BMW Motorrad offers an eclectic variety of front-end suspensions. From the R 18’s conventional fork to the S 1000 R’s semi-active unit, from the R 1250 GS’s Telelever front end to the K 1600 GT’s Duolever suspension, innovation ranks high on the House of Munich’s priority list.
Need more proof? Look no further than BMW’s latest joint venture with suspension partner ZF (Zahnradfabrik). The two German firms have collaborated frequently in the past and they’ve joined forces yet again to develop a carbon fiber telescopic fork for the BMW Motorrad World Endurance Team.
While carbon fiber-constructed front ends are commonplace in MotoGP, BMW doesn’t participate in that series. As a result, BMW turned to its Endurance World Championship outfit as the test bed for its advanced new component. Suspending the number 37 BMW M 1000 RR, the fork consists of a carbon fiber outer tube mated to a carbon fiber composite/metal inner tube. Similar to most inverted front ends, metal fork legs slide within the carbon fiber-composed tubes.
Utilizing the lightweight material not only cuts weight but also allows BMW and ZF engineers to manipulate the front end’s rigidity. This enables the team to dial in the motorcycle’s flex and handling characteristics.
“Using this material and this technology allows us to shift the threshold at which body vibrations occur,” explained BMW Motorrad Motorsport Director Mark Bongers. “One major focus during development was the design of the homogeneous bending loads. The goal being for the throttle response for the rider to be extremely subtle, even under the most extreme strains. And feedback from the riders confirmed that the goal was achieved.”
All the team’s hard work paid off when the number 37 BMW M 1000 RR won the 2022 24-Hour Spa round of the Endurance World Championship. While the new suspension proved its meddle on the track, its immediate success makes us wonder if the system will highlight the M 1000 RR in the future. Of course, the component will need to meet strict homologation standards before that happens, but it seems like the team is well aware of that fact.
“Everything also needs to be subjected to overload, since safety is the number one priority,” admitted ZF engineer Henner Fröderking. “This shows whether the calculations were correct. And then the performance of the component also has to meet expectations.”
