Believe it or not, BMW has been making motorcycles for almost a hundred years. It unveiled its first two-wheeled R32 motorcycle at the Berlin Motor Show in 1923, and the German car company has been developing ever since. In fact, its Motorrad department had its year in 2021, with more than 194,200 games sold.
BMW has not hesitated to take on challenges, evolve its logo or integrate the latest technologies into its motorcycles. This is the case of the Futuro concept motorcycle presented at the Cologne Motor Show in September 1980. It is the same exhibition where some mythical First bikes, the Honda CX Turbo, the Suzuki Katana and the first Yamaha twin-engine V are added. Even the toughest enthusiasts can struggle to remember the Future amid those titans of the motorcycle industry.
However, most commonly forgotten in the annals of motorcycle history, the Future was endowed with several new features and is in fact considered, through some, as the first true “modern concept bike”. BMW’s push towards motorcycle prototypes was evolving. in collaboration with the car customizer Buchmann (B
BWM seeks to show the world that its 785 cm3 two-cylinder four-stroke “Boxer” engine is still worth giving it an extra turbo. It’s a resolution that preceded the industry’s leap into turbo madness (via Visor Down), so a foreboding resolution. The Futuro had a sensitive top speed of 125 mph, but the most remarkable thing about the motorcycle is its appearance and design.
The entire motorcycle is surrounded by a one-piece Kevlar carbon fiber aerodynamic fairing, the first of its kind. It is soft enough to lift with one hand, but firm and unyielding enough to protect the motorcycle and the rider. Using Kevlar, the motorcycle weighs only 397 pounds in total. In comparison, the “average” weight of a motorcycle is about 700 pounds, which depends entirely on the precise make and model.
Other exclusive features included full disc wheels, wraparound hood, built-in mirrors, and a trunk, which is said to have animated Honda’s Pacific Coast motorcycle (via Moto-Collection). It also had a monocoque frame and parallelogram rear suspension that wouldn’t be a popular component. on BMW motorcycles until 1987.
The latest script of the “future” is the complex computer-aided electronic data system, called “two-way multiplex system”. Not only did it keep the cyclist informed about the popular purposes of the bicycle (fuel, temperature, speed, etc. ), however, it also provided him with “the most recent traffic data”.
The Future has made an appearance, but it has made enough noise that some of its technological features leave a lasting legacy for the industry.