BMW Motorrad Celebrates Its 90th Birthday!

The German automobile manufacturer’s two-wheel division called BMW Motorrad is celebrating 90 years of its existence and at the same time it is celebrating 40 years of its legendary BMW R90 S. Back in 1973, BMW unveiled its flagship model in the "Stroke Six" range to the global public and the R90 S was labeled as a design icon for its time. Boasting a top speed of just over 200 km/h, it was one of the fastest production bikes and claimed numerous prizes in many racing series.

As a tribute to 90 years of BMW Motorrad and 40 years of the legendary R90 S, the BMW Group is presenting a very special model at the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este 2013 - the BMW Concept 90. The BMW Concept 90 resurrects the spirit of the emotionally charged superbike, but its design doesn’t seem to enthrall us in this day in age as it did back in its time. BMW claims that the concept is a modern reiteration of the traditional essence of the motorcycle, but I must confess that it is not in an attractive looking motorcycle. The retro style is exaggerated, especially with the large overbearing retro front fairing. However the naked mid-section, exhaust and tyres look nice and modern. The bodywork is hand crafted from aluminiu and its brushed areas can be seen in the tinted areas of the front fairing and tank, as well as at the tail. The rich orange shade of the BMW Concept Ninety is also a nod to the legendary Daytona Orange paintwork of the BMW R 90 S. adding a little bit of glamour to the bike, many of the high-quality parts of the BMW Concept 90 hail from custom bike specialists Roland Sands Design in California.

"Today BMW motorcycles stand for perfection and function. That is what we have worked hard to achieve and something we are very proud of. But we want more than that. With the BMW Concept Ninety we want to show how reduced and pure an emotional BMW motorcycle can be," says Ola Stenegard, Head of Vehicle Design BMW Motorrad