When BMW hinted that they’d be unveiling something at the prestigious Concorso d’Eleganza?happening right now on the scenic banks of Lake Como?we automatically assumed it would be another variant of the new BMW R 12 nineT. As it turns out, we were very, very wrong. Get a load of the BMW R20 Concept; a hot pink roadster with a 2,000 cc boxer motor.
Yes, you read that right. Not content with the already gargantuan R18, BMW has gone even bigger in their pursuit of motorcycling nirvana (read: sales). The BMW R20 Concept has hit the two-liter mark, bringing it closer to bonafide muscle bikes like the Triumph Rocket III.

While BMW tout the R20 as a concept bike, we know better. Nine times out of ten, the Bavarian marque’s concept bikes are near-production-ready bikes in disguise. So we’re fully expecting to see something in this vein hit the market sometime in the future. While the BMW R20 Concept’s motor is likely derived from the R18, its chassis is all new. Constructed around a chromoly backbone, the new design boasts more aggressive numbers than the low and long R18, with a steering head angle of 62.5 degrees, and a wheelbase of 1,550 mm.

Of particular interest is the R20’s new swingarm. BMW adapted the R18’s exposed driveshaft, but re-packaged it with a double-sided Paralever swingarm that uses a mix of chromoly and aluminum parts. As expected, BMW says that the new setup is designed to cope with the 2,000 cc powerplant’s...