BMW Termanology

Topics related to the ownership, maintenance, equipping, operation, and riding of the R1200R.

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roger l
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BMW Termanology

Post by roger l »

I am new to owning a BMW. I bought my R1200R in December and the weather is just getting good enough to ride. Thru reading various posts I have come across various terms that i do not know the meaning of. These terms are listed below. Could someone please let me know what they mean? I think I know what oil head and air head are but hex head has me baffled.

Oil Head
Hex Head
Air Head

Thanks
Roger L
rockbottom
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Re: BMW Termanology

Post by rockbottom »

roger l wrote:I am new to owning a BMW. I bought my R1200R in December and the weather is just getting good enough to ride. Thru reading various posts I have come across various terms that i do not know the meaning of. These terms are listed below. Could someone please let me know what they mean? I think I know what oil head and air head are but hex head has me baffled.

Oil Head
Hex Head
Air Head

Thanks
Roger L
Hexheads are the boxer model with hexagonal cylinder heads, introduced in 2004.
Last edited by rockbottom on Wed Mar 16, 2011 7:19 pm, edited 1 time in total.
M249Joe
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Re: BMW Termanology

Post by M249Joe »

Airheads All /5 and later series air cooled Boxers from 1970-1995.

Oilheads 2 Cylinder Oil/Air cooled Boxer engines up to 1150cc plus R1200C models, 1994-2005.

Hexheads/Camheads 2 cylinder Oil/Air cooled Boxer motors, 1200cc 2005- present.

Info lifted from here: http://www.bmwmoa.org/forum/index.php
07 R1200R, 12 S1000RR, 75 R90/6, 67 R50/2, 75 R90S
83 Suzuki GS1100E
07 Honda 450x
1978 Suzuki TS125
Jed
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Re: BMW Termanology

Post by Jed »

I'll take a swing. These aren't exact definitions but it should be close for another newbie.

Air Head - air cooled, pre 1994/5, largest displacement ≈ 1000 cc = R100
Oil Head - oil/air cooled, post 1994/5, 850cc, 900cc, 1000cc
Hex Head - oil/air cooled, simgle OHC, post 2000, 1100cc & 1150cc
Cam Head (unofficial) - oil/air cooled, dual OHC, post 2010

Years are approximate because BMW will often have different series engines on different models during the same model year. For example the HP2 engines are camheads and were introduced in 2007/8? The camhead engines came to the R1200GS in 2010 and the R1200R in 2011.

cheers,
roger l
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Re: BMW Termanology

Post by roger l »

Thank you very much. Now when someone talks about an Oil Head I know what he/she is talking about.

Thanks Again

Roger L
rockbottom
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Re: BMW Termanology

Post by rockbottom »

And you left out Chrome Heads.
daveyator
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Re: BMW Termanology

Post by daveyator »

Sooooo BMW owners get a lot of head?...............ohhhhhh now I did it!
I finally got got an RT!
'11 R1200R Classic, '07 R12R, '99 R1100R. Gone but not forgotten
Jed
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Re: BMW Termanology

Post by Jed »

daveyator wrote:Sooooo BMW owners get a lot of head?...............ohhhhhh now I did it!
?? More than Harley guys ??
rockbottom
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Re: BMW Termanology

Post by rockbottom »

Jed wrote:
daveyator wrote:Sooooo BMW owners get a lot of head?...............ohhhhhh now I did it!
?? More than Harley guys ??

Naw--they have panheads, shovelheads, flatheads, knuckleheads, ironheads.
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