BMW Unveils R 1300 R Superhooligan at Daytona

BMW reveals the R 1300 R Superhooligan at Daytona Bike Week, honoring 50 years since its historic 1976 AMA Superbike victory.

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There are tribute bikes and then there are rolling time machines.

At Daytona Bike Week, BMW pulled the covers off something special: the new BMW R 1300 R Superhooligan. The reveal wasn’t random. It marked 50 years since Steve McLaughlin stunned the field at Daytona in 1976, winning the very first AMA Superbike race aboard a BMW R 90 S.

And yes, this new machine wears that history proudly.

The Superhooligan carries McLaughlin’s iconic #83 and a bold orange paint scheme inspired by the original R 90 S racer. BMW didn’t stop there. Blue accents highlight the aluminum rear frame and fork tubes, echoing the brake calipers lifted from the fire-breathing BMW M 1000 RR. A carbon front wheel from the M 1000 RR joins the party too, along with a host of other carbon fiber components to keep things light and sharp.

Underneath the nostalgic livery sits serious modern performance. The base 145 hp R 1300 R has been reworked into a purpose-built Superhooligan weapon, capable of pushing toward 275 km/h. It features fully adjustable Wilbers suspension, including fork tubes extended by 30 mm for extra lean-angle clearance. Add milled BMW footrests, adjustable Advik levers and a titanium Akrapovič exhaust with a carbon end can, and you’ve got a naked roadster with superbike intent.

The project came out of BMW Motorrad’s in-house Custom Speed Shop, a small team of designers and prototype builders who set out to reinterpret the spirit of the 1970s race bikes through a modern lens. Wide handlebars and number plates nod to the raw, stripped-back superbikes of half a century ago, while the engineering underneath is unapologetically current.

The timing makes the moment even sweeter. In 1976, the Butler & Smith BMW team didn’t just win at Daytona, they dominated. McLaughlin edged out teammate Reg Pridmore in a dramatic photo finish, and Pridmore went on to claim the inaugural AMA Superbike Championship that same season. It was a defining chapter in BMW’s racing story.

Now, five decades later, BMW is celebrating that milestone by bringing the old and new together. The R 1300 R Superhooligan will be showcased alongside the original R 90 S race bike from BMW Group Classic, past and present parked side by side in Daytona.

Some anniversaries get plaques. BMW built a 145-horsepower tribute instead.