BMW






BMW Motorrad is the motorcycle brand of BMW, part of its Corporate and Brand Development division.[1] 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] In May 2011, the 2,000,000th motorcycle produced by BMW Motorrad was an R1200GS.[3]

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 and C400GT.
  • F series – parallel-twin engines of 853 cc and 895 cc capacity featuring chain drive. Models are F750GS, F850GS, F850GS Adventure, F900R, and 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 capacity featuring liquid cooling and shaft drive. Models are R1250GS, R1250GS Adventure, R1250RT, R1250R, and R1250RS. This family also includes the R nineT, which uses 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. Models are K1600B, K1600GT, and K1600GTL.
  • S series – performance-oriented inline-four engine of 999 cc capacity featuring chain drive. Models are S1000RR, S1000R, and S1000XR.

Sales

BMW Motorrad achieved record sales for the fifth time in succession in 2015. With a total of 136,963 vehicles sold in 2015, BMW registered a 10.9% increase in sales in comparison with 2014. The biggest single market in 2015 was once again Germany (23,823 units), followed by the United States (16,501 units), France (12,550 units), Italy (11,150 units), United Kingdom (8,200 units) and Spain (7,976 units).

With an aim for 2020 to supply 200,000 vehicles to customers, BMW Motorrad is targeting an increase of its dealership from around 1,100 to 1,500 in the future. As it was the case until now, BMW's most successful motorcycle is still the R 1200 GS with 23,681 units sold in 2015.


Engine types

There are four lines of BMW motorcycles:

  • F & G series singles
  • F series twins
  • R series
  • K series

The series differ primarily in the class of engine that each uses.


Model designation[

BMW uses a three-segment nomenclature for motorcycles. The first segment indicates the engine type, the second indicates the approximate engine displacement in cubic centimeters (with one notable exception: the F 650 GS, which has an engine displacement of 798cc), while the third indicates the class of motorcycle (e.g., sport, sport touring, dual-sport, etc.). 

Engine type:

  • R – air-cooled, horizontally opposed ("boxer") 2-cylinder, oil-cooled 1994–2013, water-cooled starting with the 2013 R1200GS and 2014 R1200RT
  • K – water-cooled, inline 3-, 4- or 6-cylinder
  • F – water-cooled, vertical 1-cylinder (through 2006), vertical 2-cylinder (after 2006)
  • G – water-cooled, vertical 1-cylinder
  • S – water-cooled, inline 4-cylinder superbike

Engine displacement in cc:

  • Current models: 1600, 1300, 1250, 1000, 900, 800, 650, 400 and 310. Previous models included 450, 850, 1100, 1150 and 1200.
  • Older model BMWs divide the approximate engine displacement by ten for the model number. For example, K75 ≈ 750 cc.

About BMW

German bike-maker BMW Motorrad known for some of the most iconic motorcycles and innovation in two-wheeler technologies has made its entry into the Indian market with its extensive range of high-end superbikes including its adventure motorcycle series. Its entire line-up is available in India sold via BMW dealerships across the country.