BMW has revealed a stunning new concept bike – the R5 Hommage – at the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este.
The Concourse is held annually on the shores of Lake Como in northern Italy and is one of the world’s most prestigious motorcycle shows.
This year’s concept bike from BMW is a tribute to the 1936 BMW R5 model.
The engine in the R5 Hommage is an original air-cooled 500cc boxer twin that was seriously damaged in a race, but has been rebuilt and fitted with a supercharger.
Custom bike builders Ronny and Benny Noren rebuilt the engine according to specifications from the BMW Design Team in Munich.
Many of the engine parts including the valve cover and the breastplate of the boxer engine were machined from billet aluminium which gives a more modern look to the original R5 engine.
The frame and fuel tank are all new and hand-crafted with simple and clean lines to reflect the original R5 design.
The brakes and suspension are also modern components and the brake and clutch levers are mounted so that they pivot from the end of the bars.
At the bike’s unveiling Edgar Heinrich, Head of Design BMW Motorrad said “At its debut, the R5 was not only a masterpiece of engineering, the clarity of its lines and the elegance of its proportions also made it stand out clearly from the masses.”
“To this day, the R5 remains one of the most aesthetically appealing motorcycles in BMW history in my view.”
As for the future of the concept?
BMW has made it clear that it is purely a concept and at this stage there are no plans for anything like it to go into production.
However, BMW has unveiled several concepts at the Concourse that have actually made it to production.
The Concept 90 that was shown in 2013 went on to become the R nineT production model, and the Concept Roadster of 2014 was actually a preview of the new R1200R.
And rumours are that last year’s Concept 101 will also make it to production as early as late this year.
So it seems there’s hope!