By Sébastien Léger
Today, we spontaneously associate BMW to its sedans, its coupes, and that famous promise of driving pleasure. Yet, before becoming a major car manufacturer, BMW started by making aircraft engines, then motorcycles. Indeed,the first motorcycle entirely designed by the brand appears in 1923bearing a name that has become historic: BMW R 32.
The engineer Max friz Imagine a particularly ingenious design. The engine's two cylinders are mounted horizontally, on either side of the motorcycle, in a transverse orientation. This arrangement allows them to be directly exposed to the air, improving their cooling. Power is transmitted to the rear wheel via a driveshaft, which is cleaner and less stressful than a chain. A century later, these two elements remain immediately associated with BMW Motorrad : the boxer engine and the cardan shaft transmission.
Few brands can still use an architecture born over a century ago without giving the impression of living in the past. But BMW has never stopped evolving it. Thus, the boxer engine has gained in displacement, power, cooling, and electronics, but it retains its instantly recognizable silhouette.
An engine that you recognize even before you see it
The BMW flat-twin is not just a technical specification sheet, because it has a presence. The two cylinders protrude from either side of the machine as if refusing to hide. When the engine starts, the motorcycle seems to react slightly to its movement. Its rhythm, its sound, and the way it delivers its torque create an identity that motorcyclists immediately recognize.
There's an interesting parallel with Porsche. In Stuttgart, the flat-six has become inseparable from the 911. At BMW Motorrad, the flat-twin plays a similar role. These flat engines aren't just mechanical solutions; they've become cultural hallmarks.
Automotive progress sometimes leads us to see older designs disappear in favor of more efficient or easier-to-produce solutions. BMW reminds us that a tradition can survive when it embraces evolution.
Series 5, the series of great departures
The R 50/5, R 60/5 and R 75/5Launched in the late 1960s, these motorcycles occupy a special place in the history of BMW Motorrad. They inaugurated a new generation of machines produced in the Berlin-Spandau factory and accompanied an era when the motorcycle became as much a means of travel as a symbol of freedom.
I sometimes try to imagine those departures. No GPS, no mobile phone, no reservation made in seconds. A road map folded in a satchel, a few tools, rain gear, and friends trusting enough to hit the road without planning everything.
The Black Forest must have seemed much more distant then than it does now. Every breakdown, every detour, and every encounter was part of the journey. There was no attempt yet to document every moment. Memories were passed down in the evenings, around a table, and then years later to the children.
The motorcycle as a promise of travel
BMW understood very early on that the motorcycle could offer something other than speed or daily commuting: it could become a true travel machine.
The brand's grand tourers built their reputation on comfort, protection, and the ability to cover long distances. A BMW could cross a country, carry luggage, and keep its rider comfortable for hundreds of kilometers.
This philosophy perfectly reflected the brand's image: serious, robust, and built to last. It also created a unique community. A BMW owner wasn't just buying a motorcycle; they were often buying the prospect of the roads they would travel on it. It was linked to departures, friends, and a certain idea of independence.
G/S, when the road is no longer enough
In 1980, BMW introduced a motorcycle that would profoundly transform its history: the R 80 G / S. : terrain/street, terrain and road. The concept seemed almost contradictory for the time. How could a motorcycle equipped with a large boxer engine and designed for touring also be at ease off-road?
Victories in the Paris-Dakar will quickly provide the answer.
Indeed, in 1981, Hubert auriol wins the race riding a BMW R 80 G/S. He repeats this feat in 1983. The Belgian Gaston Rahier then took over with two more victories, in 1984 and 1985. The big BMW, which some considered too heavy compared to lighter enduro motorcycles, proved that it could cross the desert and win. The Family GS has just found its legend.
It almost single-handedly invented the modern adventure motorcycle: a machine capable of tackling a track, but also of reaching that track by road in good conditions. It gradually became the motorcycle equivalent of the large SUV, even if this comparison doesn't entirely do it justice.
A GS doesn't just promise to overcome an obstacle. It suggests that the road can continue after the tarmac ends.
James Bond and the R 1200 C
My other great BMW Motorrad memory doesn't come from a family trip, but from the cinema.
In 1997 in James Bond 007: Tomorrow Never DiesPierce Brosnan and Michelle Yeoh escape through the streets of Saigon on a brand new BMW with a very unusual style: the R 1200 C.
The scene is spectacular. The two characters, handcuffed to each other, must ride together, lean into corners, avoid pursuers, and maneuver the motorcycle over the blades of a helicopter. Realism is clearly not the primary concern at the time, but the image remains unforgettable.
BMW was then venturing into the cruiser market, dominated by Harley-Davidson and large American motorcycles. However, the brand hadn't simply copied their design cues. It had retained its boxer engine, shaft drive, and a very personal interpretation of the low, relaxed motorcycle.
Produced from 1997 to 2004, the R 1200 C even featured a passenger seat that could be raised to serve as a backrest for the rider. It was revealed to the public through the film before its market launch, demonstrating the importance BMW placed on this cinematic appearance.
Some models become desirable because of their performance. Others because they capture our imagination. For me, the R 1200 C will always be, in a way, James Bond's motorcycle.
R 18, America as seen from Bavaria
Many years after the R 1200 C, BMW returned to the cruiser with a much more assertive ambition: the R18.
The American connection is obvious. Its low profile, long tank, relaxed pace, and numerous customization options evoke Harley-Davidson, Indian, Route 66, and the wide-open spaces immortalized by Easy Rider.
However, the R 18 remains profoundly German. BMW didn't try to replicate an American V-Twin. At the center of the motorcycle is a massive flat-twin engine. 1 cm³, the largest boxer engine ever fitted by BMW in a production motorcycle. It is so imposing that it seems to dictate the entire design of the machine.
The engine isn't hidden behind fairings. It's on full display, almost presented as a mechanical sculpture. The driveshaft also remains visible, a tribute to classic BMWs, particularly the R 5 of the 1930s. With 91 horsepower, the R 18 isn't aiming for maximum power. It focuses on its torque, its presence, and the pleasure of feeling the two enormous pistons accompany each acceleration. The updated version boosts maximum torque to 163 Nm.
Several ways to leave
The R 18 family has evolved to offer several interpretations of travel.
The classic R 18 retains the most stripped-down approach. R18 Classic adds more protection and equipment. The R 18 Roctane adopts a darker and more muscular temperament. R 18 BWith its fairing and saddlebags, it embraces the American bagger style. Finally, the R18 Transcontinental pushes the concept towards grand touring, with significant protection, generous equipment and real comfort for two people.
This last one seems particularly close to the spirit of long BMW road trips. It could cross the United States on Route 66, but also reach the Black Forest and extend, in its own way, the adventures recounted by my father.
BMW has borrowed the design cues of the American cruiser, but translated them into its own language. The R 18 isn't trying to become a Bavarian Harley-Davidson. It offers a different interpretation of long-distance touring: more mechanical, more rigorous, but just as evocative. The R 18 B and the Transcontinental combine the Big Boxer engine with equipment designed for long distances, panniers, and, for the Transcontinental, a large top case with a passenger backrest.
2026, the boxer continues his journey
BMW Motorrad is not a brand trapped by its heritage. In 2026, the boxer engine remains at the heart of a profoundly renewed range.
La R 1300 GS and its Adventure version continue to embody long-distance travel. Around them, BMW has developed a whole family powered by the new 1,300 cc boxer engine: the R 1300 R, more direct and stripped down, the R 1300 RS, geared towards sports and fast travel, and the R 1300 RT, a true grand tourer.
The engine develops 145 horsepower on the R 1300 R, RS, and RT. The brand also offers theAutomated Shift Assistantcapable of automating the clutch and, optionally, gear changes. This evolution clearly demonstrates BMW's philosophy: preserving the character of the boxer engine while improving usability and comfort. The R 1300 RS is presented as the sportiest boxer-engined BMW in the current range, while the RT remains true to its long-distance touring vocation.
La nouvelle R 12 G / S Meanwhile, it looks back to the original R 80 G/S. Its air- and oil-cooled boxer engine, clean lines, and 21-inch front wheel evoke a simpler vision of adventure. It recalls a time when a motorcycle didn't need to resemble a control center to inspire riders to leave the main road. For the 2026 model year, it officially joins the lineup with its 1,170 cc, 109 hp boxer engine.
Performance is not forgotten.
However, reducing BMW Motorrad to just the boxer engine would be a mistake.
The brand has also become a benchmark among sports cars with the S 1000 RR et M 1000RRShe won the Superbike World Championship with Toprak Razgatlıoğluconfirming that BMW also knew how to produce motorcycles designed for the stopwatch.
Le Concept RRThe new model, presented at Villa d'Este, heralds the next generation of the brand's sports cars. It features a four-cylinder engine derived from the world championship-winning machine, developing over 230 horsepower, combined with extensive research into aerodynamics and weight reduction.
This diversity is what makes BMW Motorrad so rich. The same brand can evoke my father's leisurely journeys, the dunes of the Dakar Rally, James Bond being chased by a helicopter, an R 18 on Route 66 and a superbike speeding at over 300 km/h on a racetrack.
Not all of these motorcycles tell the same story. Yet they share the same mechanical requirements.
More than two hundred thousand stories
BMW Motorrad remains one of the world's leading brands in the premium motorcycle market. In 2025, the brand sold 202 motorcyclesconfirming its position as a leader in the premium segment. Behind this number lie just as many different relationships to motorcycling.
Some buy a GS to travel to the ends of the earth. Others choose an RT for comfortable touring as a couple. An R 18 becomes an object of personalization, an R 12 nineT a style statement, while an S 1000 RR allows you to rediscover the intensity of competition.
Brand loyalty isn't solely explained by product quality. It also stems from the memories associated with it. A motorcycle can evoke a time, a friendship, a trip, or a younger version of oneself. By accompanying a life for so long, it eventually becomes much more than a machine.
The road as heritage
BMW Motorrad has been manufacturing motorcycles for over a century. The R 32, the 5 series, the R 80 G/S, the modern GS, the R 1200 C or the R 18 belong to very different eras. Yet they all tell the same story: uA motorcycle should make you want to leave.
It doesn't matter if the destination is the Black Forest, the African desert, Route 66, or simply a familiar road on a Sunday morning. Travel isn't always about distance; it begins when you set out with the desire to see the world differently.
Machines change, engines evolve, roads are transformed. But some passions remain true to themselves. And theBMW motorcycles may not only be passed down from generation to generation, but above all they convey a certain idea of freedom.
Images: BMW Motorrad
