 kg or 882 lb, again meeting the army’s
requirements.
In their off-road qualities, these motorcycles with their driven sidecar wheel
were far superior to a car with all-wheel drive, making it no surprise
that BMW built more than 18,000 units of the R 75 Army Sidecar Machine
between 1941 and 1944.
Entering the post-war era, BMW made a successful new start into the
market based on proven design and engineering concepts. And introducing
the R 51/3 in 1951, the company also launched a new generation of Boxer
engines, focusing even more than before on reliability and the significant
improvement of running smoothness. The R 68 then made its appearance
in1952 as BMW’s first 100-mph machine, a thoroughbred sports machine for
the road capable of that magic top speed of 100 mph or just over 160 km/h.
Setting the standard in suspension technology: the all-swingingarm
BMW.
Newly developed suspension and running gear again set the standard in
1955, the “all-swinging-arm” BMW opening up a brand-new dimension in
motorcycle engineering through the supreme directional stability and
suspension comfort offered by its swinging arm suspension both front and
rear. The entire range of models extending from the single-cylinder R 26
through the R 50 and R 60 touring machines all the way to the high-performance R 69 sports tourer was available with this trendsetting suspension, once again making
BMW motorcycles the worldwide epitome of supreme refinement
in technology ensuring unparalleled quality and riding characteristics.
With the motorcycle slowly but surely losing its significance in Europe as a
means of transport, it started to gain increasing success in the USA in the mid-
60s as a leisure-time and sports instrument for the enthusiast. Precisely
this prompted BMW to introduce a brand-new range of motorcycles in 1969,
development of which had already started when motorcycle sales had
slumped to their lowest point: While BMW retained the flat-twin power unit,
the engine now came in brand-new design and with a new concept.
The 500 and 600-cc versions were furthermore joined by the top-of-therange
R 75/5, a motorcycle for the 750-cc class now gaining growing
significance.
However, not only the engines were new – with the R 75/5 being equipped for
the first time with constant-pressure carburettors and an electric starter –
but also the light, modern running gear offering appropriate advantages in
terms of handling and behaviour.
The R 90 S: the first production motorcycle in the world with
cockpit fairing.
BMW Motorrad celebrated its 50th birthday in 1973 with an appropriate
highlight – the production of the 500,000th model. In the same year the
R 90 S offered even larger engine capacity and a significant increase in power
and performance. In particular, however, the R 90 S set the trend for
the development of the entire motorcycle market through its looks and
appearance, being the first-ever production motorcycle with a cockpit
fairing highlighting its sporting character.
Three years later BMW further enhanced this leadership, launching the
R 100 RS at the dealership in 1976 with an even larger engine and a fully
integrated fairing.
The R 80 G/S with its exciting single-swinging-arm.
Another four years later, BMW again set the trend in the two-wheeler market,
introducing the R 80 G/S as the foundation for the brand-new market segment
of large-displacement touring enduros. Boasting the largest engine of all
enduro machines at the time, the R 80 G/S was equally well-suited for road
use and offroad terrain. This was indeed ensured, inter alia, by a truly
exciting innovation – the rear single-swinging-arm referred to by BMW as the
“Monolever”.
Both the R 80 G/S and its successor, the R 100 GS launched in 1987 with
its further enhanced “Paralever” rear-wheel swinging arm, very quickly became
best sellers within the BMW range. And as yet a further sign of brand
distinction, the single-swinging arm soon became a highlight also of other
BMW motorcycles.
The K 100: BMW’s innovative four-cylinder.
In 1983 four cylinders and liquid cooling were the state-of-the-art for modern
high-performance motorcycle engines. But like his colleague Max Friz
60 years before, BMW engineer Josef Fritzenwenger was able, even in this
situation, to develop a very special and highly individual technical concept:
Referred to as BMW Compact Drive, this new configuration retained the
longitudinal position of the crankshaft and the direct flow of power to the
gearbox, but now also featured a counter-rotating interim shaft while boasting
the same shaft drive extending to the rear wheel. The four-cylinder power
unit displacing 987 cc was arranged in a longitudinal, flat-lying position within
the frame, the crankshaft positioned on the right-hand side in the direction
of travel, the cylinder head with its two overhead camshafts on the left.
These were however not the only innovations of this trendsetting machine,
since the BMW K 100 also entered the market with electronic fuel injection
and 90 hp maximum output, while the complete power unit was suspended
in a lightweight tubular bridge-type frame.
Over and above the “basic” model, there was also the K 100 RS sports tourer
with its innovative and highly effective fairing and the K 100 RT touring model.
]url=http://forums.bmwmoa.org/newreply.php?do=postreply&t=29125]continued[/url]
BMW PressClub puts out historical pieces periodically. While we were in West Bend last year BMW was celebrating ninety years. PART I looked at the aero engine roots of the company. Here is PART II of three parts on the history of the company.
Ninety Years of BMW –
the Symbol of Innovation.
PART I. BMW Aircraft Engines.
PART II. BMW Motorcycles.
PART III. BMW Cars.
Ninety Years of BMW – the Symbol of Innovation.
The spirit of innovation has transcended through the history of BMW for no
less than 90 years. And indeed, this ongoing innovation of the white-and-blue
brand has been borne out and initiated consistently by the creativity, skill,
and consistency of the company’s employees. The products created in this
process have at all times combined proven and new technologies in a
most characteristic manner, forming a sophisticated, trendsetting symbiosis
at all times.
PART II. BMW Motorcycles.
With the Treaty of Versailles imposing a ban on the production of aircraft
engines in Germany, BMW’s spectacular story of success came to an abrupt
end. Looking for alternatives, BMW’s engineers first focused on the BMW IIIa
aircraft engine, creating the M 4 A 12 “Bayern” engine as a stationary power
unit or for driving boats, tractors or trucks.
At the same time the Company set out in search of new business
opportunities, establishing a worthwhile new option in the early ’20s: With the
re-construction of Germany calling for appropriate mobility, demand for
motorcycles was growing. So in response BMW developed a small power unit,
a 500-cc flat-twin – the horizontally-opposed Boxer. Both the pistons and
crankcase of the new M 12 B 15, as it was code-named by the company, were
made of aluminium, reducing the overall weight of the engine to a mere
31 kg or 68 lb. Initially the company sold this engine to manufacturers of twowheelers
before deciding in 1922 to enter the prosperous motorcycle
market with its own machine.
][bThe BMW R 32: the first motorcycle in the world with flat-twin and
a drive shaft.[/b]
Max Friz’s idea was to fit the engine into the new motorcycle with its cylinders
facing crosswise to the direction of travel. This, in turn, placed the crankshaft in
a longitudinal configuration extending from front to rear. The transmission
with its shafts also in lengthwise arrangement was driven directly by a friction
clutch, the two housings were bolted to one another. A drive shaft then served
to feed drive power from the gearbox to the rear wheel.
While all of these components were already on the market, Max Friz was the
first to combine these individual elements to create the innovative concept of
the BMW R 32.
The big day came on 28 September 1923, when BMW presented not only its
range of modern engines, but also for the first time on an official occasion the
company’s own motorcycle at the German Motor Show in the Exhibition Halls
on Kaiserdamm in Berlin. And this was indeed a bold step into the market,
with the company entering into the ring against more than 130 motorcycle
manufacturers in Germany alone. What made this step even more courageous
was that BMW’s 8.5-horsepower motorcycle was one of the most expensive
models in the market at its base price of 2,200 Reichsmarks.
Substantial success in the market nevertheless soon proved that BMW had
chosen the right concept standing out clearly from the competition not only
through the smooth surfaces of the engine/transmission unit, but also through
the frame structure with two fully-enclosed steel pipe loops running parallel
to one another.
The low position of the flat Boxer engine significantly improved the
motorcycle’s centre of gravity and, as a result, its riding qualities. And while the
front wheel fork allowed only limited spring travel, the use of leaf springs
helped to provide a certain inherent damping effect. Deep-black paintwork
burnt into the body and elaborately designed white decal lines, finally,
clearly set the standard in the motorcycle’s quality of finish.
First motorcycle engine with light-alloy pistons.
Setting new standards in terms of the motorcycle’s technical components was
even more significant. And indeed, the first riders of BMW motorcycles were
able to emphasise with pride that they benefited in full from all the experience
BMW had already gained as a manufacturer of aircraft engines. This involved
both the choice of materials and the use of light alloy in production of the
pistons, as well as a level of functional reliability hardly ever seen before on a
motorcycle. There was no failure-prone chain drive between the engine
and transmission, no chain or belt leading to the rear wheel, and both the valve
shafts as well as the springs were fully encapsulated at the top of the cylinders
to keep dust out and oil in.
In conjunction with fully enclosed lubricant circulation, this not only kept
the motorcycle clean at all times, but also significantly facilitated the process
of maintenance and service.
At the time, the best way to promote a new motorcycle and, in particular,
a new and “young” brand was to achieve outstanding success in motorsport.
Precisely this is why young engineer Rudolf Schleicher decided to enter the
hill-climb event on the Mittenwalder Steig in the Bavarian Alps, clocking up the
day’s fastest time on his BMW on 2 February 1924 and entering the annals
of Bayerische Motoren Werke’s motorsport history as the first-ever winner
bearing the white-and-blue colours.
Schleicher was not only a fast rider, but also a very imaginative engineer:
Using a cylinder head cast out of light alloy for the first time in motorcycle
construction and featuring overhead-hanging (OHV) valves encapsulated
beneath a cover hood, all of which had been designed by Schleicher, three
BMW works riders entered the Solitude race in Stuttgart on 18 May 1924
and promptly won three categories at the event.
Before the end of 1924, this new design concept was carried over to the new
R 37 sports model which, offering maximum output of 16 hp, almost doubled
the engine power of the former R 32.
The pressed-steel frame becomes the “German school”.
Very soon BMW started coming along with new concepts and innovations
generating growing demand for the brand’s machines: Stable pressedsteel
running gear replaced the tubular frame, helping to avoid cracks on the
soldered connection points and giving the machine a very muscular and
powerful look. Indeed, this new concept soon became a great success and
was therefore adopted by a number of competitors in Germany, leading to
the term “the German school of motorcycle construction” defining this design
and engineering concept abroad.
1934: the birth of the telescopic fork.
In 1934 BMW motorcycles made their first appearance on race tracks and
off-road courses with a brand-new type of front-wheel fork: slender, smooth,
and without any kind of visible spring. This design concept with integrated
oil pressure damping quickly proved its merits against the toughest
competition and made its market debut just a year later in the new BMW R 12
and R 17. “Apart from the exterior looks – no thin tubes, no springs at
the outside, no lubricating nipples, and no components visibly assuming an
operating function – the new wheel forks offer a genuinely perfect
effect”, stated one of the most renowned testers in lauding this milestone
in international motorcycle construction.
Innovation in production: protective gas welding for greater frame
stability.
A year later the BMW R 5 hailed the advent of a brand-new generation
of models. For the first time conically drawn steel tubes with an elliptical
cross-section were welded to one another by protective gas welding,
a further innovation being the use of adjustable dampers on the telescopic
forks. The new 500-cc power unit, in turn, came with two camshafts and
a single-piece tunnel-shaped engine block.
In terms of performance, this new BMW was able to match its fastest
competitors from Britain, and in terms of riding comfort it was clearly
superior to its British competition. In 1938 BMW further increased this
leadership, introducing the R 51 with straight-travel rear-wheel suspension.
When in the early ’40s the army asked for an off-road machine with power also
being transmitted to the sidecar wheel, with a reduction gear for off-road riding
and even a reverse gear, BMW responded right away with the introduction
of the R 75: An all-new construction from the ground up, the R 75 boasted a
750-cc ohv power unit, a frame in hybrid construction combining its central
profile with bolted-on tubular connections, a telescopic fork with double-action
hydraulic damping, and appropriate drivetrain technology to meet the army’s
specific demands. To convey drive power to the sidecar by means of a crossshaft,
there was also a limited-slip differential.
Weighing 420 kg or 926 lb, this sidecar machine was able to carry a
substantial load of more than 400 kg or 882 lb, again meeting the army’s
requirements.
In their off-road qualities, these motorcycles with their driven sidecar wheel
were far superior to a car with all-wheel drive, making it no surprise
that BMW built more than 18,000 units of the R 75 Army Sidecar Machine
between 1941 and 1944.
Entering the post-war era, BMW made a successful new start into the
market based on proven design and engineering concepts. And introducing
the R 51/3 in 1951, the company also launched a new generation of Boxer
engines, focusing even more than before on reliability and the significant
improvement of running smoothness. The R 68 then made its appearance
in1952 as BMW’s first 100-mph machine, a thoroughbred sports machine for
the road capable of that magic top speed of 100 mph or just over 160 km/h.
Setting the standard in suspension technology: the all-swingingarm
BMW.
Newly developed suspension and running gear again set the standard in
1955, the “all-swinging-arm” BMW opening up a brand-new dimension in
motorcycle engineering through the supreme directional stability and
suspension comfort offered by its swinging arm suspension both front and
rear. The entire range of models extending from the single-cylinder R 26
through the R 50 and R 60 touring machines all the way to the high-performance R 69 sports tourer was available with this trendsetting suspension, once again making
BMW motorcycles the worldwide epitome of supreme refinement
in technology ensuring unparalleled quality and riding characteristics.
With the motorcycle slowly but surely losing its significance in Europe as a
means of transport, it started to gain increasing success in the USA in the mid-
60s as a leisure-time and sports instrument for the enthusiast. Precisely
this prompted BMW to introduce a brand-new range of motorcycles in 1969,
development of which had already started when motorcycle sales had
slumped to their lowest point: While BMW retained the flat-twin power unit,
the engine now came in brand-new design and with a new concept.
The 500 and 600-cc versions were furthermore joined by the top-of-therange
R 75/5, a motorcycle for the 750-cc class now gaining growing
significance.
However, not only the engines were new – with the R 75/5 being equipped for
the first time with constant-pressure carburettors and an electric starter –
but also the light, modern running gear offering appropriate advantages in
terms of handling and behaviour.
The R 90 S: the first production motorcycle in the world with
cockpit fairing.
BMW Motorrad celebrated its 50th birthday in 1973 with an appropriate
highlight – the production of the 500,000th model. In the same year the
R 90 S offered even larger engine capacity and a significant increase in power
and performance. In particular, however, the R 90 S set the trend for
the development of the entire motorcycle market through its looks and
appearance, being the first-ever production motorcycle with a cockpit
fairing highlighting its sporting character.
Three years later BMW further enhanced this leadership, launching the
R 100 RS at the dealership in 1976 with an even larger engine and a fully
integrated fairing.
The R 80 G/S with its exciting single-swinging-arm.
Another four years later, BMW again set the trend in the two-wheeler market,
introducing the R 80 G/S as the foundation for the brand-new market segment
of large-displacement touring enduros. Boasting the largest engine of all
enduro machines at the time, the R 80 G/S was equally well-suited for road
use and offroad terrain. This was indeed ensured, inter alia, by a truly
exciting innovation – the rear single-swinging-arm referred to by BMW as the
“Monolever”.
Both the R 80 G/S and its successor, the R 100 GS launched in 1987 with
its further enhanced “Paralever” rear-wheel swinging arm, very quickly became
best sellers within the BMW range. And as yet a further sign of brand
distinction, the single-swinging arm soon became a highlight also of other
BMW motorcycles.
The K 100: BMW’s innovative four-cylinder.
In 1983 four cylinders and liquid cooling were the state-of-the-art for modern
high-performance motorcycle engines. But like his colleague Max Friz
60 years before, BMW engineer Josef Fritzenwenger was able, even in this
situation, to develop a very special and highly individual technical concept:
Referred to as BMW Compact Drive, this new configuration retained the
longitudinal position of the crankshaft and the direct flow of power to the
gearbox, but now also featured a counter-rotating interim shaft while boasting
the same shaft drive extending to the rear wheel. The four-cylinder power
unit displacing 987 cc was arranged in a longitudinal, flat-lying position within
the frame, the crankshaft positioned on the right-hand side in the direction
of travel, the cylinder head with its two overhead camshafts on the left.
These were however not the only innovations of this trendsetting machine,
since the BMW K 100 also entered the market with electronic fuel injection
and 90 hp maximum output, while the complete power unit was suspended
in a lightweight tubular bridge-type frame.
Over and above the “basic” model, there was also the K 100 RS sports tourer
with its innovative and highly effective fairing and the K 100 RT touring model.
]url=http://forums.bmwmoa.org/newreply.php?do=postreply&t=29125]continued[/url]
