Manufacturer | BMW Motorrad |
---|---|
Also called | Type 255 RS 500 |
Production | 1935–1939[1] |
Predecessor | BMW WR 750 |
Class | Street racing |
Engine | 492 cc DOHC supercharged boxer twin with aluminium cylinders; magnesium engine block and supercharger casing[2] Fuel: gasoline-oil mix |
Bore / stroke | 66×72 mm[1] |
Top speed | c. 220 km/h (140 mph)[2] |
Power | 60 hp (45 kW)[2] |
Transmission | 4-speed, shaft drive[1] |
Frame type | Tubular steel twin cradle |
Suspension | Front: Oil-filled telescopic forks Rear: Rigid (1935–1936) Plunger (after 1936)[1] |
Weight | 138 kg (304 lb)[2] (wet) |
BMW Type 255 Kompressor (also known as the 500 Kompressor, RS 255, RS255 and Type 255 RS 500) was a supercharged boxer twin race motorcycle from the 1930s. A BMW 255 Kompressor was ridden to victory by Georg Meier in the 1939 Isle of Man TT and the first win by a non-British competitor in the premier 500cc Senior TT class.[3] A similar BMW 255 Kompressor machine was auctioned in 2013 for US$480,000, the second-highest price ever paid at auction for a motorcycle.[4][5][6]