BMW R5 Hommage Supercharged Concept Unveiled

Honouring the legacy of the iconic 1936 BMW R5, the company recently unveiled a supercharged concept, the BMW R5 Hommage, featuring many modern parts.

2016 is the 80th anniversary of the iconic BMW R5, and the company wanted to celebrate and mark this occasion on a delightful note. So, BMW Motorrad decided to honour one of the most well known BMW motorcycles of all time by the unveiling a dedicated homage bike to showcase all the classic beauty of the original, but while incorporating a whole host of modern twists. So, here is the BMW R5 Hommage supercharged concept, unveiled at the recently concluded Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in Lake Como, Italy.

As you can see, most of the design lines of the bike have been retained from the old model, but with a modern touch. The bike sports a minimalistic design and a beautiful custom paint job by Swede specialist automotive painter, Håkan Lindberg. Looking at any part of the bike, you will get to know about the level of its detailing.

Unveiling the concept, Edgar Heinrich, head of design, BMW Motorrad,  said, “The R5 was a masterpiece at its debut. The clarity of its lines and the elegance of the proportions gave the machine a distinct profile and set it apart from the competing field of motorcycles. This is one of the most beautiful motorcycles in the history of BMW.”

The powertrain of the BMW R5 Hommage concept is quite interesting as it retains the 494cc, air-cooled, boxer twin engine from the original bike. In its original form, the motor produced 24bhp, giving a top speed of around 135kmph to the bike. However, the restored motor gets numerous new components such as billet aluminium valve cover and breastplate along with a specially designed supercharger unit. It also gets a stainless steel exhaust system with carbonfibre finishers.

Ola Stenegard, head of vehicle design and creative director heritage BMW Motorrad, said, “It is easy to design a motorcycle with a lot of complexity. But it’s very complex to design simplicity into a machine. We have transported the clarity and the aesthetic appeal of the R5 to the present day. This is a respectful combination of old school and high-tech with a dash of high performance.”