R51/3 The Very Best

Darryl.Richman · Post by **Darryl.Richman** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 3:36 pm

Well, this is interesting! Slabon ("How to Restore Your BMW Motorcycle") says on p117, under the heading of "The R51/3, R67, and R68 Electrics":

The circuit board still lived inside the headlight shell which, except for the addition of a round green neutral light just below the speedometer, was identical to the R51/2 shell that preceded it. The ignition key was the same plastic-headed metal spike and the fuse plug was retianed as well, along with the single red charging warning light to the left of the key socket. In mid-1954, the headlamp bucket was altered and resembled the 1955-1969 Earles and US-fork version in all but minor details.

So, indeed, the last year bikes did have a bucket similar to the /2 bikes. Probably the bike we were discussing original was correct to have that kind of bucket.

Darryl.Richman · Post by **Darryl.Richman** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 3:42 pm

Then again... maybe not! The bike that started this discussion claims to be a 1953 model. I haven't seen the dent that people are talking about, but there's a shot on the ebay page that shows the underside of the headlight shell with some clarity and I don't see a dent there...

Jeff, what year bike is Tim's bike?

EuroIron · Post by **EuroIron** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 4:11 pm

I don't think either one should have the red/green indicator

EuroIron · Post by **EuroIron** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 4:37 pm

enhanced it is kinda looking like it has the "dented" bucket

and it's really a shame those incorrect rims aren't even signed Borriani because the knock offs really aren't that great and the tall flange makes them a real pain to keep clean

jeff dean · Post by **jeff dean** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 5:18 pm

O.k., I went to the R25/3 in my living room and took this photo:

Voila! The infamous DENT -- or concave depression!

Also, the bucket with green and red lights, and sliding plastic cap over the key hole.

Isn't this fun

Darryl.Richman · Post by **Darryl.Richman** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 5:56 pm

Thanks, Jeff, now I know what you mean. I looked at the photos on the auction page and also the ones EuroIron put up, but I can't decide.

(BTW, EuroIron, your photos aren't coming up for me. I found that I had to modify the beginning of each of the URLs you used, changing http://i172.photobucket.com to http://www.photobucket.com on each one to get them to display.)

After that, I went back and looked at the R51 stamping you found on the rear fender grab rail. The piece looks like the original item for an R68 (as far as I can tell). The stamping doesn't look like a factory did it, the characters aren't evenly spaced nor in line. I'm not sure why someone would mark it for a particular model since all of the bikes in the line at that time had the same rear fender.

EuroIron · Post by **EuroIron** » Tue Sep 18, 2007 11:31 pm

hmmmmmmm

it does look like the same font used to stamp some other Hoske bits I've photographed but it will indeed fit many

note how short the loop is and that it is actually curved as opposed to squared off like what I am assuming the same part that is factory seems to be........

much taller and squared off

I am sure I have read Hoske, or somebody, made these bars and they were different than the factory pieces

AntonLargiader · Post by **AntonLargiader** » Thu Oct 11, 2007 6:40 am

May '53, no dent, no red/green, no slider. Amber below the speedo, red to the left of the key, fuse to the right of the key. No idea if it's original, though.

I agree, the high-rib rims on the eBay bike don't work for me.

Darryl.Richman · Post by **Darryl.Richman** » Thu Oct 11, 2007 10:57 am

May '53, no dent, no red/green, no slider. Amber below the speedo, red to the left of the key, fuse to the right of the key. No idea if it's original, though.

I agree, the high-rib rims on the eBay bike don't work for me.
My 1953 R51/3 was made April 4th, 1953, and it has the older style bucket as well (round, green, neutral light below the speedo; round, red generator light to the left of the key; fuse plug to the right of the key. I appear to be the 3rd owner, and the first owner bought the bike in Germany before he emmigrated to the US. The second owner seemed rather penurious, so I doubt he'd have changed it unnecessarily.

It had chrome wheels with the half width hubs, however, which seems like an odd combination. (The chrome wheels came in with the full width hubs, right?)

comet · Post by **comet** » Thu Oct 11, 2007 4:31 pm

The rounded top grab rail with R51 stamped (or R50) is indeed a Hoske accessory for either plunger frame or swing arm. The more squared off and taller one was used on the R68 and R67/3 but was also listed in the Earles fork era accessory catalog. It's main use was for pulling a sidecar equipped unit backwards. Notice the R75M has one.