Not long ago, BMW introduced a new concept motorcycle which they called the "Concept Ninety" at the 2013 Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este event. This concept motorbike is a gift 90th birthday for BMW Motorrad, and also as a tribute to R 90 S models that have been present since 40 years ago.
In this project, BMW is not alone, they took the famous Roland Sands Design as a leading custom motorcycles company in the world as their partner. The result is a stunning bit of two-wheeled kit that takes the best of a bygone era and blends it with new technology and advanced construction techniques.
The Concept Ninety was inspired by the 1973 BMW R 90 S, which back in the day managed a top speed of 200 kph (124 mph) and took home a series of race wins, including the two top spots at the very first Daytona AMA Superbike event in 1976. BMW’s bikes have always been an amalgamation of form and function, which makes them more purposeful than pretty. The Concept Ninety finally manages to balance the two.
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| Concept Ninety as the 90th birthday gift for BMW Motorrad. (Picture from: http://motorcycles.about.com/) |
"BMW
R 90 S comes from the era in which bikers regarded as a criminal," said
Edgar Heinrich, Head of BMW Motorrad Design. "There is a rebellious
soul in it - fast, hard and wild. Pure emotion. And, the appeal was
maintained up to now."
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| Concept Ninety’s instrument display has an analog speedometer and tachometer and functionality for the added electronic features. (Picture from: http://www.iamabiker.com/) |
That
competition-styled inspiration has shown through with the Ninety, with a
similar orange hue coating a sculpted tank and tail, and a boomerang
fairing equipped with LEDs arranged in a circle to mimic the old-school bike’s flavor.
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| Side view of BMW Concept Ninety. (Picture from: http://www.autox.in/) |
A air-cooled flat-twin boxer engine
is coated in black, with contrast cuts of milled metal peaking through
the darkness. That same milling technique was employed on the exhaust
and seven-spoke wheels, which looked like they were honed from a solid
chuck of metal — because they were.
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| Rear view of BMW Concept Ninety. (Picture from: http://hypebeast.com/) |
"Everything
just fits together perfectly: the BMW technology, the BMW heritage and
our custom parts complement each other beautifully," says ex-racer and
the company’s owner, Roland Sands.
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| BMW Concept Ninety Stars at Concorso dEleganza Villa dEste 2013. (Picture from: http://www.adventuresportrider.com/) |
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