BMW Motorrad working on carbon fibre frames

Carbon fibre chassis technology has been present in racing motorcycles and special limited edition production bikes. But until now carbon fibre chassis has been a niche technology owing to its higher production cost and is among the first features to be equipped in limited edition machines. BMW Motorrad though plans to change this scenario soon. The German brand is the pioneer in the automotive industry when it comes to this miracle material. It is the only manufacturer that has cracked the code of mass production of carbon fibre structure for the BMW i8 and i3 cars. 

The German manufacturer wants to expand this knowhow of carbon fibre mass production into the world of two-wheels. According to reports BMW Motorrad is developing new carbon fibre chassis to replace aluminium and steel frames in its range of motorcycles. Patents have leaked for the next generation frame designs along with the manufacturing procedure. The benefit of carbon fibre is its lightweight nature. Weight is the biggest enemy for any performance machine and engineers strive their level best to shed as much kilograms from a motorcycle. Carbon fibre is used extensively in the world of racing for the fact that it is almost 40 per cent lighter than its metal equivalent. BMW Motorrad is working on a carbon fibre beam frame which would be employed in its performance range of machines.

Expect the carbon fibre frame to make its presence felt on the next generation BMW S1000RR and the BMW S1000. The Bavarian manufacturer will be using the “pultrusion” to produce the beam frame section. The second frame will be the carbon fibre trellis frame which is a bit more tedious to manufacture as in conventional trellis frame the tubes are welded together while in carbon fibre construction it would joined with cast junction blocks. The trellis carbon fibre frame would be used on the mainstream range of BMW Motorrad motorcycles. Mass production of carbon fibre frames would be a giant leap in the world of production motorcycles and we sincerely hope BMW Motorrad is able to pull of this technology advancement.