Among the rare classics that traditionally populate the motorcycle class from the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este, this year BMW unveiled a one-off supercharged custom called R5 Hommage as a tribute towards the original production model that set the sportbike requirements some 80 years ago.
The BMW R5 Hommage in action The BMW R5 Hommage in action The R5 Hommage is really a tribute to BMW's motorsport heritage The round headlight of the R5 Hommage sits between two fork legs that had been produced by ...
In the mid-1930s BMW was in the forefront of motorcycle technology, introducing the very first production motorcycles with hydraulic telescopic front suspension. At the time BMW was racing a supercharged version of its 500 cc boxer engine; all through the second half of this decade the infamous Kompressor racers conquered the Isle of Man TT and set world speed records that would stand for a lot of years.
In 1936 the R5 was introduced with looks that mimicked the racing boxers along with a technological arsenal that set the requirements for sportbikes of the era. Lightweight and potent, the 24-hp (18-kW) R5 soon became the entry-level racer's weapon of option, managing top speeds of 140 km/h (87 mph) in stock type. 1 year later BMW responded to popular demand with the R5 SS (Super Sport), adding a couple of additional ponies to get a top speed of 160 km/h (100 mph).
World War II put an abrupt finish to motorcycle evolution and racing but, as soon as normality steadily returned, BMW employed the R5 design as a prototype on which it constructed a series of production models. Practically every boxer-powered motorcycle developed by BMW throughout the 1950s was much more or less primarily based on the R5.
The contemporary interpretation from the R5 was built around an original engine, supplied by Sebastian Gutsch. The group set off to rebuild the 500 cc boxer that was utilized and broken in racing a long time ago, using whichever spares BMW could provide and fabricating every thing else by hand in the Norens' workshop.
The final design is much more than just a reproduction of a classic, because the group decided to equip its custom with contemporary suspension and brakes, including discs with a six-pot radial caliper up front and a four-pot at the rear, also as a rear monoshock suspension - in stark contrast towards the difficult tail original. Lastly the R5 was armed having a supercharger, creating to get a welcome energy boost that doubles as a tribute to the Kompressor racers of the '30s.
The R5 Hommage is not the type of motorcycle we expect to see in production; instead it's a really unique one-off custom model that rightfully earned its location below the spotlight - next towards the BMW 2002 Hommage - in an occasion that's traditionally dominated by very sophisticated, uncommon and costly classic vehicles.
