Beautiful, powerful and capable of burning serious rubber, this naked bike is a symbol of style as it balances retro feel and butch looks to perfection. And, of course, with the Munich based manufacturer, it’s not always fantasy…
When you hear that BMW is revealing a Concept Roadster, the first thing that comes to the mind is a mean two-seater convertible with its imposing signature kidney grille. We hate to burst your bubble, but this time the Bavarian manufacturer is talking about a naked bike – the Concept 90, which looks more production ready than a usual futuristic concept.
The engine of the bike roars like a MotoGP bike, as it snakes its way on the narrow gravel paths at the famous Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este, held on the shores of Lake Como in Italy – in front of an audience whose eyes nearly popped out by just looking at it. This concept is a result of BMW’s aggressive nature, and my mind couldn’t suppress a devious question, “I hope it gets a proper wheelie control system?” as it looks like the bike will pop a wheelie with just a pinch of the throttle.
The launch of this concept caught many by surprise, as BMW took the bold step of using a short body, which only Buell has dared to do in the past. It’s powered by the tried-and-tested 1,170cc flat-twin engine used on the R 1200 GS with 123bhp and a max torque of 125Nm. Additionally, this is a very compact motorcycle and should be quite light, although BMW Motorrad hasn’t released any official figures yet.
The front forks are an Öhlins racing unit, mirroring the black look of the engine, while there are protective pads on the valve covers to encourage riders to take sharp bends leaning at an extreme angle. BMW has also added a spoiler under the engine, which hides the central part of the exhaust system, and, at the same time, steps the styling quotient up a notch. The exhaust, meanwhile, is finished with a MotoGP style trombone end can. The real attraction, though, is the BMW special ‘short tail’ rear-end, which, along with the seat, has been machined out of a single piece of aluminium. In the front, it gets LED headlights, forged aluminium wheels, and massive 340mm front brake rotors with radial-mount Brembo Monobloc racing calipers.
And while BMW hasn’t provided a concrete idea about the production possibility of the Concept Roadster, we have an idea – why not give it to stunt expert Chris Pfeiffer for his hallucinogenic shows?
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