The History of BMW Motorcycles
1930 to 1940
The 1930s. While America's economic woes
began to influence the German economy, BMW continued its charge forward in
the middle of its heyday years. The release of the next generation of
twins, plus a foray into smaller, fuel-efficient models, sustained BMW
through lean years. By the decade's end, with the rumblings of WWII
growing louder, BMW had kicked into high gear, manufacturing heavily for
the German war effort. 1930. Though
having made a name for itself in racing, BMW temporarily retires from
competition to attend to business needs - namely a national economic
downturn. It manufactures its smallest bike, the 198-cc R 2. The R 2 is
the first motorcycle to use a one-piece "tunnel" crankcase. Marketed as a
commuter bike, the R 2 is a very successful model for BMW. They go on to
sell 15,207 of them. Much of the success lies in German transportation
law, which imposes no road tax or special license requirements for small
motorized vehicles. 1931. With the R2,
BMW competes in the hotly contested market of tax-free 200cc motorcycles
not requiring driving licenses. 1932.
Smaller motorcycles continue to thrive in a questionable world economic
environment. In fact, it is so bad that the onslaught of the Great
Depression forces 17,000 German companies to file bankruptcy. BMW is hit
hard but manages to stay in business by developing more economy models
like the R 4. Similar in principle to the R 2, it has a 398-cc
single-cylinder overhead valve engine that can achieve 12 bhp of power at
3,500 rpm. 1933. The R 4 continues to
sell well attracting the attention of the growing Third Reich. BMW's 4,720
employees are commissioned by the German military to produce R 4s in the
army's olive drab. Between 1932 and 1938 about 15,000 R 4s will be
manufactured for military use. This arrangement helps BMW stay in business
despite worldwide economic problems. So does the first automobile made
entirely at a BMW facility - the 303 - which makes its first appearance
this year as well. 1934. The BMW radial
engine 132, based on a development by Pratt & Whitney, comes into being in
Munich. The aeroengine sector becomes independent and increasingly under
the influence of party and military politics. Motorcycle and car
production can still escape this influence at first.
1935. BMW introduces the R 12, a motorcycle most
notable as the first production model with hydraulically damped telescopic
front forks. This advancement is a major leap forward in motorcycle
manufacturing. At 745-cc the R 12 achieves 20 bhp at 3400 rpm but trades
off on its power with its enormous weight of 408 lbs. Despite its bulk,
the R 12 can reach a top speed of 75 mph. It is the most successful model
in the interwar years, propelling BMW to 11,113 employees and 128 million
reichmarks of business annually. This is the first year BMW produces more
than 10,000 bikes in a single year. 1935.
BMW introduces the R 12, a motorcycle most notable as the first production
model with hydraulically damped telescopic front forks. This advancement
is a major leap forward in motorcycle manufacturing. At 745-cc the R 12
achieves 20 bhp at 3400 rpm but trades off on its power with its enormous
weight of 408 lbs. Despite its bulk, the R 12 can reach a top speed of 75
mph. It is the most successful model in the interwar years, propelling BMW
to 11,113 employees and 128 million reichmarks of business annually. This
is the first year BMW produces more than 10,000 bikes in a single year.
1936. Wiggerl Kraus brings BMW back into racing
full throttle by riding the supercharged Kompressor competitively. The
Kompressor goes on to win numerous races for BMW and Germany including the
renowned Senior TT at the Isle of Man. It is a variation on Rudolph
Schleicher's new R 5, itself considered by many to be the best bike of the
1930s. With the R 5, BMW returns to tubular frames and introduces
rear-plunger suspension. Topping out at 87 mph, the R 7 is powered by a
500 cc twin camshaft-engine. Its styling defines a "classic beauty" that
will last until the 1960s. 1937. On
November 28th, Ernst Henne again breaks the land-speed record, this time
raising it to 173 mph and is named "The Fastest Man on Two Wheels." His
record will stand for 14 more years. Also in racing, Englishmen Jock West
rides a Kompressor at BMW's first visit to the Isle of Man Senior TT.
Again BMW's reputation for power and performance garners the attention of
the German military which orders 15,000 340 cc R 35 singles (an update of
the earlier R 4). The R 35 is the last single to use the pressed-steel
"star" frame. It generates 148 bhp of power at 4,500 rpm and a top speed
of 62 mph. 1938. BMW delivers its
100,000th motorcycle from the production line. By now the company has
introduced rear suspension on all production bikes beginning with the R
61. BMW introduces a total of six new models this year including the last
single before the war, the R 23. Other models of note in this year were
the R 51 which was popular with traffic police and the R 66, the most
powerful twin yet offered to the public (597 cc, 30 bhp at 5,300 rpm). The
R 71 is also introduced this year and is the last ever of BMW's side-valve
engines. 1939. The beginning of WWII
finds BMW employing 27,000 workers. Many at the company have been turned
to aircraft manufacture, developing the 14-cylinder 810 radial engine that
is fitted into the Focke-Wolf 190 fighter plane. In fact, BMW's entire
corporate strategy has turned toward military applications as have its
competitors. But motorcycles still figure largely into BMW's reputation
and this year Georg "Shorsch" Meier becomes the first foreigner on a
foreign machine (a Kompressor) to win the Isle of Man Senior TT. British
teammate Jock West brings BMW a second-place finish in the same event.
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