BMW R850 C auction points to the model finally becoming a genuine modern classic

There was a time when mentioning that you owned a BMW R850 C in polite company would earn you little more than a raised eyebrow and a sympathetic smile. But as this tidy, low-mileage example shows, the tide may be beginning to turn.

Launched at the turn of the millennium, BMW’s attempt to crack the cruiser market was, depending on who you ask, brave, misguided, or downright baffling. While Harley was doing Harley things and Japanese brands were churning out chrome-laden V-twins by the container load, BMW decided the answer was an air-cooled boxer with a laid-back riding position and a generous helping of Teutonic understatement. And it didn’t exactly fly out of showrooms.

For many riders, the R850 C became shorthand for BMW getting it wrong. It wasn’t especially powerful, it wasn’t especially loud, and it didn’t conform to the established cruiser formula. In an era when image mattered as much as engineering, the Beemer’s flat-twin, shaft-driven, slightly quirky silhouette felt like it was trying to gatecrash a party it hadn’t quite been invited to. Not even Pierce Brosnan sliding an R1200 C into oblivion in the James Bond film Tomorrow Never Dies could turn BMW’s cruiser into something people wanted to own.

But that was then, and after more than two decades in the shadows, BMW’s cruiser experiment seems to be becoming a genuine modern classic.

This 2000-registered example has just surfaced in the Historics Auctioneers, Symphony of Spring sale, and it’s about as close to time-warp condition as you’re likely to find. Finished with cream coachwork and contrasting black trim on the seat and panniers, this one-owner machine has covered fewer than 3,000 miles in 26 years. That’s barely run-in territory for BMW’s understressed 848cc boxer twin.

On paper, the R850 C was never a disaster. The air-cooled flat-twin delivered predictable, torque-rich performance. Not thrilling, perhaps, but usable. The low seat height and relaxed ergonomics made it unintimidating and accessible. Around town, it was easy-going; on the open road, it would settle into a steady lope without too much fuss. It was, in typical BMW fashion, engineered to do exactly what it said on the tin. The problem was the perception of the bike, though, not how well it handled on the road.

Cruiser buyers often lean heavily on heritage and attitude. BMW’s heritage, of course, lay elsewhere – in GS adventurers, touring barges and sports-tourers. And because of that, the R850 C felt like an outlier. It didn’t have the visual drama or thumping exhaust note of a big American V-twin, nor the bargain appeal and reliability of its Japanese rivals. Instead, it sat in a slightly awkward middle ground: competent, comfortable, but lacking the emotional hook that many cruiser fans crave.

Now, it seems, that awkwardness has started to look more like individuality, and the R850 C’s distinctive silhouette, with the horizontally opposed cylinders jutting into the breeze, feels less like a failed experiment and more like a snapshot of a manufacturer trying something new.

Condition, of course, is everything when it comes to modern classics, but this particular example ticks all the right boxes. One owner from new, less than 3,000 miles, ‘as new’ condition, and it even has a fresh MoT. 

With those points in mind, you could consider this to be one of the best examples of one of BMW’s worst bikes.

Funny how that works.

The BMW R850 C is estimated to be sold for between £3,000 and £5,000, and goes under the hammer on March 7. You can check out the listing for yourself on the official website.

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