By joining you will help ensure that we can continue to provide this service
JOIN HERE!
R69S battery
-
- Posts: 149
- Joined: Fri Oct 27, 2006 3:00 am
- Has thanked: 2 times
- Been thanked: 9 times
Re: R69S battery
Beware of the online fiches. Hard to know specifically what updates they include from over the years. Original dated literature gives you a better reference. I have a 1958 dated Repair manual that clearly shows the small battery in the repair illustration pics. I have an original 1961 Parts manual dated August 1961 that shows the small battery (6v 8amp) and tray for all models R50-R69S, tray part number is 8042212 (early post-war parts numbering system). I have an original 1966 parts book that shows an exploded diagram dated 1.4.1966 (may be European dating meaning April 1?) with the small battery and tray. It is listed for all models R50-R69S. I also have an NOS tray in my hands with the dealer tag still on it, part number 61218042212 (later parts numbering system). Moving forward, I have a 1968 original Parts book that has two exploded diagrams, both dated 1.5.70 (assuming these are updated pages that the dealer put in later as they were sent out from BMW). One of these diagrams shows the small battery and tray for all models and the other shows the large battery (6v 16amp) and tray for models R50-2 USA, R60-2 USA and R69-2 USA, but that diagram is specifically titled "USA" and the part number for the larger tray is 61218042213. Last, my reasonably original 1955 R69 has the small battery tray. So.... I can't pin down a specific date for the change from any of the above, but I can surely say that the "early" earls fork bikes used the small battery and later "USA" bikes used the large one....
Not sure that helps, but open to more info on the subject.
Thanks.
Chuck S.
Chuck S
- schrader7032
- Posts: 9058
- Joined: Fri Oct 27, 2006 3:00 am
- Location: San Antonio, TX
- Has thanked: 3 times
- Been thanked: 36 times
Re: R69S battery
'78 R100/7 '69 R69S '52 R25/2
Fast. Neat. Average. Friendly. Good. Good.
-
- Posts: 149
- Joined: Fri Oct 27, 2006 3:00 am
- Has thanked: 2 times
- Been thanked: 9 times
Re: R69S battery
I agree, it only maters if you care, and that's a personal choice. That said, caring or not should not be used as an excuse to set aside historical fact. In the "restoration" world, there are those who strive for "perfection" - how it came from the factory, and that requires a bit more effort than just wanting a bike to run and ride. Several decades ago, I gave up my interest in restoring old Corvettes when a friend's car got docked points at an NCRS (Corvette Restoration Society) judging event because the edges of the head gaskets weren't painted red like the rest of the engine he had hand assembled (and painted each piece separately). The factory just put the whole engine together and painted the whole assembly at once. Too anal for me at the time! Fast forward, now having been a judge at AMCA, Quail and other MC events over those decades, and having had to decide between two or more "nearly perfect" restorations, I've come to the conclusion that details mater, again, assuming you care. And if details do mater to you, it's important to get the facts right. My comments above were only meant to preserve historical fact. They were in no way meant to be critical of the decision about what battery the OP should use or not. Hope my clarification is helpful.
And if anyone has more original literature documentation on when the battery size changed, I'd be interested to know Still have a little room to waste upstairs for BMW trivia... LOL!
Thanks.
Chuck S.
Chuck S
- schrader7032
- Posts: 9058
- Joined: Fri Oct 27, 2006 3:00 am
- Location: San Antonio, TX
- Has thanked: 3 times
- Been thanked: 36 times
Re: R69S battery
'78 R100/7 '69 R69S '52 R25/2
Fast. Neat. Average. Friendly. Good. Good.
-
- Posts: 149
- Joined: Fri Oct 27, 2006 3:00 am
- Has thanked: 2 times
- Been thanked: 9 times
Re: R69S battery
Ride safe!
Chuck S
- schrader7032
- Posts: 9058
- Joined: Fri Oct 27, 2006 3:00 am
- Location: San Antonio, TX
- Has thanked: 3 times
- Been thanked: 36 times
Re: R69S battery
'78 R100/7 '69 R69S '52 R25/2
Fast. Neat. Average. Friendly. Good. Good.
- Flx48
- Posts: 262
- Joined: Sun Oct 25, 2020 3:11 pm
- Location: NW CT
- Has thanked: 2 times
- Been thanked: 7 times
Re: R69S battery
At least some of the early Earles bikes had the square battery, while later all had the larger rectangular battery.
My '56 R69 came with the square while my '60 R69 came with the larger rectangular.
My old paper parts book (titled R50-R69s) lists both sizes of battery tray and rubber cushions, so max probably does, too.
Best-
George.
- jwonder
- Posts: 784
- Joined: Wed Nov 23, 2016 7:50 pm
- Location: Long Island, New York
- Has thanked: 3 times
- Been thanked: 8 times
- Contact:
Re: R69S battery
I am in the process of restoring my 1962 R 50 S and in the pile of parts I got with the motorcycle, it had the small tray.
Soooooooo, I didn't think twice and got a small battery, etc etc.
Being that I am completely CRAZY about my restorations and want every washer to be correct, this thread made me worry.
I looked into the BMW archives and I found the attached picture, and after measuring the air cleaner it seems as if this picture is showing the smaller battery, at least on the 1961 model. Look at the width of the air cleaner intake compared to the width of the battery. I do not believe that is a wider battery in that picture.
BUT!!! If you look at the pictures of the R 50 S that recently sold on BAT it shows a wide battery.....
Hmmmmmmmmm. Since everything else that came "in the box" was accurate and seemed original to my R 50 S, I think I am staying with the smaller battery until I find out otherwise.
Vice President, Vintage BMW Motorcycle Owners
2022 BMW Friend Of the Marque
Long Island, New York
- schrader7032
- Posts: 9058
- Joined: Fri Oct 27, 2006 3:00 am
- Location: San Antonio, TX
- Has thanked: 3 times
- Been thanked: 36 times
Re: R69S battery
'78 R100/7 '69 R69S '52 R25/2
Fast. Neat. Average. Friendly. Good. Good.
- jwonder
- Posts: 784
- Joined: Wed Nov 23, 2016 7:50 pm
- Location: Long Island, New York
- Has thanked: 3 times
- Been thanked: 8 times
- Contact:
Re: R69S battery
I was looking at the width of the air intake and how it seems to be wider than the battery itself. The width of the R 50/69 S air intakes are quite wide, but the wide battery is equal or wider than the intake.
So, look at the side-to-side length, not how close it is to the battery (fore and aft).
It is not easy to tell and maybe I just want it to be true so I don't need to buy a whole new setup!
Vice President, Vintage BMW Motorcycle Owners
2022 BMW Friend Of the Marque
Long Island, New York