By Christopher A. Sawyer
The Virtual Driver

(June 4, 2013) Both BMW Motorrad and the R 90 S are celebrating anniversaries this year. The motorcycle arm of Bavarian Motor Works in 90 years old, and the iconic R 90 S celebrates 40 years since its introduction. In partnership with former motorcycle racer turned custom bike designer Roland Sands, BMW created the Concept Ninety for the Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este 2013.

Back in 1973, the R 90 S stood atop BMW’s “Stroke Six” range with a top speed of just over 124 mph, making it one of the fastest production bikes of its day. It was the first motorcycle, BMW claims, to come from the factory fitted with a standard front fairing. Painted Daytona Orange, the R 90 S was a combination of café racer and outlaw, and not what one would expect from the normally staid Germans.

The Concept Ninety was designed to resurrect this spirit while interpreting the look of the original in modern terms. Stripped back and sleek, it heads in a direction from which current BMW bikes have moved. According to Ola Stenegard, Head of Vehicle Design BMW Motorrad: “Today BMW motorcycles stand for perfection and function. That is what we have worked hard to achieve and something we are very proud of, but we want more than that. With the BMW Concept Ninety we want to show how reduced and pure an emotional BMW motorcycle can be.”



The BMW Concept Ninety has a hand-crafted aluminum body that combines a rich orange paint with brushed effects. This bodywork is visually separated from the black engine and chassis, and the tank and seat seem to melt into one another as they continue the wedge body line that travels from the handlebars through the tail fairing.

The mechanical parts and engine carry the imprint of California’s Roland Sands Design as the front cover and valve covers were meticulously milled using a “contrast cut” process that also was applied to the wheel rims. RSD also designed the brake and clutch controls, Paralever arm and the under-seat air filter. Says Sands: “Everything just fits together perfectly: the BMW technology, the BMW heritage and our custom parts complement each other beautifully.”

The Virtual Driver