BMW Motorrad, the Munich-based automaker’s motorcycle-building division, has introduced a new concept bike called Path 22. Based on the existing R nineT, the Path 22 is BMW Motorrad’s first-ever Scrambler, a type of bike designed to venture far off the beaten path.
The concept was named after one of the best-hidden surf spots in Europe, a stretch of beach located on the Atlantic coast in southern France. The spot can only be reached by trekking through a pine forest either on a motorcycle or by foot, so the Path 22 concept is fitted with studded off-road tires wrapped around five-spoke milled-aluminum wheels, a long-travel suspension, a protective grid in the front the headlight and raised exhaust pipes.
And true to its surfing inspiration, the right side of the bike is fitted with a removable surfboard holder crafted out of machined aluminum and leather. To demonstrate how it works, BMW asked San Diego-based surfboard manufacturer Dyer Brand to design and build a long-board and short-board specifically for the concept.
BMW paid an exceptional amount of attention to even the finest details when building the Path 22. In spite of its off-road aspirations, the bike features a seat upholstered in beige stitched leather, turn signals integrated into the handles, a back-to-basics digital instrument cluster and a custom paint job designed by an artist named Ornamental Conifer.
Full technical details have not been published. The R nineT is powered by an air-cooled flat-twin engine that makes 110 horsepower at 7,550 rpm and 87 foot-pounds of torque at 6,000 rpm, so it’s safe to bet the engine has been carried over to the concept with few or no modifications.
What the future holds for the BMW Path 22 is up in the air. It could simply be a one-off bike built to showcase the talent of BMW Motorrad’s design department, or it could serve as an accurate preview of the company’s next two-wheeler.
