James Bond Signed Off on This Unique BMW Moto. How About You?

“I didn’t want to resort to the standard use of a motocross bike, which is convenient for jumps and tricks. Instead, we went for the biggest, heaviest and most unwieldy bike and I built the chase around it.”

So says Tomorrow Never Dies second-unit director Vic Armstrong of one of cinema’s greatest motorcycle action scenes, with James Bond (Pierce Brosnan) and Wai Lin (Michelle Yeoh) rampaging over the streets and rooftops of Bangkok (doubling for Saigon, Vietnam) while handcuffed together.

Historics Auctioneers

The six-minute sequence, punctuated by a practical 44-foot jump and power slide to take out a helicopter, are made all the more impressive by the clunky-ass ride, a BMW R 1200 C. Yes, a BMW cruiser.

But now that a near-mint example of its little brother, the R 850 C, is up for auction, this cream-colored oddity merits re-evaluation … as a potential modern classic?

Cruisin’ for a bruisin’

So what the heck was BMW thinking in the late ’90s, when both bikes were launched, with the James Bond flick providing advanced promotional placement?

Clearly they were trying to procure a piece of the cruiser market dominated by Harley-Davidson. 

Historics Auctioneers

With their deep engineering bona fides, the Germans no doubt believed they could outperform the beloved American brand.

And the reality is these cruisers aren’t bad bikes at all. This particular R 850 C, a model year 2000 unit hitting the auction block next month, boasts an 848cc boxer twin making a solid 50 horsepower at 5,250 rpm and 52.4 ft-lbs of torque at 4,750 rpm.

Historics Auctioneers

Throw in the low seat height (29.1 inches), relaxed riding position and handy saddlebags, and it’s a pretty inviting mid-sized cruiser. Heck, the passenger seat even folds up to form a comfort-boosting backrest when you’re riding solo.

Of course, as the chaps at Visordown astutely point out: “The problem was the perception of the bike, not how well it handled on the road.”

BMW’s reputation for strong and steady performance is well established in the adventure bike and sport touring space, but cruiser enthusiasts aren’t necessarily prioritizing that trait.

Historics Auctioneers

Instead the emphasis is much more on heritage and style and, frankly, the raw, too-loud rumble of a big honkin’ American V-twin engine. 

With that perspective, you can see why a meticulous, manicured cream-colored cruiser was destined to fail, with the R 850 C’s production run ending after just three years and the R 1200 C’s after seven.

However, that ill-fated trajectory — together with unique details such as the front monoshock and horizontally opposed cylinders sticking out in front of your knees — only add to the bike’s conversation-piece appeal nearly three decades later.

Historics Auctioneers

As a rare L for a brand with so many Ws, its sure to garner plenty of intrigued “WTFs” at any motorcycle meetup, and this particular example could be had for a bit of a bargain to boot.

With a single owner on the books and just 2,614 miles on the odometer, the bike is estimated to fetch £3,000 to £5,000 (~$4,061 to $6,769 USD) as part of the Historics Auctioneers Symphony of Spring, which begins March 4.

Just don’t go trying any 44-foot jumps on it, OK?

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