BMW has stunned us twice this weekend, with two spectacular concepts. The manufacturer showcased the R20 and the Skytop concepts at Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este. Rather than both being from BMW both also took their design ques to futuristic routes without tinkering with retro classic vibes. People online are already praising the designs as the best designs come out of the German manufacturer in recent times. More importantly, this is agreed upon without a debate. Markus Flasch, Head of BMW Motorrad, describes the R20 concept,"The BMW R20 concept is a mechanical masterpiece, with the Big Boxer in its centre. Distinctly BMW Motorrad." Now we have to dig deeper into this concept.
Read more on: BMW Skytop
How flashy is the R20 concept?
The colour in which the brand decided to unveil the motorcycle is definitely flashy, it also succeeded in catching the attention. However, the brand calls the paint scheme progressive and "hotter than pink". The aluminium tank has been painted and designed to resemble 1970s culture. The rest of the motorcycle is colour-coordinated and made of polished as well as anodized aluminium. This treatment extends to cylinder head covers, belt covers, and air intake funnels. While the Paralever strut, footrest and ISR brake callipers are finished in gunmetal.
On the rear set of things the R20 skips on the mudguard and the pillion seat. The concept has brilliantly integrated two taillights into a single seat. Moreover, R20 shouts through a pair of large megaphone design exhausts and it is a pure symphony. Upholstery on the seats are made out of black Alcantara and fine-grain leather which induces luxury. Just like the classic bike, the R20 concept has circular headlight but with LEDs and a daytime running ring light. Making it more wicked, the manufacturer showcased the motorcycle with a 17-inch black disc wheel at the rear, on which a tire of the dimension 200/55 is mounted, and a 17-inch spoke wheel with black spokes and the tire dimension 120/70 at the front.
Just another flashy roadster?
Short answer, No. Read along for the long answer folks.
The BMW Motorrad R20 Concept has borrowed the R18’s centrepiece – the engine – and made it even larger. The original 1802cc boxer engine now has a displacement of 2000cc with a new cylinder head, new belt cover and a new oil cooler. P.S. All this for a concept bike. I would say it is all worth the effort and this makes it the largest cubic capacity BMW motorcycle till date. The Germans have incorporated air and oil cooling as well for the enormous boxer engine.
The backbone of the R20 concept is made with a black double-loop main frame made of chrome-molybdenum steel tubes. Although derived from R18 the R20 concept is further shortened to transform it into a roadster while keeping the iconic exposed driveshaft. The bike is suspended on premium Öhlins Blackline suspension at the front as well as rear. The in-house Paralever is also now redeveloped into a new two-arm version, which connects to a chrome-molybdenum steel swingarm. BMW Motorrad is secretive about the power and torque figures. The brand has also improved the stopping powers with radially-mounted ISR brakes with six pistons at the front and four pistons per brake calliper at the rear.
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