BMW unveiled its first motorcycle, the R 32, in September 1923. Under the tank sat a 494cc flat twin with its cylinders sticking out on either side, and a driveshaft instead of a chain turned the rear wheel. A century later, BMW says that boxer layout and the driveshaft remain characteristic features of its motorcycles.

BMW did not invent the boxer engine. Instead, chief designer Max Friz changed how it sat in the frame and paired it with shaft drive. That BMW R 32 boxer recipe is the one the company still builds on.

Where BMW’s Boxer Came From

BMW’s first motorcycle engine came before the R 32. A BMW foreman named Martin Stolle designed it, and the company called it the M2 B 15. According to BMW, Stolle chose the boxer layout because it had already worked well in his own Douglas motorcycle.

The appeal was balance. BMW says the two-cylinder boxer offers “an outstanding balance of masses and smooth running.” In its 100-year history of BMW Motorrad, the company says the 298cc M2 B 15 made 4.8 kW, or 6.5 horsepower. BMW then sold it to motorcycle makers such as Victoria and Helios, who fitted it to their own bikes.

However, those bikes mounted the engine differently. So when BMW took over Helios production and decided to build a motorcycle of its own, Friz had a chance to rethink the whole package.

What Max Friz Changed With the BMW R 32 Boxer

Friz started drawing the bike in December 1922, BMW says. His key change was the engine’s orientation. Instead of the layout used in the Victoria and Helios, the R 32’s crankshaft ran parallel to the direction of travel. As a result, the two cylinders stuck out to either side, across the direction of travel.

That layout also made shaft drive simple. BMW’s history describes a boxer engine with a flange-mounted gearbox and a solid driveshaft “rather than a sensitive chain or belt.” Meanwhile, BMW Motorrad Australia says the shaft sent power to a grease-filled bevel gear case at the rear wheel. The gearbox was a three-speed.

The choice made sense for the roads of the day. According to BMW, the dusty gravel roads of the time were difficult to negotiate. For that reason, the low-wear, low-maintenance shaft drive helped the R 32 make its name.

The R 32 by the Numbers

BMW Group Classic lists the R 32 as a 1923 to 1926 model. Its R 32 model page gives the flat twin’s displacement as 494cc and its output as 8.5 horsepower at 3,200 rpm. It also quotes a top speed of 95 km/h, or 58 mph, and a price of 2,200 Reichsmarks.

The same page credits the R 32’s quality for much of its success. For example, BMW enclosed the parts most likely to need repair, and the shaft was easier to service than a chain or belt. BMW Group Classic also calls the overall design, by Friz, a milestone in motorcycle history.

BMW built on it quickly. According to BMW Motorrad Australia’s 1920s history, the 1925 R 37 doubled the power with 500cc and 16 horsepower. In addition, BMW riders won every German championship in the 500cc class from 1924 to 1929, the same page says. Then in 1929, Ernst Henne rode a BMW at 216 km/h on the Ingolstädter Landstrasse north of Munich, according to BMW Australia.

The Layout BMW Kept

BMW Group Classic says the boxer engine with cylinders set across the direction of travel “remains a characteristic feature of BMW motorcycles to this day, alongside the cardan shaft.” In other words, the R 32’s basic recipe never left the lineup.

The numbers grew, though. For the 2023 model year, BMW’s 100 Years editions paired a 1,170cc boxer in the R nineT with a 1,802cc boxer in the R 18. BMW rated those at 109 and 91 horsepower, respectively.

Later in 2023, BMW introduced the R 1300 GS. Its 1,300cc boxer makes 107 kW, or 145 horsepower, at 7,750 rpm, according to BMW’s launch release. BMW calls it “by far the most powerful BMW boxer engine ever to be produced in series.” That’s 17 times the 8.5 horsepower of the 1923 BMW R 32 boxer.

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This article was created with the help of AI and was reviewed and edited by Fast Lane Only editors before publication.