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1953 R68 for sale on ebay
I wonder what this one will
I wonder what this one will sell for?
You do not see too many of these come up for sale.
Very very pretty machine.
You do not see too many of these come up for sale.
Very very pretty machine.
Reserve is off
The reserve is off on the R68 on ebay. I was guessing it would lift at 30K. It appears that it went at about 29K. Looks like it will go above 30K, as it should.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/100-mph- ... 230d98fcc3
I have long felt that vintage BMWs are under valued compared to vintage Harleys, Indians, Broughs, Vincents, etc.
http://cgi.ebay.com/ebaymotors/100-mph- ... 230d98fcc3
I have long felt that vintage BMWs are under valued compared to vintage Harleys, Indians, Broughs, Vincents, etc.
[h3]Jeff Dean
Friend of the Marque, Co-Founder VBMWMO (1972)
http://bmwdean.com --- http://bmwdean.com/slash2.htm[/h3]
[img]http://bmwdean.com/r75-200.jpg[/img]
Friend of the Marque, Co-Founder VBMWMO (1972)
http://bmwdean.com --- http://bmwdean.com/slash2.htm[/h3]
[img]http://bmwdean.com/r75-200.jpg[/img]
+ 30K
I would not be suprised to see 35K, and yes Jeff you are as usual spot on with the comment that BMW Vintage bikes are undervalued in comparison, not a bad situation (temporarily) in my humble opinion as it leaves just this next few years for all of us to add to our collections before this wave of popularity and high prices spreads. Wish I had Darryl's dollars I'd be bidding 
R42, R12, R51/3, R69S
Auction canceled
Looks like the seller took it off ebay and canceled all bids. Must have found a rich, anonymous buyer!
[h3]Jeff Dean
Friend of the Marque, Co-Founder VBMWMO (1972)
http://bmwdean.com --- http://bmwdean.com/slash2.htm[/h3]
[img]http://bmwdean.com/r75-200.jpg[/img]
Friend of the Marque, Co-Founder VBMWMO (1972)
http://bmwdean.com --- http://bmwdean.com/slash2.htm[/h3]
[img]http://bmwdean.com/r75-200.jpg[/img]
-
loftus7608
- Posts: 31
- Joined: Tue Sep 01, 2009 4:53 pm
oh well.....
I saw it advertised on the the Internet BMW Riders website ( http://marketplace.ibmwr.org/) for $35,000. Last price I saw on eBay was $30,100, this morning (EST). I'll bet he got the $35,000 ...or more???
Remember that old song "love the one you're with" now back to our bikes boys, no more dreaming about that pretty R68 that just got away!
Cheers, Tom
Remember that old song "love the one you're with" now back to our bikes boys, no more dreaming about that pretty R68 that just got away!
Cheers, Tom
-
vestigial shifter
- Posts: 1
- Joined: Sun Jan 30, 2011 1:50 am
1953 R68 find back in
1953 R68 find back in '83.
The year was 1983. Many of us rode R50/2, R60/2 or R69S as our daily rides... we couldn't afford /6 or /7. One sunny spring morning an ad appeared in the San Fran Chron "Old BMW $900 b/o". I rode out to a rec-cycling plant 10 miles away. Under a pile of shredded paper there was dusty weird chimera with a bulbous tank. Well it sorta looked like a /2 but where's the Earles? What the hey, I paid the man. "You coming back with a truck today? I really need that outta here".... "Can I borrow a screw diver?" O.K. but you're wasting your time, the battery is dead"
Floats cleaned, a gallon of fresh petrol, two kicks and she roared to life. "How did you do that with no battery?" . "Dunno, just a feeling"
On the ride home an intense thrill came over me...way more fun than my R60 and fast too!. Next day I stop by the BMW dealer... "Oh you got a 51/3" but looks like they stuck in an R69S engine." "Too bad that the flared fenders are gone" "Might have been worth something"
She would run strong then peter out under throttle. I checked the fuel flow. Not much coming out of that old (orig) petcock. Cruise by Munroe motors and sure enough a Guzzi petcock fits right up. Yep fuel starvation. The p.o. had done an engine overhaul but never checked the petcock. Guess he gave up on her. Now she was outrunning most everything else on the road. Problem was I couldn't brake 'cause of the half-width steel brake hubs and narrow brake linings. Dusting off the frame tag revealed a "1953 R68" with matching engine and frame numbers. Still didn't know what I had for quite a while. Research wasn't easy in the decades preceding the internet. All was original down to the tail light except for an R60/2 headlight shell.
A few years later, was riding down the coast and I see a big BMW event going on at Carmel. The factory was rolling out the first K bikes. I ride up to the mansion to show the factory boys my vintage. I was proud of her although could not afford paint. "We're taking pictures here, can you park that thing around back please?" Not much interest in "old" motorcycles back then unless they happened to be panheads or Vincents. She became my main steed. Many long road trips, my daily ride for 7 years.
Riding her one day I stop at Pacifica Pier. A teen comes up and and says "I got one of them in my garage" Sure you do kid, lets take a look. Back of his garage is 1954 R51/3 flat tracker time capsule with period turquoise paint.
"Our uncle use to race but he's been gone many years now". "We have the original title"
Lightened frame. special FAG carbs, front mounted Rennesport mechanical tach, high looping , un-baffled megaphone mufflers which burned your thighs unless you wore leathers, bobbed rear fender, no headlamp or front fender, old knobbies. .Pagussa solo saddle, orig 1954 black Cali plate, last registered in ''59.. . I pulled the dip-stick and it was half dissolved. "Would $150 be fair?", the kids mom said... "But we want to see it run again." "Judging by how well you keep yours running we would like you to have it". I hand mom three c-notes, all I had to my name. "Keep the change" "I'll ride her back". Pulled the timing cove, jugs and found just a bad cam, pitted cyl sleeves. After lots of flushing in frame and used cam and new rings, courtesy of Bill and Fred at the old BMW of Marin, and she too rumbles to life. How I love those BMW's with their pre-war type vestigial hand lever shifters. I am no longer the custodian of either and always wished that this would have been possible. Only a few faded Polaroids and a 1959 title bear witness to the joy these gave me in my youth.
The year was 1983. Many of us rode R50/2, R60/2 or R69S as our daily rides... we couldn't afford /6 or /7. One sunny spring morning an ad appeared in the San Fran Chron "Old BMW $900 b/o". I rode out to a rec-cycling plant 10 miles away. Under a pile of shredded paper there was dusty weird chimera with a bulbous tank. Well it sorta looked like a /2 but where's the Earles? What the hey, I paid the man. "You coming back with a truck today? I really need that outta here".... "Can I borrow a screw diver?" O.K. but you're wasting your time, the battery is dead"
Floats cleaned, a gallon of fresh petrol, two kicks and she roared to life. "How did you do that with no battery?" . "Dunno, just a feeling"
On the ride home an intense thrill came over me...way more fun than my R60 and fast too!. Next day I stop by the BMW dealer... "Oh you got a 51/3" but looks like they stuck in an R69S engine." "Too bad that the flared fenders are gone" "Might have been worth something"
She would run strong then peter out under throttle. I checked the fuel flow. Not much coming out of that old (orig) petcock. Cruise by Munroe motors and sure enough a Guzzi petcock fits right up. Yep fuel starvation. The p.o. had done an engine overhaul but never checked the petcock. Guess he gave up on her. Now she was outrunning most everything else on the road. Problem was I couldn't brake 'cause of the half-width steel brake hubs and narrow brake linings. Dusting off the frame tag revealed a "1953 R68" with matching engine and frame numbers. Still didn't know what I had for quite a while. Research wasn't easy in the decades preceding the internet. All was original down to the tail light except for an R60/2 headlight shell.
A few years later, was riding down the coast and I see a big BMW event going on at Carmel. The factory was rolling out the first K bikes. I ride up to the mansion to show the factory boys my vintage. I was proud of her although could not afford paint. "We're taking pictures here, can you park that thing around back please?" Not much interest in "old" motorcycles back then unless they happened to be panheads or Vincents. She became my main steed. Many long road trips, my daily ride for 7 years.
Riding her one day I stop at Pacifica Pier. A teen comes up and and says "I got one of them in my garage" Sure you do kid, lets take a look. Back of his garage is 1954 R51/3 flat tracker time capsule with period turquoise paint.
"Our uncle use to race but he's been gone many years now". "We have the original title"
Lightened frame. special FAG carbs, front mounted Rennesport mechanical tach, high looping , un-baffled megaphone mufflers which burned your thighs unless you wore leathers, bobbed rear fender, no headlamp or front fender, old knobbies. .Pagussa solo saddle, orig 1954 black Cali plate, last registered in ''59.. . I pulled the dip-stick and it was half dissolved. "Would $150 be fair?", the kids mom said... "But we want to see it run again." "Judging by how well you keep yours running we would like you to have it". I hand mom three c-notes, all I had to my name. "Keep the change" "I'll ride her back". Pulled the timing cove, jugs and found just a bad cam, pitted cyl sleeves. After lots of flushing in frame and used cam and new rings, courtesy of Bill and Fred at the old BMW of Marin, and she too rumbles to life. How I love those BMW's with their pre-war type vestigial hand lever shifters. I am no longer the custodian of either and always wished that this would have been possible. Only a few faded Polaroids and a 1959 title bear witness to the joy these gave me in my youth.