BMW reveals supercharged R5 Hommage concept

BMW has just revealed this heritage-inspired bike with a supercharged, air-cooled 500cc boxer twin engine as a tribute to the 1936 BMW R5 model. Although heavily inspired from the original, the motorcycle features many modern parts.

The bike has continued to keep the R5 nomenclature along with Hommage and has just been unveiled at the annual Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in northern Italy.

The engine on the R5 Hommage is very interesting. T he supercharger may be new, but the 494cc air cooled boxer twin engine is from the original R5 and was once used in racing. The engine in its original form produced 24bhp and could propel the R5 to a top speed of 135km/h. The engine sustained substantial damage while being raced and has been meticulously restored. Numerous components such as the valve cover and the breastplate of the boxer engine were machined from billet aluminium by custom bike builders Ronny and Benny Noren. However, the concept bike has modern brakes and suspension.

Head of design at BMW Motorrad, Edgar Heinrich 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.”

BMW’s Head of Vehicle Design and Creative Director Heritage BMW Motorrad Ola Stenegard added: “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.”

BMW Group is currently celebrating 100 years since the founding of the company. The R5 Hommage is the BMW Motorrad part of the celebrations that are planned to last all year all around the world.