BMW Motorrad is renowned for its unique two-wheeler designs, and we’ve seen a fair share in recent years. Right from the loaded with a turntable or the targeted towards Gen-Z to the to the CE 02 x Vagabund edition integrated with the ; the German marque has a team of creative designers and engineers who let their imagination loose.
Their latest creation is the Titan motorbike, which looks straight out of the Cyberpunk movie. The low-slung bike, based on the recently launched BMW R 1300 R, has an intimidating drag racing DNA. The custom-built one-off sprinter has a silhouette that resembles a predatory cat, “patiently waiting to sprint off even when stationary.” This one gives up on the beefy cladding, which exposes the aggressive Wilbers chassis, elongated swingarm, and the 143-horsepower boxer engine. The extended swingarm keeps the bike grounded (not turning into a wheelie machine) and delivers all the torque in a forward motion.
Designer:
MBW Motorrad Titan carries the aggression to the whole form with a sharp front cowling embedded with a razor-thin headlight (having yellow LEDs from an M4 CSL) and an Akrapovič titanium exhaust system that snakes under the engine and exits via the GP-inspired mufflers. All the plastic bodywork is replaced by the one-piece carbon fiber monocoque (reducing dry weight by 88 pounds compared to the stock R 1300 R), and the redesigned scoops channel air to the pod filters. The fuel tank of the original donor bike is modified and repositioned, which consequently led to the repositioned of the TFT display on the tank section. The suspension (lowered and fully adjustable courtesy of Wibers), front wheel, brake ducts, and the lower fork shrouds of the bike come from the M 1000 RR.
The distance from the clip-on handlebars to the Alcantara saddle (which is quite narrow) is long, meaning you’ll have to stretch out your arms and be in a crouched position for short sprints on the drag strip. To support this body posture, the footpegs have been moved quite far back. The futuristic persona honed by the steel trellis frame is complemented by the video game-inspired livery that is splashed all over the bodywork in the brand’s signature color theme. The drag racing element is not just limited to the looks, as the Titan has a nitrous oxide system mounted between the twin titanium exhaust outlets connected to the ECU, having switchable mapping. This adds a boost of 30-40 horsepower, perfect for 10-second sprints.
According to Philip Ludwig, who is a seasoned Sultans of Sprint racing series veteran and currently working at BMW Motorrad’s R&D department, “Too much power is also not so good at the sprint. What’s really important is torque, which the boxer engine delivers perfectly at the bottom end.” Ludwig has plans to race the machine in a racing series, and don’t be surprised if this wild prototype influenced BMW’s production-ready designs of the future.
The post first appeared on .
Related Posts
