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BMW heads for the waves with Path 22 concept bike

BMW has been reminding us in the grandest of style recently of the serious clout it has in the classic motorcycle field. Most important is the R NineT that it put into production, but it's also been giving us a steady stream of enticing concept bikes, like the Concept 90 retro racer and the more recent Concept 101 custom bagger. And now it's showcasing another. This time, BMW Motorrad has taken a page out of the scrambler playbook with the Concept Path 22. Based on the R NineT, this concept bike is designed for surfers in impressive 1950s style. It features a single-side swing arm rear suspension, a classic circular headlamp, reprofiled tank and seat, studded tires, an oversized front wheel, longer fork travel, and a raised exhaust. It also has a unique paint job by Ornamental Conifer, and a pair of surf boards designed by Dyer Brand and mounted to a collapsible bracket on the side. Meant to showcase just one possibility for customizing the R NineT, the concept bike is named (and numbered) after one of Europe's premier surfing spots. It is being unveiled – appropriately enough – at the Wheels & Waves Festival in Biarritz, France. BMW Concept Path 22 – The Expression of Freedom. Munich/Biarritz. From June 11th - 14th 2015, the Wheels & Waves Festival celebrates for the fourth time a unique meeting of custom bikes, surfing and art in Biarritz. The festival is a great event that provides a straightforward opportunity for people to get together in a unique atmosphere and express their lifestyle of freedom and individuality. In this special setting, BMW Motorrad presents the BMW interpretation of a scrambler for the first time: the BMW Concept Path 22. Expression of a Lifestyle. The first scramblers in the 1950s were modified road machines with deep-treaded tyres, somewhat increased spring travel and a raised exhaust for off-road riding. These features gave the bikes a characteristic appearance that came to symbolise an attitude. "A scrambler is the perfect match for Wheels & Waves. It's the epitome of a motorcycle beyond established standards and conventions. Performance specifications are not so much of interest - style and originality all the more so. Scramblers express passion and are as varied as their owners. The Concept Path 22 is our own interpretation based on the R nineT. The latter is the perfect basis for a scrambler conversion", explains Edgar Heinrich, Head of BMW Motorrad Design.

BMW X6 M said to lap the 'Ring in 8:20

Bimmer Today reports that the German rag Auto Zeitung ran an Audi RS3 and a BMW X6 M around the Nurburgring together, and the hotted-up sports activity vehicle came in just five seconds behind the white-hot hatch. Driven by 'Ring regular Horst von Saurma, the RS3 ran its lap in 8 minutes, 15 seconds, and the X6 M ran an 8:20. If those times are accurate, that makes the X6 M the second fastest production SUV on the lap-time list according to Wikipedia: ahead of it is the 550-hp Range Rover Sport SVR, which ran a time of 8:14. That time puts BMW's 575-horsepower, 5,200-pound SUV four seconds ahead of the time registered by the last-gen, 555-hp X6 M, and well ahead of the Porsche Cayenne Turbo S that Sport Auto clocked an 8:34 with. It would not, however, match the predictions that X6 M project manager Herbert Bayerl made for it in an interview with Sport Auto earlier this year. Bayerl said "The new BMW X6 M moves at the level of M3," speaking of the E92 BMW M3 that Sport Auto ran around the 'Ring in 8:05. It is, though, two seconds faster than the E46 M3, which lapped in 8:22. Bayerl called out the Range Rover Sport SVR directly, saying, "We have been traveling much faster in testing and have undercut the time of Range Rover several times," and "We don't need any special attachments to go faster." Auto Zeitung's report on the lap is only for subscribers so we'll have to wait for more official news. For the apples-to-apples comparison we'll be looking forward to Sport Auto's hot lap, then we'll know if the Range Rover has anything to fear. Related Video:

BMW i8 to go full-electric after facelift

According to Autocar, BMW has plans to turn the i8 sports car from a hybrid to a fully electric vehicle. The carbon fiber structure would be modified with a wider center tunnel to house a sizable battery. Despite this, there would be no weight gain to the i8; the current version weighs in at 3,274 lbs. The electric prototype would have three BMW-developed brushless electric motors, two of them powering the rear wheels and one of them taking care of the front wheels. As the 1.5-liter gasoline engine would be shelved, there would be ample space for the two rear-mounted motors. Currently, the i8 produces 357 horsepower all told, but the electric motors in the prototype are said to produce up to 268 horsepower – each. The electric prototype is to be based on the architecture of a hydrogen prototype, which manages 242 horsepower in total. The information relayed on to Autocar comes from a source close to BMW's development boss, Klaus Frohlich. The facelifted version of the i8 should arrive next year, with awaited improvements like a new 26Ah lithium ion battery – 6Ah up from the current version. There is also talk of a Qualcomm inductive charging system, and its 7.2kWh operating power is doubled from the current 3.6kWh plug-in setup. If the rumormill is to be believed, engine output in the facelifted version would be up ten percent, resulting in 390 horsepower. Related Video: News Source: Autocar Green Rumormill BMW Electric Hybrid Hydrogen Cars