Bike India

Best Bikes in India | No.1 Two Wheeler Magazine

  • Home
  • News
    • Upcoming Launches
    • Latest News
    • New Bike Launches
  • Reviews
    • First Ride
    • Road Test
    • Comparison
  • Features
  • Our Bikes
  • Videos
  • Subscribe
  • NG Auto
    • AUTO COMPONENTS INDIA
    • CAR INDIA
    • COMMERCIAL VEHICLE
  • Brands

BMW’s new cruiser: Not an in-line, V or Boxer. It’s a W!

March 10, 2015 by Team Bike India 1 Comment

DSC_2733WEB
Germans and their neurotic urge to stay at the pinnacle of engineering finesse have given us a zillion things to be thankful for; engines being one of them. Even after the first motor puttered to life more than a century ago, the guys at BMW Motorrad have managed to blow our minds with their new engine concept. Although BMW have been upping their model line-up consistently, the lack of a cruiser has been like an elephant on the couch, and now, BMW is addressing it. The engine configuration for this prospective cruiser is not an in-line, it’s not a V, it’s not a Boxer- it’s a W3. Yes, you read it right! And one may ask “what on earth is a W3?”

The W3 configuration adds an extra cylinder to a V-twin configuration, thereby offering a 50% increase in total displacement. There are two variations to this configuration that BMW has filed patents for. The first uses three equally balanced crank throws for each piston (much like an in-line triple). The second design is more of a V format wherein the 1st and the 3rd cylinder share the same crank pin and the second piston operates independently. This makes the engine a lot more compact while adding more grunt. Another space-saving measure BMW have adopted is the usage of pushrods instead of overhead cams. The vertical second cylinder is wedged between the 1st and 3rd spaced at 65° on either side. Air-cooled design saves some more bulk by relegating the cooling jackets and allied subsystems.
fueling_w3WEB
Surprisingly this is not the first time the W3 format is being tried. Jim Feuling, one of America’s top powertrain design gurus built the Feuling W3 prototype based on a Harley-Davidson twin cam engine a decade ago. Claimed performance figures stood at 150 PS as early as 5000 RPM. Add to that a spine shuddering 265 Nm of twist at 3000 RPM. The Feuling concept used as few as five new components to add the third cylinder. The Feuling prototype spaced the 1st and 3rd cylinder at 90° from each other unlike BMW’s 65° geometry.

If and when it leaves design shop for production, the cruiser will surely cause a stir in the market with its R nineTish design.

Story: Aniruddha Mulgund
Images: Motorcyclist Online


bikeonline@nextgenpublishing.net'

Team Bike India – who has written 842 posts on Bike India.


Email

Related posts:

BMW R 18 Transcontinental Launched
Bike India Awards 2023
California Superbike School - Taming the Track

Filed Under: Latest News, News Tagged With: 2014, 2015, bike, BMW, cruiser, engine, harley, India, Jim Feuling, Motorrad, prototype, W3

Comments

  1. henrylnathan@gmail.com'Henry N says

    March 11, 2015 at 12:53 pm

    The engine format is, as usual for BMW, unusual. NO one can accuse the Germans for not thinking laterally. I only hope that the design of the bike is not what they are planning but just to showcase the engine. But if production is GO, then hope that the bike design is as lateral as the engine. Go BMW!

    Reply

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

AlphaOmega Captcha Classica  –  Enter Security Code
 ⟲    ➴
 


APRIL 2023

Bike India - India's no. 1 two-wheeler magazine

17TH ANNIVERSARY SPECIAL

Bike India - India's no. 1 two-wheeler magazine

Anniversary Ride to the Isle of Man with Freddie Spencer and Sid Lal

TVS Ntorq Ncounters I – Navigating the Night

BMW G 310 GS Explores Nagaland

SPECIAL Featured Story

Yamaha MT-10 SP – Ready for Road, Track, and Touring

Yamaha MT-10 SP – Ready for Road, Track, and Touring

In recent years, however, the MT-10 has begun to show its age, especially in terms of technology and rider aids. It was always on the thirsty side, too, and, by modern standards, the brakes were lacking. It was time for an update, which is why for 2022 Yamaha introduced a new MT-10 earlier this year.

More about this.

Car India and Bike India Awards 2019

Recent Posts

  • APRIL 2023
  • Clan FRML 1.0 Riding Shoes Product Review
  • BMW R 18 Transcontinental Launched
  • Bike India Awards 2023

Car India

Car India Magazine - Get your Digital Subscription

Latest News

BMW R 18 Transcontinental Launched

Bike India Awards 2023

Royal Enfield 650 Twins Get Cast Alloy Wheels and Other Updates

Bajaj Pulsar NS200 And NS160 Gets USD Forks

Subscribe to Car India

Subscribe to our Car India Magazine

Bike India: India’s no. 1 two-wheeler magazine

BIKE India covers the two-wheeler industry in its entirety, both from the local and the international perspective. Also delivers the most definitive verdict on machinery and performance by explaining the hows, whys, and whats on every new bike in a lucid and user-friendly manner. BIKE India is the India’s most authoritative two-wheeler publication, a magazine for people with a passion for bikes and everything to do with their history and heritage.
SiteMap

Copyright © 2023 · BIKE INDIA INDIA’S NO. 1 TWO WHEELER MAGAZINE, BY FAR! ·