Possible next project - my first /2

[bstratton]

Hello BMW gurus!

I have just finished up a restoration of a 1971 R60/5. My first ever classic beemer. Love Love Love that bike. I did it all myself including paint except machine work on heads/valves and pin striping. It runs like new and is the BEST riding bike I have ever had the pleasure to experience.

Now I have an opportunity to pick up a 1964 /2. I have not seen it yet. It is a true barn find and I am just trying to get the owner to let me go see it. He sent a few pics but knows nothing about it. It was his father-in-laws bike - now his wife's bike. No one in the family has any interest and a friend of a friend got us in touch. He mentioned $3 to $5k. I can't tell what it is but it looks to be complete and unmolested. It looks its age. It is definitely a twin so it has to be an R50, R60, or R69S. It has high rise handle bars with cross bar. Bench seat. 7440 miles on speedo. Yes that is not a typo. looks like turn signals or at least reflectors at the end of the grips. I don't see any mirrors. Trailing link Earles forks. Was told it was driven (ridden) into garage and has sat there for years. surface rust and paint chipped on frame. tank and fenders hard to tell but don't look bad. Chrome is rust stained. Push rod tubes rusty. Just generally neglected for a long time.

I plan to make this pretty again and ride it. repaint if necessary (probably is) but just clean it up if not. Mechanically, I can figure things out and have some good sources for parts.

Questions:

What is:

Value estimate range in that condition. I know they are pretty valuable in nice shape but not sure about one like this.
Degree of difficulty compared to my /5
availability of pieces/parts
Anything specific I should look for that is common and costly to fix

This forum has been a wealth of knowledge and I would appreciate any sage advice offered.

[bstratton]

some pics.... This is all i have

[stagewex]

The high bars and the pull-back risers tell me it was originally ordered for a taller rider. The turn signals on the rear are not original (they didn't have any on the rear). Nice narrow seat. The bar-end Hellas are options that most folks ordered from the dealer so probably are originals.

Do you know if the engine can turn? If you could get it running you could probably do fine with a big clean-up and wax.
Missing paint and rust are fine. If "you" can't get it running yourself it can get expensive. Definitely a nice looking project.
A non-runner for $5000.00 seems pretty high but I'm currently selling my /2 for just a little more than double that ($11,000.00) and it doesn't need anything. I'm looking at it from a different perspective of really riding or buying a project.
I do like it though, Looks nice.

[Daves79x]

I'm pretty sure it's an R50. Good, complete project. It all depends on what you want, but after totally restoring your /5, I find it hard to believe that you won't want this one looking pretty good. I'd sure try for the low end on price, as there are a lot of variables. 4K wouldn't really be out of line, 5K is pretty high for an R50 in that shape.

Parts are readily available, they are pretty easy to do the normal maintenance stuff to. Any engine work can get expensive, but easily enough accomplished.

Good luck!

Dave

[schrader7032]

Yup, the barrel fins (aka lack of coming to a point) suggests that it's an R50/2. Use the search box on the left side of the screen to confirm the VIN range of the bike. Also, look at the PDF file that is attached to the model page to get some sense of when the bike was built.

[bstratton]

Good stuff. Didn't even notice the rear turn signals. Don't know if the motor turns. Haven't seen it yet. A bound up motor would certainly lower the price.

On my /5 the frame and motor numbers matched. Should they match on the 64 if the motor is original?

I'll do some ore research before making an offer but unless this thing is way worse than it appears or the asking price is unreasonable I think I may be riding a /2 this spring. Told the Admiral that I would sell the /5 but even she knows that will probably never happen.

[miller6997]

Yes on the importance of matching numbers. There is a general agreement that a mismatch seriously affects how much you should pay and how much you can ask if/when you decide to sell the bike.

[Slash2]

Hey Dave hope to see you at the bike show tomorrow with your R50!

[Daves79x]

I'll be there Chris! Look forward to seeing you.

Dave

[808Airhead]

I would say that is a 2500-3k bike.