Exciting custom bikes, real characters, the Atlantic coast, arts
and music – that is what Wheels & Waves is all about. Within a period of only
five years, the festival near Biarritz has become the epitome of a unique type
of motorcycle culture. Here festival visitors celebrate a special feeling of
freedom which goes beyond the conventions of everyday life. The setting is laid
back and the atmosphere is characterised by creativity, individuality and mutual
respect. The deeply engrained passion for motorcycles, both on behalf of
organisers and visitors, has made Wheels & Waves a legendary event within a very
short time.
Inspired by the past Paris-Dakar Rallye heroes and their
victorious BMW machines, BMW Motorrad is showing a completely new interpretation
of the BMW R nineT perfectly in line the with spirit of the Wheels & Waves
Festival. Its name: the BMW Motorrad Concept Lac Rose.
“Since it was first introduced on the market, the BMW R nineT
has become a popular bike for customizers and finishers as can be seen at Wheels
& Waves. This makes us very proud and spurred us on to create something special
for this festival, something no one has seen from us yet”, says Edgard Heinrich,
Head of Design at BMW Motorrad explaining the background of the concept bike.
“The BMW Motorrad Concept Lac Rose is our laid-back and very individual
interpretation of the bike that won the Paris-Dakar Rallye in 1985 - fully in
line with the spirit of Wheels & Waves and its visitors. It puts the BMW R nineT
into an exciting new context and shows what passion for our brand heritage,
imagination and a few modifications can achieve.”
Lac Rose is the French name of the rose-coloured Retba salt
lake, located 35 km North East of Dakar and less than one kilometre from the
Atlantic coast. The legendary Paris-Dakar rallye ended here following the many
strenuous stages through the desert. The podium is located right at the lakeside
and the winners receive their awards amid the crowd of enthusiastic fans. The
BMW factory machines, modified by the company HPN, rode to victory three times
in a row in the middle of the 80s. Gaston Rahier took the third win in 1985 with
start number 101.
BMW G/S meets BMW R nineT.
The BMW Motorrad Concept Lac Rose has the typical features of
the former victory bike based on a modern, street-oriented version. Outstanding
off-road qualities are consciously omitted. “Essentially the bike is a cool and
laid-back roadster with a few typical off-road features which allow you to leave
the street and follow a dirt track into the unknown”, says Edgar Heinrich. “It
is this combination of customizing, coolness and unconventionality which make
this bike so special.”
The windshield with typical rallye equipment, the characteristic
headlamp design with the high mudguard, a large fuel tank and a short rallye
seat bench are all reminiscences of the legendary bike. All these elements are
responsible for the characteristic horizontal flyline of the BMW G/S bikes of
the time, giving the BMW Motorrad Concept Lac Rose its essential proportions.
Longer suspension travel as well as spoke wheels with studded tyres are as
mandatory as the colour combination of signal red on alpine white and the start
number 101.
The hallmark BMW two-cylinder flat twin engine with shaft drive
is located at the centre of this well proportioned bike. It is held in tubular
frame with contrasting colour design which also harks back to the successful
off-road bike. Elements such as the protective headlamp grille, the oil cooler
protector and the distinctively perforated underride guard pick up the
uncompromisingly functional design of the race bike and transfer its design
features into the modern era. High performance parts as well as exclusively
designed details such as the valve covers illustrate BMW’s claim to workmanship
and manufacturing quality thereby rounding off the high quality appeal of the
BMW Motorrad Concept Lac Rose. The exclusively designed BMW rider equipment
consisting of suit and helmet - based on the BMW enduro helmet - gives the BMW
Motorrad Concept Lac Rose design study a further stylish touch.