BMW R 1150 Enduro
In 2000, at age 46 I started a BMW Motorrad dealership in Apeldoorn, Netherlands. As off-road riding and rally-sport had always been my passion, I soon came up with the idea to build my own rally-team, planning to ride the Transdanubia rally in 2001. Unfortunately this event did not take place, so we focussed on the Alto Turia Rally in 2002, Valencia Spain.
Inspired by the success of the mighty R 900 RR Dakar boxer, I wanted to ride these amateur rallies on a boxer myself too. Unfortunately a R 900 RR replica was not for sale, so I started to think about building one myself. Of course at that time I was not aware of BMW planning to develop the HP2 Enduro!
The main challenge for me was to replace the Telelever (in the then current R 1150 GS) with an upside down fork, and to get the weight down to approx 200kg. Although BMW Telelever is by far the best suspension concept on tarmac, in rough terrain however it has some limitations in terms of travel.
I developed some ideas and made some sketches how it could be done. These ideas were shared with Nico Bakker, the world famous frame builder. After a lot of brainstorming, and building prototypes, we finally came up with a frame, that would suit my needs.
{Broken links removed}
The new bike was tested for the first time in the Alto Turia rally of 2002. Ideal circumstances for this bike, long winding gravel roads where boxers can really fly. To our surprise, the bike also did really well on steep, rocky single tracks, uphill and downhill. This is because the 1150 boxer is very smooth a low revs has lots of torque, especially below 3000 rpm. In order to further improve low speed handling, I mounted a final drive of the R 850 R, with an almost 20% lower gearing. Now I could do tricky river crossings and "trial" sections without extensive use of the clutch.
The bike has undergone quite some changes over the years, but in 2005 the bike got its final design, as in the pictures. The frame has not been changed, it has survived many rallies and has proved to be robust. Unlike the HP2 enduro, this bike has the same wheelbase as the original R 1150 GS. Handling is very good, both in tight corners as in fast sweeps.
The bike has been build up with parts of several BMW models:
- Fueltank R 1100 R
- Oilcoolers R 1100 R
- Buddyseat R 1150 GS Adventure (modified)
- Frontfender G 650 Xchalleng
- Headlight G 650 Xchalleng
- Handlebar HP2 enduro
The weight is 205kg, with fuel, battery etc, just a little bit more than the HP2 enduro. Centre of gravity has moved to the rear substantially, so the front wheel weight is a lot less.
In a direct comparison with the HP2 enduro, the bike excels in low rev torque and smoothness. Due to the lower gearing it is much easier to ride in trials sections, which are common in many amateur rallies.
{Broken links removed}
Last year I sold my dealership, and now I am certified BMW off-road instructor and finally have time to build R 1150 enduros for customers!
The next version of this bike will have the front forks, triple clamps, front fender, headlight of the G450X enduro bike.
I am currently also in the process of getting a TUV certificate on the front frame.
© 2011 BERRT® Motor Evenementen, Reizen, Rallies en Trainingen
