BMW Motorrad has used the Wheels & Waves event in France to show its latest concept bike – the BMW Motorrad Concept Lac Rose.
It’s the latest take on the BMW R nineT that has been a very popular model for BMW and the basis for a number of derivatives already.
Edgar Heinrich, Head of Design at BMW Motorrad, “The BMW Motorrad Concept Lac Rose is our laid-back and very individual interpretation of the bike that won the Paris-Dakar Rallye in 1985.”
“It puts the BMW R nineT into an exciting new context and shows what passion for our brand heritage, imagination and a few modifications can achieve.”
Tiny Belgian Gaston Rahier won the Paris-Dakar rally on a BMW R80G/S in 1985, and the Concept Lac Rose pays tribute to that bike – right down to the 101 race number that Rahier carried during the event.
Lac Rose is the French name of the rose-colored Retba salt lake, located 35 km northeast of Dakar where the rally ended.
While the bike doesn’t have extensive off road capabilities, its resemblance to the off-road racer is obvious.
The windshield with typical rallye equipment, the characteristic headlamp design with the high mudguard, a large fuel tank and a short rallye seat bench are all reminiscent of the legendary rally winning bike.
Longer suspension travel, spoke wheels with studded tyres and signal red on alpine white colour scheme complete the picture.
Predictions are that this concept will make it into production, with the finished bike shown at the major European shows later this year and the final model released next year.
It would join the Scrambler variant of the R nineT we expect to see in Australia late this year.
BMW Motorrad has also hinted at two other variants as well, a minimalistic base model to provide a cost effective starting point for customisers and a half faired model.