Private company
Logo: BMW Group, Public domain, via Wikimedia Commons3
Motorcycle brand of BMW
BMW Motorrad is the motorcycle brand and division of German automotive manufacturer, BMW. It has produced motorcycles since 1923, and achieved record sales for the fifth year in succession in 2015. With a total of 136,963 vehicles sold in 2015, BMW registered a growth of 10.9% in sales in comparison with 2014.2 It is headquartered in Berlin.1 Wikipedia text CC BY-SA 4.0
Last updated Oct 21, 2026.
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BMW Motorrad is the motorcycle brand and division of German automotive manufacturer, BMW. It has produced motorcycles since 1923, and achieved record sales for the fifth year in succession in 2015. With a total of 136,963 vehicles sold in 2015, BMW registered a growth of 10.9% in sales in comparison with 2014.2
BMW Motorrad is part of a group headed by BMW. 86 entities, 29 countries on record. Switch between the flow chart and the network, and select any entity to see its details.
Built from parent and subsidiary links from GLEIF, the Global Legal Entity Identifier Foundation (CC0); subsidiaries, stakes and holdings from Wikidata (CC0). Each entity in the chart links to its source.
The company began as an aircraft engine manufacturer in the early 20th century and through World War I. BMW manufactured its first motorcycle in 1923, the R32, which featured a flat-twin boxer engine. BMW Motorrad still uses the flat-twin boxer configuration, but now manufactures motorcycles with a variety of engine configurations.
From Wikipedia’s article on BMW Motorrad, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4
Listed on Wikidata.1
Most BMW Motorrad's motorcycle production takes place at its plant in Berlin, Germany. The G 310 and F 450 series are produced at TVS' plant in Hosur, Tamil Nadu, India, the C 400 series is produced at Loncin's plant in Chongqing, China, while the plants in Manaus, Brazil and Rayong, Thailand produce a variety of models for the local markets. Some engines are manufactured in Austria, China, and Taiwan. Most of the current motorcycles in BMW Motorrad's range were designed by David Robb, who was the company's chief designer from 1993 to 2012 when he was replaced by Edgar Heinrich.
The most popular model is the R1300GS and its sibling R1300GS Adventure. Current production includes a variety of shaft and chain driven models, with engines from 310 cc to 1,802 cc; and models designed for off-road, dual-purpose, sport, and touring activities.
In 2008, BMW introduced the DOHC Boxer HP2 Sport,
and entered the serious off-road competition motorcycle market with the release of the BMW G450X motorcycle.
BMW Motorrad motorcycles are categorized into product families, and each family is assigned a different letter prefix. The current families are:
C series – maxi-scooters called Urban Mobility Vehicles by BMW. Models are CE04, CE02, C400GT, C400X and C650.
F series – parallel-twin engines of 420-895 cc capacity featuring chain drive. Models are F450GS, F750GS, F800GS, F900GS Adventure, F850GS, F850GS Adventure, F900R, F900GS, F900XR.
G series – single-cylinder engine of 313 cc capacity featuring chain drive. Models are G310R, G310GS, and G310RR, all manufactured in India by TVS Motor Company.
R series – primarily twin-cylinder boxer engines of 1,254 cc and 1,300 cc capacity featuring liquid cooling and shaft drive. The models are R1300GS, R1300GS Adventure, R1300R, R1300RS, R1300RT. This family also includes the R12, R12 NineT, R12S, and R12G/S, which use the previous generation air and oil-cooled boxer engine, and the R18, which uses a newly designed air and oil-cooled 1,802 cc boxer engine.
K series – straight-six engine of 1,649 cc capacity featuring shaft drive. The models are K1600B, K1600 Grand America, K1600GT, and K1600GTL.
S series – performance-oriented inline-four engine of 999 cc capacity featuring chain drive. The models are S1000RR, S1000R, and S1000XR.
The first BMW monolever suspensions appeared in 1980 on the then-new R80G/S range. It had a single universal joint immediately behind the engine/gear-box unit. This system was later included on updated versions of the K & R Series.
Paralever is a further advance in BMW's single-sided rear suspension technology (photo right). It decouples torque reaction as the suspension compresses and extends, avoiding the tendency to squat or rise under acceleration and reducing tyre chatter on the road surface. It was introduced in 1988 R 80 GS and R 100 GS motorcycles.
In 2005, along with the introduction of the "hexhead", BMW inverted the Paralever and moved the torque arm from the bottom to the top of the drive shaft housing (photo right). This reduces underhang of components and tends to increase ground clearance in right lean.
The term "Paralever" is a portmanteau word from "Parallelogram" and "Lever". The "lever is the swinging arm; and the "parallelogram" is the shape between the four elements of the rear suspension (rear drive, drive shaft, transmission, and lower or upper brace). Other motorcycle manufacturers have patented similar designs, including Arturo Magni for MV Agusta and Magni-Moto Guzzi machines, and Moto Guzzi's Compact Reactive Shaft Drive.
In 1935, BMW fitted the first mass-produced hydraulically damped telescopic fork to its R12 and R17 motorcycles. BMW still uses telescopic forks today on its F-series, G-series, HP, and S1000RR motorcycles.
The R-series, which had used only the Telelever and the Duolever front suspensions for several years, has partly returned to telescopic forks in the 2015 model year with the introduction of the R 1200 R and R 1200 RS.
Englishman Ernest Earles designed a unique triangulated fork that, unlike telescopic forks, resists the side-forces introduced by sidecars.
BMW fitted the Earles fork to all its models for 14 years from 1955. In the event, this was the year that use of sidecars peaked and quickly fell off in most European markets (e.g. the UK) but the Earles fork system was well liked by solo riders too. It causes the front end of the motorcycle to rise under braking — the reverse of the action of a telescopic fork. The mechanical strength of this design sometimes proved to be a weakness to the rest of the motorcycle, since it transfers impact pressure to the frame where damage is more difficult and expensive to correct.
Developed by Saxon-Motodd in Britain in the early 1980s, the Telelever fork aims to improve handling stability during cornering and braking. The Telelever uses conventional telescopic forks, but the stanchions contain only lubricating oil. Springing and damping functions are dealt with by a monoshock attached to a "Telelever" wishbone. The wishbone pivots on the front of the engine block, and the wishbone's forward end is attached via a rose-joint to a brace connecting the fork sliders. As there is no lower triple clamp, the fork sliders are longer and lighter than on a conventional telescopic fork, and the greater slider/tube overlap reduces both torsional flex and unsprung weight.
The Telelever system's main benefit is that it separates the steering function from the braking and suspension functions. Braking forces are taken back via the wishbone, thereby eliminating brake dive. During braking, the trail and castor angle (rake) increases instead of decreasing as with traditional telescopic forks. Some riders used to conventional forks reported that the Telelever can initially lack "feel", and that the absence of dive is initially disconcerting; but the R1100S BoxerCup Replika (a model with its own race series) shows that the Telelever fork provides responsive and predictable handling.
The term "Telelever" is a portmanteau word from "Telescopic fork" and "Lever"; the "lever" being the wishbone arm.
In 2004, BMW announced the K1200S, incorporating a new front suspension based upon a design by Norman Hossack. BMW recognised this fact but paid Hossack no royalties. BMW named its new front suspension the Duolever. As of 2018, the Duolever has been used on all K1300 and K1600 models.
The official BMW Motorrad explanation of the duolever includes this:
The advantage of this front wheel suspension on the motorcycle market at present is its torsional rigidity. The BMW Motorrad Duolever front wheel suspension is not influenced by negative forces in the same manner as a conventional telefork whose fixed and take-off tubes twist laterally as well as longitudinally during jounce/rebound and steering. Its two trailing links absorb the forces resulting from the jounce/rebound and keep the wheel carrier stable. Thus, any torsioning is excluded and the front wheel suspension is very precise. The steering commands of the rider are converted directly and the feedback from the front wheel is transparent in all driving conditions.
A kinematical anti-dive effect is additionally achieved, just as for the Telelever, due to the arrangement of the trailing link bearings. While a conventional telefork during strong braking manoeuvres jounces heavily or locks, the Duolever still has sufficient spring travel remaining in this situation and therefore the rider can still brake into the corner extremely late yet directionally stable.
From Wikipedia’s article on BMW Motorrad, shared under CC BY-SA 4.0.4
From Wikidata.1
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