BMW Motorrad is fitting a new, third-generation M Motorsport frame to the M 1000 RR as standard from model year 2027. The aluminium frame is around 1.3 kg lighter than its predecessor and has been retuned for stiffness and flex, using lessons learned in racing. Three German sites share the work: the frame is developed in Munich, cast in Landshut and built in Berlin.

A racing component made standard

BMW Motorrad has revealed the third generation of its M Motorsport frame, which becomes standard on the BMW M 1000 RR from model year 2027. According to the manufacturer, the new aluminium structure draws directly on experience from international racing, where the same frame underpins the BMW Motorrad factory teams and customer racing teams around the world.

The company says riders of the road-going superbike should notice more precise handling, clearer feedback and more consistent tyre contact, especially during sporty riding and on track. BMW adds that the frame also serves as a high-performance base for the M 1000 RR across different racing series and circuit conditions.

“The new M Motorsport frame combines consistent lightweight construction with precisely tuned stiffness and flex characteristics. This provides the basis for precise chassis performance and maximum grip. From digital design and testing through to series production, the expertise of our Munich, Landshut and Berlin locations is seamlessly integrated. Our factory teams benefit from this just as much as BMW Motorrad customer racing teams worldwide,” says Sven Blusch, Head of BMW Motorrad Motorsport.

Less mass, tuned flex

The new frame weighs around 1.3 kg (about 2.9 lb) less than the outgoing version. BMW says the saving makes the bike more agile and quicker to change direction.

The bigger engineering change is in the wall thicknesses, which are now up to 30 per cent thinner. This lets engineers set the stiffness and flex more precisely. When the bike is leaned over, the frame is designed to flex sideways by a defined amount and help the suspension absorb inputs from the road surface. BMW says this gives more consistent tyre contact, better feedback and more even tyre wear.

Lengthways, the frame stays stiff. The manufacturer says this keeps braking and drive forces transmitted precisely and the bike’s responses predictable under high loads. Chassis engineers in superbike racing have long pursued this mix of lateral compliance and longitudinal stiffness.

Developed digitally in Munich

At BMW Motorrad Development in Munich, engineers design the frame’s geometry, wall thicknesses and stiffness distribution digitally. They then validate the design in simulations, on test rigs and in riding tests. The approved data is used to produce the frame’s four cast components: the steering head, the left and right side sections and the rear section.

Thin-wall casting in Landshut

BMW Group Plant Landshut makes the four thin-walled aluminium castings using low-pressure casting. Molten aluminium is fed into the mould in a controlled way, which reduces turbulence and air inclusions. Temporary quartz sand cores form the internal cavities. These cores are made with the cold-box process, and a core-shooting simulation checks how the sand-air mixture will flow and cure before any tooling is built.

Once cast, the cores are removed and the parts are machined. They then pass X-ray inspection, wall-thickness measurements and coordinate measurements before being shipped to Berlin.

Welded and finished in Berlin

BMW Group Plant Berlin is the lead plant in BMW Motorrad’s international production network. There, the four castings are positioned and joined by TIG welding. Cathodic dip coating then adds corrosion protection that also reaches enclosed cavities. Final milling brings the functional surfaces and mounting points to their finished dimensions. A last coordinate measurement confirms the dimensional accuracy of the complete frame before it is approved for assembly in the M 1000 RR.

What it means

The M 1000 RR is BMW’s flagship superbike, and the frame is one of its key performance components. Making the racing-derived frame standard on the production bike gives road and track-day riders the same core hardware the race teams use. It also gives customer racing teams an updated base to build on.

Facts: BMW M Motorsport frame (third generation)

  • Fitted to: BMW M 1000 RR, as standard
  • Introduction: model year 2027
  • Weight saving: around 1.3 kg (about 2.9 lb) compared with the previous version
  • Wall thickness: reduced by up to 30 per cent
  • Construction: four low-pressure aluminium castings (steering head, left and right side sections, rear section), TIG-welded
  • Production: development in Munich, casting in Landshut, welding, coating, machining and final inspection in Berlin

The new frame will be fitted as standard to the BMW M 1000 RR from model year 2027.

Source: www.press.bmwgroup.com