Formed in 1916, BMW (Bavarian Motor Works) began producing truck and aircraft engines for Germany during WW1. After the war, the Treaty of Versailles banned aircraft engine manufacture, so BMW set its sights on the motorcycle. BMW Motorrad, as the two-wheeled division of BMW came to be known (motorrad is German for motorcycle), traces its origins to the R32 motorcycle produced in 1923.
History of BMW Motorcycles