Trust BMW to up the retro custom game with the BMW R5 Hommage. No chopping a knackered 70’s superbike for them. Instead they created a special motorcycle to mark the 80th anniversary of the 1935 BMW R5 which was unveiled at the annual Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este gathering.
As you can see, the result is not only gorgeous, but a fitting tribute to the original. The BMW R5 featured a two cylinder, 4-stroke boxer engine with 494cc which produced 24bhp and a top speed of 87mph. For comparison, the rival DKW had a 15hp two-stroke, and the Zundapp KS500 matched the power of the BMW but was 20 kilos heavier and had a much older frame design. Which is why the R5 went on to influence motorcycles for the next 50 years, with 2,652 bikes produced in a short two year timespan.
The power for the BMW R5 Hommage comes from an original engine which was damaged in a race and donated by enthusiast Sebastien Gutsch to the project. With valve drive provided by two camshafts and a timing chain, the engine meant the R5 was almost as fast as the much larger 750cc R 17 without the weight – which is why it became a popular race bike. The engine for the Hommage did get various billet aluminium parts including the valve cover and breastplate to add a little more flair and style. Oh, and a specially developed supercharger, to give a bit more power than the original had…
Add to that the revolutionary oval tubing for the frame, which was electrically welded, and is echoed by the modern version. Brothers Ronny and Benny Noren were in charge of sorting the look and missing parts for the BMW R5 Hommage, which included bits for the engine and gearbox, and the frame, fuel tank and rear fender. The overall design was aided by sketches from the BMW Motorrad Design Team to echo the drop shape of the original frame and fuel tank, which draw a continuous line from the steering head to the rear wheel hub.
The steering head is more angled than the original, and the custom made forks combine modern technology with the style of the telescopic forks which were brand new in 1935. So they get the same aerodynamic shape at the top headlight level, and echo the crease of the breastplate and valve covers. The brake and clutch are also custom-made to look like the original but allow for modern controls and adjustability.
There’s also a completely new stainless steel exhaust system, new rear wheel suspension, a modern piston brake system and the front and rear wheel hubs. The rear combines the brake system and spoke mount in a single unit, which echoes the minimalist approach taken for the R5 Hommage.
Finishing everything off is the paint. Metallic black with white pinstripes, and a smoke finish on the fuel tank and rear fender to allow the steel to partially show through. Meanwhile the aluminium either received polishing or glass beads depending on where it was, and there’s a hand-stitched leather seat.
“At its debut, the R 5 was not only a masterpiece of engineering, the clarity of its lines and the elegance of its proportions also made it stand out clearly from the masses. To this day, the R 5 remains one of the most aesthetically appealing motorcycles in BMW history in my view,” says Edgar Heinrich, Head of Design BMW Motorrad.
“In my opinion, its fascinating and unique beauty lies in its sheer simplicity,” adds Ola Stenegard, Head of Vehicle Design and Creative Director Heritage BMW Motorrad. “In today’s world it is very simple to keep it complicated, but very complicated to keep it simple. And the BMW R 5 captures the very essence of a motorcycle. Our aim was to transport its clarity and elegant aesthetic appeal to the modern era – creating a respectful combination of old-school and high-tech with a dash of high performance.”
The question is whether the BMW R5 Hommage remains a very special one-off, or ends up inspiring more production-based models in the same way as recent BMW concepts including the R nineT Scrambler. Obviously it’s a bit harder to source original engines to make a fleet of R5s, but given the effort that went into building this bike and the supercharger, it might have been a way to gauge interest in a small production run? It’d certainly be hard to resist, whatever the price – although looking at fairly recent auctions, you can still pick up an original R5 in a good restored condition for between £15-18,000. We’d imagine the modern version might cost a fair bit more…
While motorcycles are very much down to individual taste, this is one that probably everyone can appreciate. If you like customs and classics, then the appeal is obvious. But if you’re a sportsbike fan, then it’s worth remembering that this is the 1930’s equivalent of the BMW S1000RR, and now 80 years later, they’ve gone and put a supercharger on it.
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