BMW develop big, eco-friendly, air-cooled Boxer engine
Crazy custom gives first glimpse of German firm’s new air-cooled cruiser engine
This custom bike, built in association with BMW, gives the first official view of the all-new, 1800cc, air-cooled boxer engine the German firm are developing in a bid to take on Harley and Indian in the USA.
As revealed in an announcement issued by BMW themselves, the custom has been built by Japanese outfit Custom Works Zon using an all-new prototype engine supplied from Germany. It’s expected to be the first of a series of custom one-offs using the powerplant from a number of customisers to gain publicity, in a similar way to Yamaha with its Yard Built machines, before the first production bike is revealed.
All-new engine
BMW say the engine is still a prototype and that: “The external geometry and visible elements such as the push-rods above the cylinders recall BMW boxer engines that were built until the late 1960s, but with an evidently larger capacity and a modern air/oil cooling.”
BMW add: “Further details about the engine and its possible future use will be communicated at a later point in time.” BMW have been exploring options for a large-capacity aircooled machine to break into the lucrative American custom/ cruiser market for some time; even experimenting with a ‘W3’ cylinder configuration. But these photographs confirm they’ve decided to stick with their signature boxer configuration, and to draw on its near 100-year heritage as a styling direction. Accordingly, the new engine has push-rods, finned heads, and distinctly 1920s/30s styling cues. Yet it’s also expected to boast the latest technology to enable it to pass Euro5 regulations. Although any production version would clearly use fuel-injection in place of this custom’s carbs, much of the rest of the motor appears finished. It also retains BMW’s signature shaft drive. Yuichi Yoshizawa, of Custom Works Zon, commented: “It was a great honour and challenge to build a motorcycle around the prototype boxer engine for one of the most tradition-steeped manufacturers.”
Ernst Henne homage
Despite the large 21in front and ridiculous 26in rear wheel, the bike’s silhouette is reminiscent of Ernst Henne’s record-breaking BMW of the late 1920s. The girder fork is machined from aluminium billet while the frame is a steel trellis. The fuel tank, seat unit and front trim are hand-crafted from sheet metal.
There’s no word from BMW about further concepts, or the new R18 engine’s debut in a production model, but we’d expect to see more customs soon, and for an official BMW concept to appear in late 2019; followed by the unveiling of a full-on production bike the following year.