R60/2 red indicator purpose

[MullyR60]

Hi all,

What is this red light on the right side of the bucket for?

[schrader7032]

I've never been able to keep it totally straight and the final situation could be changed by dealers or owners. The story I remember is that it is the generator light. I probably have that wrong. Initially, all you had was the heart-shaped red-green lens at the back of the bucket. Red for the generator and green for neutral. Late in the 1960s with the US pushing for safety, the generator light was moved to the separate indicator you pointed out and the old red lens was converted to the high beam indicator.

[MullyR60]

Hi Schrader,

The red indicator in the heart shaped lens in the back is still the alternator light on this bike. Maybe the one in question is the high beam indicator? I do not recall this lamp ever turning on however. I have used the Hi beam. The lamp may be shot also.This is a new bike for me and it being vintage is also new but very cool.

Thanks again!

[jeff dean]

On 1968-9 bikes, it was the generator light and the red triangular indicator at the bottom of the nacelle was a high beam indicator. However, on bikes I owned that had the red circular indicator on the side of the nacelle I switch the wiring so that the generator light was where I was used to seeing it, and the red indicator became the high beam indicator.

[rdnNHandAZ]

I am refreshing my 1959 R60 which has a later headlight nacelle. I am leaving the heart shaped lights as BMW originally made them and the "third light" will be the high beam like Jeff's. I visited MaxBMW and had them show me all the third light colored lenses. They had red and green but those are used already on the origional so I picked orange and will use a very low watt lamp in it so it shows up in the evening but not bright. Blue would have been good too as many cars use that color for high beams.

Ralph Hudson