BMW Motorrad brought this R 5 Hommage to this year’s Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este in order to transport the very essence of motorcycling into a modern era.



The original R 5 had long been an influence for BMW motorcycles – from the late 1930 well into the 1950s, as the inspiration behind it had always been the famous 500 cc factory racing machine of 1935.

In order to create the R 5 Hommage, BMW used an original yet damaged 500 cc two-cylinder engine provided by motorcycle enthusiast Sebastian Gutsch. The rest of the build was done hand-crafted from scratch.

In terms of performance, the original R 5 had an output of 24 BHP at 5,500 rpm and could reach speeds of up to 135 km/h (84 mph), which back in the day made it almost as fast as a 750 cc bike. The ‘Hommage’ however is much more powerful thanks to its specially developed supercharger, significantly boosting output on the original 500 cc engine to unspecified figures, which are said to be “contemporarily accurate”.

Other modifications include the newly built stainless steel exhaust system, new rear wheel suspension and piston brake system.

Visually, the R 5 Hommage doesn’t stray from the classic model when it comes to color. It’s black with white pinstripes, though it also has a smoke finish on the fuel tank. The engine cases and gearbox are wearing polished aluminum, which is particularly reminiscent of the original BMW R 5. The image is completed by the handstitched leather seat with high-quality embossing.

“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,” said Edgar Heinrich, head of design for BMW Motorrad.

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