BMW celebrates 100 years with limited edition R 18, R nineT

100 years of rich BMW Motorrad history

It was the year 1923, as European countries are starting to recover from World War I and industries are rebuilding themselves, Bayerische Motoren Werke – more popularly known to the world as BMW – began manufacturing motorcycles.

That motorcycle, the R32, was considered by many as advanced for its time and featured a 494cc flat twin (boxer) engine. The basic principle of this engine is still present in modern BMW motorcycles to this day.

To celebrate BMW’s 100 years of rich history, the Munich-based brand proudly presents the R nineT 100 Years and R 18 100 Years – limited to only 1923 units.

BMW R nineT 100 Years: The great roadster tradition from BMW Motorrad in particularly refined and sophisticated packaging

The reduced design language of the R nineT is shaped by 100 years of motorcycle construction and BMW Motorrad's unbroken passion for the boxer engine. Classic roadster design skilfully sets the scene with a compact tank and upright seating position as well as high-quality materials and stylish design elements. The new R nineT 100 Years becomes an exclusive anniversary edition thanks to numerous other special features. The heart is still the air/oil-cooled, 80 kW (109 hp) two-cylinder boxer engine. In the anniversary edition, the legendary engine is accompanied by a wide range of options and an elaborate surface concept.

BMW R 18 100 Years: The big boxer stylishly designed using a special paintwork and surface concept with Classic Chrome

The unmissable centerpiece of the R 18 100 Years is the 67 kW (91 hp) boxer engine with the largest displacement ever installed by BMW Motorrad. Both technically and visually, the BMW R 18 borrows 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 epicenter 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.

The color 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 as well as 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 a 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 is upholstered in the bicolor combination black/oxblood with high-quality diamond embossing blends in harmoniously.

Black as a symbolic color scheme of great BMW Motorrad tradition also adorns the engine, transmission housing, and rear axle drive. The exact designation is Avus Black - a reminiscence of the legendary high-speed race track 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. The plant located in Berlin-Spandau is not only a production site, but it is also 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 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.

For more information, visit BMW Motorrad’s official website and social media pages.