BMW is introducing an all-new machine designed to revolutionize the enduro bike market. The core of this new product is the result of many years of hard work and development, as it was designed by none other than Markus Theobald, a renowned engineer who's responsible for the HP2 lineup. BMW was granted several patents during the development process, while some technical features come from the German brand's famous touring motorcycles.


Singular solutions
One of the highlights on this bike is undoubtedly the rear swingarm. Its pivot point shares an axle line with the drive sprocket, ensuring that the length of the drive chain and the efficiency of the transmission are not affected by the compression and rebound of the suspension. This allowed BMW to make the swingarm 30-mm longer and move the engine as far back as possible. As a result, the cylinder was tilted forward to allow the installation of the fuel tank under the seat, thus creating room for a larger, better protected air box.

As for the engine, BMW developed sophisticated technical solutions inspired from its off-road tradition and expertise. This 449-cc powerplant will most likely be built by Taiwanese giant Kymco to allow BMW to reduce production costs and make other innovations more profitable. (By the way, the G 450X is expected to be competitively priced.) The successive throttles make the engine even more responsive to the rider's inputs.

The 4-stroke, DOHC, single-cylinder engine features a two-ring lightened piston. The crankshaft and connecting rod are mounted on bearings for increased durability. Compression ratio is set at 12:1, which is extremely high. That's why BMW engineers equipped the G 450X with an electric starter as well as an automatic decompression system with centrifugal valve lifters. Despite using a powerful alternator, an electric starter, a battery and a catalytic converter, the G 450X is lighter than its current rivals. Impressive!