The swan song of the oil cooled BMW boxers is the HP2 Sport. A MCN review of a modified one called the HP2 Sport, “As desirable and pointless as a carbon-fibre Spitfire” although it had higher praise when the bike first debuted. While it was never as fast as anything with a Ducati badge on it for the same money (or anything from Japan for less), it did allow a BMW aficionado to buy one for track days without really needing any additional modifications.
The funny thing about a bike this specialized is that as time goes on, its’ mission changes. I’m sure when this bike was being developed, the future of the oil cooled boxer was already in doubt. For whatever it lacks as a track bike, it more than makes up for by being the most powerful version of the oil-cooled boxers. Much like a rare R69US, the HP2 Sport represents the pinnacle of the era. The point MCN was trying to make is that the engine derives from a 90-year-old piece of engineering, and pushes those boundaries to the limits. In many ways, it’s a modern race bike with an aging heart. It has a DOHC engine making 128 HP (compared to 200+ in it’s competitors) at 8,400 RPM’s, and has a dry weight of 400 lbs. It has an under seat exhaust like the R1200s’ (of which it’s based), a digital race style dash, Ohlins suspension, race spec Brembo brakes, and a lot of carbon fiber. I’ve been searching and trying to figure out exactly how many were made, but it’s not totally clear.
Considering they were $25,000 new, $14,000 for a bike with 250 miles seems like a strong deal. Kelly Blue Book says this is what you can expect to pay. For me though, this would be a nice piece of history to enjoy for many years. Find it for sale in Saskatoon, Canada here on Panjo.