The Rumor Mill: 1800cc Push Rod Boxer

In an intriguing marketing move, BMW Motorrad showcased a custom motorcycle at this year’s Handbuilt Show in Austin, TX. The German manufacturer supplied Revival Cycles, an Austin-based custom build shop that hosts the Handbuilt Show, with a prototype Boxer engine and asked them to create a full custom around the platform.

The end result is the bizarre, highly creative “Birdcage,” which wraps a rigid, spindly trellis frame—comprising 138 pieces of narrow-gauge titanium rods—around the engine. The Birdcage is not all show. The shop plans to put it on the salt for a speed run later this year.

It’s an interesting way for BMW to introduce a new Boxer powerplant that speaks volumes about what the company is planning. The fact that they are unveiling their plans via a custom builder, tapping directly into the custom/cruiser crowd, speaks to the manufacturer’s progressive thinking. Though no one is confirming it, the Boxer is rumored to be an 1800cc.

The custom bike’s aluminum cowling obscures the production crankcase’s design elements, leaving only the oversized air-cooled cylinders visible, and, most intriguing, push rods. So, we can deduce a large displacement, air-cooled, push rod Boxer engine is coming. They claim it’s coming in 2020.

The concept of a BMW cruiser built specifically for American highways and byways is refreshing and exciting, as the German manufacturer is certain to bring its engineering savvy to bear on the new cruiser in terms of looks and performance. It should be interesting.

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