Bmw Sings A Song of Singles

BMW SINGS A SONG OF SINGLES

ROUNDUP

BMW HASN’T OFFERED A single-cylinder motorcycle since the lethargic but reliable R27 went out of production in 1967. That situation is about to change, thanks to the BMW F650, set to go on sale as a 1994 model following its introduction at the Frankfurt Show this month.

Why a Single? Why, especially, a Single with styling this controversial?

“We cannot stay with tradition and die with tradition. We have to find new ways to be competitive. This machine is the first step,” explains Hans Sautter, a BMW spokesperson.

The F650 is particularly interesting for a number of reasons. First, it is the result of a joint venture between BMW and Italy’s Aprilia, which will assemble the bike around a liquid-cooled, four-valve engine built by Rotax. This, we’re told, will use twin chain-driven camshafts, will inhale through conventional carburetors rather than fuel injection, and will exhale through a catalytic converter. Pre-launch estimates put horsepower at 50.

At presstime, 50 pre-production examples of the F650 have been built at Aprilia’s factory in Noale, just north of Venice. Aprilia reportedly is contracted to build 35,000 units over a five-year production span to meet BMW’s expectations of providing a (relatively) lowpriced entry-level model with which to help propel all three companies into the next century.

Jon F. Thompson