Building Blocks

BMW took an about-turn from the boxer twin and carved a new niche in Beemer history when it created the legendary Flying Brick. We ride BMW’s K100 RS.

- Steve Cooper

The bike you see before you represents one ofthe most fundamental shifts in motorcycledesign by a single manufacturer ever.

Short of venturing into the world of forced induction two-strokes, BMW could not have opted for a more radically different set-up to that which it had previously championed. And yet the resultant new machine did retain two key features that had traditionally characterised the marque; shaft drive and a low centre of gravity. The new K series Beemers had arrived…

Covered in acres of swooping plastic panel work, ducts and louvres, screen and sculptured seat the bike could almost have come from any of the big Japanese players. Doubtless this is more than mere happenstance; the K’s designers had unquestionably been briefed to ensure the bike had a great mass market appeal to aid sales. Yes, the earliest K models looked a little more quirky but they were still light years away from the old established boxer engine bike. By the time the fully-faired variants arrived on the scene there was an unmistakable Oriental theme going on but it was only ever superficial. Both on the surface and beneath it, this BMW was unlike any other motorcycle before or after it.