*NOW UPDATED WITH VIDEO* Celebrating the BMW Group’s 100 year anniversary, BMW Motorrad goes full mental with the launch of the Vision Next 100 concept
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Having seen the futuristic ‘Vision’ series from BMW, MINI and Rolls-Royce in celebration of BMW Group’s centenary, it’s now the turn of BMW Mottorad in what it calls its ‘Great Escape’. The new Vision Next 100 concept though is so much more than a clichéd Steve McQueen reference. For starters, it claims to be ‘an analogue experience in a digital age’, a subtle nod to some hidden nostalgia For another, it’s a two-wheeled bike that, get this, can’t fall over.
Forget the Titan Concept, THIS is as close to Tron as we’re ever likely to get. The new Vision follows in the footsteps of the Motorrad R 5 that made its first appearance at Concorso d’Eleganza Villa d’Este.
Beneath the carbon fibre ‘skin’, the frame and wheels are designed to be a single ‘unit’: to steer, the rider twists the entire frame – aptly named the Flexframe – to rotate the front wheel. There’s little in the way of suspension, and most of the damping seems to be done by the tyres.
Particularly of note though is the gyroscopic stabilisation system, which ensures the bike remains vertical even at a standstill and without a bike stand. Alongside traditional driver safety systems, BMW claims the Vision Next 100 is so safe to ride, a helmet is not required. Instead, the ride will wear a special virtual reality-like visor that relays information across the screen, negating the need to look down at the console. There’s even an inset rear-view mirror.
It wouldn’t be a BMW concept though without an electric powertrain, but while the Vision Next 100 runs using just one electric motor, performance and power figures have yet to be released.
