The bike runs great, but it's never going to win at a concourse, it's not restored nearly enough for that. But maybe I can distract the judges with some fancy vintage clothing...
Contentious yes - but I seem to remember from my youth back in Germany, that the "sagenhafte Zuverlässigkeit" of the R69 created the myth of the indestructible Earles BMWs. However by the mid sixties it became clear that quality standards had fallen substantially, most likely through a half-hearted attitude in the Works and BMW Motorcycle would have been a basket case if it wasn't for renewed spirit and the sound engineering of the /5 models which saved the BMW motorcycle branch. I believe the 'good Earles ones' are the early R50, R69 and R60 till about 1960 - by contemporary standards that is, remembering that most bikes then were either Harleys or the British brands - and we know how much attention and maintenance they required.
R69 vs R69S ... Many people who have never looked inside them assume that the R69S was an improved version, whereas, in fact, with the exception of a very slightly higher absolute top speed, it was an inferior bike in every way. Now there's a contentious statement!
That sure is one funny looking pair of britches and I'm glad nobody makes me wear any fancy pants like that!
Darryl,
Your R52 looks great and your weather last weekend was definitely better than in Milan........but I think that grin on your face would be bigger if you were dressed appropriately for your bike.
According to the serial number, I have a 1959 R60. I need a rear fender/ taillight and was wondering what series would be a correct match. Also, is it Kosher to powder coat the frame after blasting with walnut shells? I am doing a "ground-up" on the bike.
Dedicated to the Preservation of Classic and Antique BMW Motorcycles.
In the process of finishing up the rebuild on my R60/2 engine, ran into a problem with fitting of the gear cover. When bolted down there is binding of the engine, with difficulty freely turning over engine. This seems to occur with the last few hundredths of a mm when tightening the Allen screws.
I checked the nose bearing seating and crank gear seating and they seem to be fine.
