It was back in 1916 that German motorcycle and car company BMW was created. But it wasn’t until 1978 when BMW Motorrad became the first manufacturer to produce a range of motorcycle clothing and equipment. So the company is now celebrating that anniversary with the BMW Motorrad 40 Years collection. Which all feature an orange-red thread design feature. And a lot of the products will only be available as limited editions.
The BMW Motorrad 40 Years Motorcycle Jackets
BMW has produced male and female bike jackets as part of the 40 years collection. But there will only be 150 of the men’s jackets produced, and just 50 examples for women. So you’ll be lucky to get hold of one.
It’s based on the £700 BMW DarkNite jacket with abrasion-resistant leather construction in a retro cut, removable NPL elbow and shoulder protectors, and space for a back protector.
The difference is that the 40 Years Jacket comes in blue and white, with a “since 1978” inscription on the right sleeve, along with a BMW logo on the chest.
BMW does have a history of launching some interesting motorcycle clothing. In 1986, their first Gore-Tex textile suit appeared, followed by the first Kevlar reinforcement in the BMW Protec. And the 1993 BMW Motorrad Atlantis suit was the first to use waterproof leather. It’s still in the range today, alongside the Rallye suit made of synthetic ProtechWool.
The BMW Motorrad 40 Years Motorcycle Gloves
The BMW Motorrad 40 Years Collection includes a set of light summer gloves, limited to just 250 pairs being made. You get fine goatskin leather, ventilation between the fingers, and a combination of temper foam and double-layered leather for protection. So more for cruising than knee down track action.
The BMW Motorrad 40 Years gloves come in blue and light grey with a “78” inscription on the thumb.
The BMW Motorrad 40 Years Motorcycle Helmet
You might forgive us for being a little underwhelmed so far. The typically subtle branding and designs for jacket and gloves aren’t causing us to rush to put in an order. Bu the BMW Motorrad 40 Years helmet actually does look pretty cool. And it’s actually on sale before the normal BMW version will be ready to buy in 2019.
The helmet is made from a combination of fibreglass and carbon fibre. And there’s a microfibre inner with the red anniversary highlights. Plus the surround and holder for the optional goggles are made from calfskin leather.
The blue and red stripes, the ‘since 78’ and embossed BMW logos actually look pretty cool. Although it does seem a little strange that BMW has gone with an open-face retro helmet for their celebration. The BMW System 1 helmet appeared in 1980 as the first with a folding chin section. And their current range-topping System 7 Carbon helmet is another versatile number which converts between full and open-face.
Still, look how happy this pair were with the revolutionary BMW System 1 helmet back in 1980.
The full BMW Motorrad 40 Years Range:
Aside from the limited edition motorcycle kit, there is also a range of luggage, T-shirts, scarves and posters. The BMW Motorrad 40 Years Weekender Travel Bag is Italian leather in orange and red and just 200 will be available.
Then there are T-shirts. Possibly not so limited.
Or you can buy a BMW 40 Years leather pouch.
And reaching the end of our enthusiasm for the 40 Years range is a poster.
And thankfully, that’s about the lot right now. There’s no specific pricing available yet, but it’ll all be available from August 2018 in Europe and Japan. And the quality level of the kit will be typically high, as all the BMW range tends to be. Even if the highlights of the designs are really the 40 Years helmet, a T-shirt, and that’s about the lot. It’s a little frustrating, as the standard BMW Motorrad clothing range has loads of cool stuff in it. We’d match the helmet with a BMW DoubleR jacket and some Airflow gloves and keep the change to be honest…
In the meantime, here are some more pictures of the BMW Motorrad 40 Years Collection being modelled for you in a suitably retro cafe.
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