The BMW R60 is a runaway speed demon

James Bond scorched the silver screen with the BMW 1200cc cruiser in 'Tomorrow Never Dies'. But even their bikes are hot, as anyone who has riden the 1970 BMW R60 will testify. But here's a brief taste of what it feels like to have the wind whip through your hair.

This beauty came out of BMW's foundries in Bavaria with a boxer configuration which quickly revved up and knocked out everything in its class. It pounded the freeways of the world in a no-holds barred manner, leaving every other cruiser in Europe for dead.

Now she can quite be called the Laila Ali among motorcycles as she boasts of a boxer engine, but she also has horizontal flat twins jutting out of the frame, which promised superior air-cooling and stability at high speeds. But the best bit is that this beast is shaft driven and you don't have to get your hands dirty trying to adjust the chain tension.

The horizontally opposed twin has the classic styling and high-performance that turns heads everywhere. The boxer engine and the drive shaft promise bomb-proof longevity with easy maintainence. The 600cc engine boasts of 40 horses, which haul the 225 kg beast to a maximum speed of 165 kmph.

As usual I was too tempted to ride her and so I did. I was quite impressed by the husky hum of horsepower that never missed a beat. I decided to rip her a bit and was surprised at the way she surged at every twist of the throttle. BMWs might be well known for their super sexy four-wheelers, but with the R60 - it's half the wheels but they provide twice the fun!

Kailash Menon