BMW Motorrad explains spied bike – May 15, 2006

BMW has been seen carving around test tracks on a motorcycle never before revealed to the public.
While a number of news outlets have reported the bike to be an 800cc three-cylinder precursor to an official BMW factory MotoGP racing effort starting in 2007, the Bavarian manufacturer says the vehicle is actually a test mule designed as a part of research activities on future regulation systems.
BMW said the two-wheeler is designed to test engine and driving dynamics under extreme conditions. BMW Head of Development Burkhard Göschel said the company chose a motorcycle to study technological development challenges relating to the special driving dynamics of motorcycles and their tilted position.
“The dynamics of powerful motorcycles operating at the physical limits are among the most complex phenomena in the field at the current time,” Göschel said. “For our engineers this is a highly sophisticated and, at the same time, fascinating task.”
Management of the high-performance engine and the electronics system will form a key focus of the project, and additional considerations will be given to requirements pertaining to a motorcycle’s lightweight construction and aerodynamics.
The motorcycle has only been ridden on BMW’s test circuits. However, company officials said they plan to bring it to other closed circuits in the foreseeable future.
By conducting in-house development on the bike, engineers benefit from the expertise derived from BMW’s investment in Formula One and the field of electronics, said Herbert Diess, director of BMW Motorrad. “The close networking of all research and development activities with the BMW Group is a competitive advantage and a key element of the strategic orientation of our entire motorcycle development operation,” he said.