BMW Motorrad are celebrating their 100 year anniversary. To commemorate the event, they have released a special edition R 18 and R nineT! Only 35 of each will be landing in Aus...
In December 1922, BMW chief designer Max Friz puts the first BMW motorcycle on the drawing board. At its heart is an air-cooled two-cylinder boxer engine. To celebrate its 100-year history, BMW Motorrad presented the R nineT and the R 18 Cruiser as 100 Years edition models.
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.
In keeping with the year in which BMW Motorrad was founded, both models are limited to 1,923 units each. Only 35 units of each of the anniversary models will be available for customers in the Australian market. Arrival of the R nineT 100 Year edition is late Q1, 2023 with the R 18 100 Year edition expected to be early Q2 2023.
Check out our R nineT review here…
BMW R nineT
The minimalistic design language of the R nineT is shaped by 100 years of motorcycle construction. The classic roadster design sets the scene with a compact tank and upright seating position as well as high-quality materials. At the heart of the R nineT lies an air/oil-cooled, 80kW two-cylinder boxer engine. Aside from the legendary engine, the anniversary edition is also 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, typically consisting of a copper, nickel and final chrome layer which is defined by their hardness. This results in high durability, protection against corrosion, and a characteristic 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 unmatched sophistication with the interplay of paint and chrome.
The minimalistic design language of the R nineT is shaped by 100 years of motorcycle construction.
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.
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 ‘bar end mirrors.
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.
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 BMW Motorrad Accessories.
BMW R 18 100 Years
The unmissable centre piece of the R 18 100 Years is the 67kW boxer engine with the largest displacement ever installed by BMW Motorrad. Both technically and visually, the BMW R 18 borrows elements from famous BMW models such as the BMW R 5 and puts the focus back on the essentials of motorcycling: purist, no-frills 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.
Check out our R 18 review here…
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 high-gloss chrome surfaces with a white double lining and a 100 Years badge. The paint-on-chrome concept in Classic Chrome is also found on the rear wheel cover in combination with white double lining. The front wheel cover and the side covers are painted in black, complemented by white double lining on the front mudguard. The Option 719 seat comes upholstered in the bicolour combination black/oxblood with high-quality diamond embossing.
The exact designation is Avus Black – a reminiscence of the legendary high-speed racetrack in Berlin, where BMW Motorrad once celebrated great racing successes and where the Avus monument with BMW Motorrad factory rider Ernst Henne still commemorates it today. Berlin is also home to the BMW Motorrad production plant where it operates not only as a production site. but also as the lead plant for the international motorcycle production of BMW Motorrad.
The R 18 100 Years is complemented by numerous chrome parts from the Chrome design option.
The R 18 100 Years is complemented by numerous chrome parts from the Chrome design option. The high-quality and durable galvanic surface coating can be found on these parts: Handlebar fittings, gearshift and foot brake levers, handlebar clamps, handlebar weights, mirrors, brake master cylinders, brake calipers, engine casing covers, cylinder head covers and intake manifold trims.
Other features of the BMW R 18 100 Years also include chromed Akrapovic rear silencers with perforated tailpipe trims in the “propeller style” of the BMW brand logo. Safety and comfort are ensured by Headlight Pro with adaptive turning light, reversing aid, electronic cruise control and heated grips. As part of the optional equipment ex works, the new BMW R 18 100 Years can also be equipped with anti-theft alarm system, pillion package, running boards, Hill Start Control, lockable fuel filler cap and a power reduction.
Australian pricing is still TBA, you’ll have to get in quick to snap up one of the 35 special editions coming down under. Contact your local BMW dealership for more info…
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