Rent a BMW motorcycle

Through MotoShare's rental service, you can rent a huge selection of BMW motorcycles from private owners and/or dealers throughout the Netherlands. From the iconic BMW GS 1200, R Nine T or RT to a café racer, we'll rent it for you!

You can easily see availability and reserve your favourite BMW online. Only through MotoShare do you not pay a deposit in advance and you have our attractive standard rental conditions with lots of free kilometres. So make your choice quickly and book a great trip.

History of BMW motorcycles

In 1920, the Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (later the Bayerische Motor Werke) built a 143 cc two-stroke motor (the Bayernmotor) that was mounted sideways in a motorcycle in 1923. This solved the problem that the rear cylinder did not get enough cooling from the wind when mounted straight. This configuration with a transverse, air-cooled two-cylinder engine and a drive shaft to the rear wheel is still used today. During the Second World War, BMW was busy producing thousands of R75 Wehrmacht sidecar and R35 motorcycles for the German army.

In the 1970s, competition from Japanese motorcycles arrived on the European market and BMW began to pay more attention to the appearance of its motorcycles. The R 100 RS, which was launched in 1976, had a streamlined fairing and was a huge hit. BMW's first all-road motorcycle was the R 80 G/S, which appeared in 1980. This motorcycle would become the basis for the R 1200 G/S, the best-selling motorcycle in the Netherlands at the time.

GS 1200, the best-selling motorcycle in the Netherlands

Since the 1980s, the BMW GS has been the benchmark for what a motorcycle should be in the all-road segment. The models evolved from the R 80 GS to the GS 1100, GS 1150, GS 1200 and finally the GS 1250. For a long time, the GS 1200 was the best-selling motorcycle in the Netherlands.

Each GS model consists of a standard and an adventure version. Do not underestimate the differences. The GS Adventure has many different parts, but the biggest differences are the suspension, height and petrol tank.

The models below the GS series are also doing well, such as the F 800 GS.

Why drive a BMW?

If you ask BMW riders why they chose this brand, you get different answers. We have listed the most frequently mentioned reasons:

Value

A BMW motorcycle is known for the quality of its construction and its motor. You regularly see older BMWs with high mileage for sale for a price that would buy you a new Japanese motorcycle.

Timeless

BMW is consistent in the design of its models. This gives the owner the confidence that his or her motorcycle will not appear dated after a short time.

Comfort

The seating position on a BMW is ideal for many motorcyclists. On many models you sit upright, giving you an excellent view of the road and preventing back pain, even after a long ride.

Reliable

The two-cylinder boxer engine has proven to be a very reliable power source in many tests. The chance that you will end up with a broken-down BMW is simply small.

That is why

Once you have driven a BMW, you will never want anything else. That is why many BMW drivers remain loyal to their brand.

Why BMW motorcycles are so popular

BMW makes the best-selling motorcycles in Europe. You may wonder why they are so sought after. There are three reasons why so many people like to ride a BMW.

1. BMW technology

BMW motorcycles are not driven by a chain, but by a drive shaft. This is an axle that connects the gearbox to the rear wheel. With a drive shaft, you as a motorcyclist have slightly less power, but you don't have to replace or lubricate the chain! In addition, BMW has become famous for its two-cylinder boxer engine. The engine was given the name ‘boxer’ because - if you look at the motorcycle from above - the cylinders resemble the fists of a boxer. Boxer engines are known for being less heavily loaded and therefore lasting much longer.

2. Road holding and seating position of BMW

The construction of the boxer engine means that the centre of gravity of the motorcycle is lower. This makes it more stable on the road. BMW motorcycles also have a relatively high weight of their own, so that the weight of any luggage or a passenger has hardly any effect on the handling of the BMW. Add to that the fact that the design of the various BMW models ensures that you sit in an upright position. Especially in combination with a full fairing, this ensures that you hardly feel tired when you get off your BMW, even after a long ride.

3. Image of BMW

BMW drivers are often motorcyclists who value solidity, comfort and reliability. BMW motorcycles have had this image for decades. Yet the brand has also succeeded in attracting a younger target group with heavy off-road machines such as the R1200 GS. This is even the best-selling motorcycle in the Netherlands.

The most popular BMW models

The first BMW motorcycle was built in 1923. It was the R 32 and the design of this motorcycle was basically the same as the design BMW uses to this day: a longitudinal, air-cooled two-cylinder boxer engine with a drive shaft to the rear wheel. Now, almost 100 years later, BMW Motorrad builds more than 100,000 motorcycles per year.

In the past 94 years, BMW has brought more than 300 (!) different models to the market. From the R75 Wehrmachtsgespanne of the war years, the single-cylinders of the ‘50s, the R 80 G/S of the ’80s with the first single-sided (Monolever) rear suspension and the first successful all-road, to the recently released HP4 race, of which only 750 will be made.

BMW builds reliable motorcycles. These are motorcycles that last a long time due to their build quality and the technology used. It is not unusual for a 30-year-old BMW motorcycle to still be used daily for commuting or for a BMW to have more than 200,000 kilometres on the odometer. From the enormous range of models, we have selected the three most well-known and popular models

K series

BMW is known for its two-cylinder boxer engines. However, they departed from this in 1983 with the arrival of the three- and four-cylinder K models. The K75 and K100 series were better able to compete with other brands thanks to their double overhead camshafts, fuel injection systems and lighter frames. Moreover, the models met the increasingly strict environmental requirements.

R series

The R 1100 series is a series of two-cylinder boxer engines that BMW built from 1992 onwards because dealers and customers wanted BMW's heavy two-cylinder models off the market. It was a revolutionary series of models. With this series, BMW introduced a new front suspension (telelever). The entire frame construction, or rather the lack of a frame, was also unique in the motorbike world. The engine and gearbox together formed the load-bearing part, supplemented by a few subframes to which the saddle, tank and rear suspension could be attached.

GS series

In 2005, BMW launched the 1200 GS. It would become the icon among adventure bikes. This robust, reliable and powerful all-road bike is still a bestseller all over the world. In May 2011, the 2,000,000th BMW was produced, an R 1200 GS.