Latest patent images filed by BMW Motorrad reveal the German brand's next-generation frame that does away with a conventional swingarm pivot, and uses flexible carbon fibre instead. Latest patent images show that the swingarm will be integrated into the main chassis, getting rid of a swingarm pivot. The idea is that carbon fibre can be engineered to be rigid in one direction and flexible in another, so the design will allow the swingarm to bend to absorb bumps, but will not allow any lateral movement that may affect stability. A conventional spring and damper will still be used, allowing for suspension adjustability.
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The design isn't completely new or radical, and has been used in race cars, which used the flexibility of carbon fibre in their suspension designs. Without pivots where the wishbone suspension is attached to the chassis, provides both strength and stiffness, but also reduces weight and improves aerodynamics. Right now, it's just a patent design, and even if BMW Motorrad is considering such a design, it's confirmation enough that high-performance carbon fibre frames for motorcycles is very much under development, for some future models.
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In fact, it's not really a first for BMW Motorrad. The German automotive giant has already proved that it's a pioneer of the carbon fibre motorcycle chassis, which is already available in the very expensive, and exclusive, track-only HP4 bike. A future BMW S 1000 RR is almost certainly going to get a carbon fibre frame, perhaps sooner than expected. The patents aren't confirmation that a carbon fibre chassis is ready, but there's no doubt that BMW will leverage its experience and mass manufacture using carbon fibre components to trickle down to a carbon fibre-framed future motorcycle.
(Source: Bennetts.co.uk)
