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BMW R1200S
The R series are built
around a two piston, horizontally opposed
Flat-twin engine. As the engine is mounted
transversally across the bike, and the heads
protrude well beyond the frame of the bike,
R series motorcycles are quite visually distinctive.
Originally R series bikes had air-cooled heads
("air heads"), but are now produced
only with oil-cooled heads ("oilheads").
In the U.S. most law enforcement agencies
currently use the R series, replacing the
Kawasaki Police 1000.
In 1916, two companies,
Gustav Otto's Flugmaschinenfabrik (Aeroplane
Factory) and Karl Rapp's Flugwerke Deutschland,
merged to form the Bayerische Flugzeugwerke
(Bavarian Aeroplane Works). Initially this
company designed and manufactured aeroplane
engines. The Bayerische Flugzeugwerke was
renamed the Bayerische Motoren Werke (Bavarian
Motor Works, BMW) in 1917 by Karl Rapp and
Max Friz. Their new logo, a roundel representing
an aeroplane propeller in the blue sky, is
still used today on all BMW motorcycles and
automobiles.
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