BMW HP2 Bike

BMW HP2 Bike Overview

The original BMW HP2 — not to be confused with the HP2 Sport road bike — is quite possibly the most outrageous cross-country bike ever made.
The HP2 weighs in at 175 kg and uses a tuned R1200GS motor that puts out 105bhp. In essence, the HP2 is an off-road bike with similar power to weight figures of a sports 600, but with the low-down torque of a big twin. And it’s as bonkers as it sounds.

The trellis chassis is suspended by traditional inverted forks up front, with an air-shock at the rear, very much like a mountain bike in principle. Having an air shock means the effective spring rate can be changed by adjusting the pressure. This brings versatility but many hardened off-roaders will have swapped this out for a coil-spring shock.

Like the R1200GS it takes it motor from, the HP2 is incredibly rugged and can endure all manner of abuse, from 100mph fire road thrashing on rallies (it won the Haffren at its first attempt) to navigating rock-strewn stream beds and river crossings.

The biggest problem the HP2 had was it was always going to be a niche within in a niche. Indeed, BMW admitted at the launch, when questioned by journalists, that they made it as a ‘fun project’, simply ‘because they could’. This fast off-roader needs a lot of room to play and with wide-open spaces becoming fewer and farther between, the opportunities for this bike to exist in its perfect environment are scarce.

Sold between 2005-2008, used machines are rare, with many ending up in collectors’ garages. If you can find one in decent condition, expect to pay in excess of £12,000.

 

Look at the BMW HP2 now…