i'm Looking for a project

Darryl.Richman · Post by **Darryl.Richman** » Sat Mar 25, 2006 11:41 pm

I don't have a project, nor know of one right now. But I would advise being especially particular about R71 and R35 projects, unless you've done your homework.

The tooling for the R71, which was made at Eisenach during WWII, ended up with the Russians (who produced the M72 copy of the R71), and then the Chinese (Chang Jiang) afterwards. There are lots of Russian and especially Chinese bikes out there trying to get BMW prices. The copies have a bad reputation, especially regarding casting quality.

The R35, a 350cc single in a pressed steel frame, was also made at Eisenach during WWII. The east Germans made copies after the war, first also called BMWs and then called EMWs. The east Germans made much better quality copies, but you can still end up paying more than they are worth.

snowflake · Post by **snowflake** » Sun Mar 26, 2006 8:29 am

Thanks for the info, that's pretty interesting and something to keep in mind. These bikes are not easy to come by so i think teh first one that pops up, i'll grab it.
thanks

Bruce Frey · Post by **Bruce Frey** » Mon Mar 27, 2006 8:56 am

As Darryl said, try to be patient. Jumping on the first one can be expensive. I did that with my R71 project. It is fair to say that the learning curve was very steep and very expensive...and it still is not finished. I don't think you buy ANY BMW today and restore it for less than 10-15k. It is great fun, however, as long as you look at it as a hobby and not an investment. To keep your perspetive, my view is that for each project bike you need one that runs. There is a nice looking R71 combination and an R4 on Ebay IT that have supposedly been restored.

The tooling for the R71, which was made at Eisenach during WWII,

I am working from memory (which is dangerous for me to do), but I think Mark Huggett or someone from Mobil Tradition once told me that while BMW moved their tooling and parts from Munich to Eisenach, the only wartime bike that was actually made there was the R75.

Can anyone confirm/deny or add some information?

Best regards,

Bruce

Darryl.Richman · Post by **Darryl.Richman** » Mon Mar 27, 2006 9:14 am

I don't think you buy ANY BMW today and restore it for less than 10-15k.You may well be able to build an R50/R60 for under $10k. I wouldn't expect that you would be able to much else, and it seems to me that prices have been going up over the last 2-3 years.

It is great fun, however, as long as you look at it as a hobby and not an investment.

I agree with this 100%. Saturday was the All British Clubman Show in San Jose, and yesterday was the Morning After Ride. I took my /2 (I don't have a British bike, but know some folks in that group) and had a big grin on my face the whole time.

The tooling for the R71, which was made at Eisenach during WWII,

I am working from memory (which is dangerous for me to do), but I think Mark Huggett or someone from Mobil Tradition once told me that while BMW moved their tooling and parts from Munich to Eisenach, the only wartime bike that was actually made there was the R75.

Can anyone confirm/deny or add some information?I cannot cite any hard evidence, I just know the oral history. Since BMW stopped making the R71 in favor of the R75, it's entirely possible that happened before the move to Eisenach.

VBMWMO · Post by **VBMWMO** » Mon Feb 15, 2010 2:51 pm

I'm located in Quebec, and am looking for a project, Something along the lines of r60, r71, or really anything else that is really cool.
If anyone knows someone who is willing to let go of a frame/rolling chassis/or somthing in need of a desperate restoration, please let me know. i would even consider shipping from the west if its really interesting.
thanks
someone in need of an old bmw motorcycle.

Vintage BMW Motorcycle Owners