BMW Motorrad recently applied for a patent for adaptive aerodynamic panels, which can be used in different numbers and applied to various models.
Standing still means going backwards, so BMW is also designing plenty of new initiatives that can be applied to future models. Or eventually end up in the trash for various reasons, because it is too expensive or because the market is not (yet) ready for it.
Take this patent document recently published by the German Patent and Trademark Office, which shows a seemingly simple, streamlined adaptive aerodynamic system. It was first submitted in August 2021, but was not officially published until the end of March 2022.
The published sketches show a GS family engine showing somewhere between one and three adjustable air ducts in the front fairing. The accompanying text states that BMW could choose to use the device on any type of motorcycle, from two to four wheels.
According to the patent, the adaptive panels are automatically adjusted by the wind pressure, so as a rider you don’t have to do anything yourself. The faster you drive, the more the panels are pressed in, the compression spring ensures that when the speed is reduced, the panels are pressed out again.
Whether we will see this technology on the upcoming R 1300 GS remains to be seen. It could, of course, but photos of an R 1300 GS spotted in the wild show none of that. However, it is also possible that this technology will be tested even more secretly, but it is also not inconceivable that it will soon not be applied to a GS, but to a future variant of the CE-04.
– Thanks for information from Motorfreaks.