Why an old BMW Airhead Motorcycle is the most reliable bike you can own. R50/5 Toaster Tank Review.
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- Опубликовано: 21 май 2022
- I've owned my R50/5 toaster tank Airhead BMW Motorcycle for nearly 8 years now. It has never left me stranded, and quite possibly be the best all around vintage motorcycle to own. Here is an honest review. For the 1970 model year, BMW launched three new models having engine capacities of 500 cc (R50/5), 600 cc (R60/5), and 750 cc (R75/5). The R75/5 could reach 110 mph (177 km/h).[1][failed verification] Model year 1972 saw the introduction of the 15 L (3.3 imp gal; 4.0 US gal) rectangular tank with chrome side panels. For the second half of the 1973 model year, BMW lengthened the rear swingarm 2.5 inch (6.4 cm), resulting in the “long-wheelbase” (LWB) models. This enabled a larger battery, while retaining the kick starter.
The /5 series was the first series to be manufactured completely in Berlin,[citation needed] as by 1969 all of Munich's production capacity was needed for automobiles. "Berlin with its well-trained workforce was an obvious choice. So in 1969 the Berlin Plant started production of the all-new BMW /5 Series, a completely new design and construction following a modular principle all the way from the suspension to the flat-twin power unit.[2]
In 1970, 12,287 units were manufactured and by July 1973, when the /5 model series reached the end production, a significant volume of 68,956 motorcycles had left the Berlin Plant, production increasing five-fold within three years. During this period, BMW manufactured its 500,000th.[2]
In 1974, BMW introduced the “/6” models, which offered front disc brake, revised instrumentation, and a five-speed transmission. The single disc brake was a hybrid cable/hydraulic system, whereby a cable from the handlebar lever actuated the master cylinder underneath the fuel tank. The rectangular tank was dropped.
All /5 models featured both electric starter and kickstarter,[3] with kickstarters remaining available on some BMW motorcycles up to model year 1980.
#bmwairhead#bmwmotorcycle#vintagebmw 
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Someone in my neighborhood had one of these in the bed of their truck. I was in awe. For once someone had something other a harley. Thank the lord.
The thing about shaft final drive vs chain, is that, although the shaft may be slightly less efficient, it stays at that level of efficiency indefinitely. The chain may start out more efficient, but then it gets worn and dirty and loose and requires frequent maintenance, and it's all downhill from there. I've had 3 BMWs over the years. Great bikes.
True statement right there 👏
Shaft drives gets worn too
There’s more to a reliable bike than just the final drive ….
@@kasperkjrsgaard1447 in vielen Jahren
Agreed, the shaft drive last pretty much for the life of the bike. I’m riding a 1980 Honda Cb900c with a shaft drive and it works flawlessly. Even when smoking the rear tire off ! Smooth , dependable, quite operation . For riding a shaft makes sense , for drag racing a chain makes sense. You can jerk a chain and pull quicker than a shaft. For riding daily or tripping it’s a shaft drive every time.
BMW set the standard for reliability and long-distance touring. What a catastrophe that today’s BMWs do not even come close to that standard BMW set a long time ago..
É por isso que eu nunca vou trocar a minha GS1200 ano 2012, a última da geração de refrigeração a ar, embreagem seca e câmbio separado do motor. Tradição, confiabilidade, robustez, motocicleta BMW boxer de verdade.
Enjoyed every minute. I had a 1961 R69S which I rode across America in the early 70’s. Absolutely wonderful. I still miss it.
Nice bike! Would have loved to experience the 70s on a moto
@@SirDrifto i did. A great decade for bikes. So many of us had them
The sound of this boxer motor from this period of time is what touches me the most.
Greetings from the UK! I have this exact same model, with the toaster tank in black. It is a ‘73 model, long wheelbase, which BMW did to improve the handling. I concur with everything you say about the reliability, simplicity and sheer joy of these bikes. I do all my own servicing and just fill it with fuel and ride it. I have installed electronic ignition so I don’t have to worry about adjusting or cleaning points. All the best 👍🏻
Don't ever sell it :)
They got feedback from me in 1972. That bike went into a strong wobble as you approached 100 mph. It would smooth out completely after a bit more speed. We lived next to the president of the importing company at the time, Butler and Smith. His bit about the battery was incorrect, it was head shake.
*I had a 73 R60/5.*
Here are the airheads I owned when I was able to ride. 1970 R60/5, 1974 R90/6, 1976 R75/6, and 1978 R100S. If I were able to ride again, I'd own another airhead for sure. If money were no object, it would be a 1976 Daytona Orange R90S. Oh yeah, I also owned 4 Hondas, a BSA, and 2 Harleys. No contest. Airheads win!
Love these bikes so much I own two of them - a restored '71 and a '72 rider. Both are such a joy to look at, work on, and ride. They love the back roads at 60 mph and it's a great touring bike. Bullet proof!
backroads at 60. thats my thing. thanks.
I’ve been riding 50+ years and I had a new 1986 BMW R65, which I sold to buy a new 1993 Goldwing so my wife would ride with me. I always regretted selling the Beemer. So, I’m turning 70 next month and I bought my friend’s 1986BMW R80RT for all of the reasons you stated. I can work on it and I will be riding it around Wyoming and Montana where I live. I’m going to give my Harley Electraglide to my oldest son when I’m too old to handle it any more. I put a rack/backrest on the Beemer for my wife so she will still ride with me. If Mama ain’t happy, ain’t nobody happy. Great review. Keep the shiny side up!😎👍
That R80RT is an awesome choice! 👌 and thank you.
Totally agree with everything you said. I’m driving a R100R for 27 years now. Love it, changed a lot over the years. These airheads got so much character, there is no need to go fast.
That's a great bike
Totaly agree, I have 1964 R69s, this motorcycles is art as you say.
I concur with your assessment of the reliability of the /5. I bought a 1973 R750/5 long frame with 9400 miles on it. I toured North America for 2 or so years and sold it in 1977 with 230,000 miles. It never did anything wrong. Still had the original head gaskets and all internals. Sure I replaced the cylinder base gaskets and kept up on maintenance, but just a fantastic machine. All the cables are straight pull and if you keep the dust shields nice they will last forever. When I sold it mine still had the original throttle cables, front brake cable and choke cables. I sold it in 1977 and bought a brand new 1977 R100S which I only drove about 30,000 trouble free miles so I can’t really attest to it’s long term reliability. By the way I sold both bikes for more than I paid for them.
That is awesome 👌
I've got a 75 R60/6. 12k miles on it. Bought it off of a collector that was the original owner. It's perfect. Great video!
She is beautiful the toster & the lady too !! ☘️
I purchased an R75/5 in 1984. At that point it was a running wreck that had been seized by New York State and sold at auction to settle tax debt for someone who had passed away without a will. It had 24,000 miles on it at the time.
Fast forward 38 years and I still have the bike, and it is one of my favorite bikes to ride -- current mileage is @190,000, and it is still dead reliable. Although I did a top end overhaul at @115K miles, the bike still has its original bottom end - crank and bearings.
My advice on reliability is that the smaller displacement models -- the R60, particularly -- will essentially run forever because they don't make enough power to hurt themselves. R50s were not imported into the US. The smaller displacement bikes are also much smoother runners. Anything one does to increase the output of the motor will lower overall longevity of components - particularly gearbox bearings of the 4-speed transmission. My bike was increased to 900 ccs displacement and eventually I needed to upgrade to a later 5 speed box whose bigger bearings were designed for the increased output. I have other airheads, and when I need to source used components for an overhaul or restoration, I always look for components from R60s and R65s, because their overall wear levels are measurably lower.
If you are new to the vintage bike game, and want to own one, two tips -- 1) an electronic ignition or ignition booster will make the bike a better starter, smoother runner and lower your maintenence needs. 2) The charging systems on these bikes are not quite up to modern specs -- even coming back from an extended ride will not charge the battery to full capacity. Addition of a battery pigtail and Tender will ensure that the bike always 100% ready to ride.
More info can be found by Gee-oogling 'Billy Joel, The Barn Job, and the long highway'.
Happy Airheading! 😁
Great information 👍
Beautifully made video; other aspiring bloggers could learn a lot from this. Lovely bike too - I've had lots of airheads and agree with everything you say about them.
You have a very nice friend with you. She is a beauty.
Takes me back. I had a 1955 R60 that I rode all over Europe, North Africa and Turkey in 1971-1974. With all camping stuff. R60 had a front swing arm, and the engine was upside down - cylinders closer to the road. One had to be careful with hidden stones along mountain roads.
Later had a Moto Guzzi 850. Also recommended.
Sir Drifto - your description of the bike as art is something I agree with and appreciate. This is a nicely done video that provides inspiration for viewers and makes us want to be on the bike. Well done. Also, I like your classic style, not just the bike, but the snap-brim cap and the classic Members Only jacket. Way cool!
Thank you for the kind words! I appreciate that. 🙏
I rode my friend's mid-80's R100RS yesterday. I loved it. Great explanation, great video.
That's a great bike.
Just stumbled upon your channel while looking for inspiration for my own airhead project… instant sub here!
Perfect explainer on the airhead lineup and it’s quirks. Keep up the rad work!
Love hearing that. What's your airhead project?
Habt das Bike toll vorgestellt. Ein bisschen Kanada habe ich auch sehen dürfen. So schön wie Baden Württemberg/Stuttgart ( Black Forrest). Habe vor Tagen eine R90/6 in einer Garage gefunden und ihr habt mich sehr motiviert die BMW auf die Straße zurückzubringen. Vielen Dank und viele glückliche Fahrten.
Nice bike and a scenic route, recipe for happiness
Very true 👍
Well said. I a couple years ago I found a 92 R100R. And am absolutely smitten. The first ride on an airhead I was blown away by the low center of gravity it feels like a much lighter bike in terms of handling.
They just feel right to ride
Very informative and well put together! Thank you.
Nice bike. I had an R50/5 which I sold but still have an R75/5. You say the brakes aren't great but these bikes are known for having the best drum brakes of their era, so you may need to do some adjustment. I've had some panic stops on mine and the bike stayed stable and true. Also, they aren't really that heavy, 450 pounds, but riding two up on an R50/5 is asking a lot of that bike. It's happiest at about 55-60 with a lone rider.
Great video, and you're on the money about the reliability and ease of maintenance. I'd say the most important thing is to make sure your forks and your wheel bearings are in really good shape, both of which can ruin your day if not well-maintained, but other than that it's oil changes and valve adjustments and lots of fun!
They really are great bikes
Thank you for an excellent review. Best review on any vintage airhead on RUclips. Beautiful. This Old guy still riding 1953 airhead BMW 25/2. BMW forever.
Nice bike you got!
Nice overview. I have a 1974 R90/6 that I love. It was my main touring bike for many years, and I would not hesitate to take it on a long trip again.
That’s a great bike
I love the Toaster models, would love an R75/5 one day. I have an 1984 R65 which I love, have owned it for over 20 years and has been in the family for all but one year of its life. Easy to ride, easy to work on, reliable and has heaps of character. Great video, thanks for sharing and hope you continue to enjoy that beautiful /5.
They've aged well
Owning and riding an R-65 from 1984 has been a real pleasure .
Thoroughly enjoyed your review. Always been curious about the R's. Sounds really good.
This is such a good explanation on why these bikes are simply amazing.
Thank you 🤙
My first BMW was a war “reparation”, a 1938 R17 that never missed a beat for six hard years. My favorite was a 1972 R75/5 that I bought new in the UK. It would clock 200,000 miles before old bones compelled me to sell it. I owned several other airheads at times but the /5 was always the default motorcycle. It was a Toaster but I used the correct big tank for long hauls. Later models did not have the character of the Funfer although I enjoyed them for their own characters.
I rebuilt the engine and transmission, refurbished the rear drive and fitted later Bings to it. It was a fused wiring loom so the original survived to the end. I fitted a Boyer ignition to it, big improvement.
You have a beauty there and I miss my Five: had my reflexes remained more acute, it would still be in my garage.
great bike. great video. it sounds fantastic. i had an R75/5 some 40 years ago. great bike and zero issues. last year i bought a 2001 oilhead R1200C Phoenix with 4000 miles on it. like someone below said, i love the backroads at 60mph. thank you and thank you to the many comments.
I had a BMW R60/7 and did 110000 miles in 3.5 years. Only ever needed normal servicing parts. Nothing ever broke.
It was very comfortable, engine gutless brake (single disc) was poor.
Great bike.
100/7 was anything but gutless. ;^)
Lovely, lovely video! Great knowladge and you explained very well. Cheers
Cool videos man, I like your style. I don't know jack about old BMW motorcycles so I feel like I learned something!
Thanks for the kind words!!
The POV experience at the start and end of your video and the sound of that boxer brought back memories of rides through the mountains (Roof of Africa route) on my R80 G/S. I have two of them - 1981 and 1985 models. Haven’t ridden them in nearly 20 years and they gather dust and cobwebs in storage. Need to dust them off and rebuild the forks and brakes. Just realize now how much I miss the wind in my head and the sound of a boxer below me!
You made me miss my BMW R60 1968 with its Erls fort. I bought it used in Munchen Genmany while vacationing there. I loved it when riding the New England countries road.
I am a BMW rider as well and I love my bike, the GS1250. I should also say I love my BMW scooter, the C650GT and I am so glad I bought it last year. I will be on the lookout for an airhead probably the 75 but thanks so much for this review. You've cemented my own personal though about their bikes.
They're hard to beat. Good luck in your search.
Beautiful bike. Love the boxers. The design simplicity, reliability and ease of maintenance is perfect! Got a 2009 r1200rt..... Awesome!
bro i just found your channel but dude. i love your stuf! keep it up!
I really appreciate that. Thank you!
I had a 1975 R90/6 that I rode for over 250,000 miles in my 32 years of ownership. Put a clutch in early on and a final drive at around 225,000 ( from eBay).
Bought a 1996 K1100 lt and rode it for 100,000 miles.
I now own a 2015 BMW R1200 RT with less than 12,000 miles on it.
I've loved them all.
That is amazing
@@SirDrifto love your /5. Classic!
I've still got the exhaust wrench and the extended tool kit from my r90. I guess there may be another "airhead" in my future. Who knows.???
My 1953 R/551/3 was an awesome bike! a 2 up seat, 6 1/2. gallon fuel tank,, an oil bath air filter, open drive shaft. hand dampened. it was a jewel!
Nice bike!
@@SirDrifto So is your R/50!
I’ve had mine since college, 35 years and 100,000 miles.
Great video, many thanks from Sardinia, Italy.
Thanks for watching
Bought a 1973.5/R75 large tank black white pinstriped. Bay Area: Rode around 4 Corners, etc., and burned a lot of side tread. LOL..The Mt. Tam. to Inverness Sunday morn run was another game..A great m/c. But: my fav was my massaged K75S and great riding position for all day back roads. Thanks for memories.
Just found your channel. Very pleasant, informative video. I own a 1973 Motto Guzzi 850 Eldorado black/chrome, that has been in storage for many, many years. I've been care giving 24/7 for the past 15 years. That responsibility has ended and I am beginning a new chapter in my life. Your wonderful video has inspired me to get my bike back on the road! Will definitely be checking out more of your content. Thanks, keep up the good work and be safe! Carpe Diem. Liked & subscribed⚓
You can go further back: In the late 1980s i had a R 51/3 from 1954. It was a absolute reliabel daily driver.
A friend of mine owns a R1200 RT (Oil Cooled) and has over 186.000 miles on it with some minor repairs.
I do own a 2012 R1200R (also oil cooled) with now 37.000 miles and it runs just like on the first day with no complications. These thing simply run forever :)
Greetings from Germany :)
Back in the prehistoric days I had a R75/5 with the large tank. Had a vetter flaring on it with the matching white bags.
I'm glad it has fuel filters. My old friend David bought one in 1971 & had several happy years riding it.
My father was a long time BMW rider. He put a verified 400k on various models through the years. He was an ambassador for the national BMWMOA. His reasons for staying with them over the years was, first, as you say, they're solid and reliable. Second, if things do go wrong, they're very easy to fix for a relative minimum of cost. They're simple, and that says it all.
I have always liked the Honda air cooled bikes. My Son has been bring. Cb900c , 10speed 1980 back from the dead for me to ride. These old Honda, Suzuki, Kawasaki air cooled bikes run forever with little maintenance. Fun, reliable, comfortable with plenty of get up and go. In 1980 they put a shaft drive , rubber mounted motor, transmission, Jack plate, with air adjustable ride front end and rear end. Your capable of adjusting everything to do with the ride. Smooth scary smooth much better than most motorcycles I’ve ever ridden. The old BMW are all tanks like the big Horizontal 4cylinders that never die. Be Happy, Celebrate Life , speed isn’t everything.
Had to give up riding my 73 R60/5. Old Age did it. I watch your riders view video with the engine sound over and over. I miss it.
A very well done video, thank you.
Thanks for watching
Beautiful sound 👍
I've owned BMW R75/5's since the early 90's. My world is incomplete without one. I rode Asian bikes from the mid 70's until my first 1971 R75/5 in 1993...paid $1200.00 for it. My first ride reminded me of driving an old clunky pickup truck...instantly fell in love with it. Currently I have a 1970 R75/5 with 50k miles on it. It will be my final one. Also have a self built (from 4 derelict bikes) R100S with a Jupiter sidecar. Great bikes.
Gute Vorstellung.Man merkt , Du magst Dein Bike.Ich fahre eine R80 von 1986.Weiterhin viel Freude.Gruß aus Germany.
I had a 1971 R50/5 with the classic 6.3 gal tank. Rode it coast to coast as a 500cc then scored R75 top end and turned it into a R75/5 with the short WB and R50 gearing. Airhead wheelies. Took it apart and added the Rennsport cam, R90/s roller bearing rockers, Pridmore Production race pistons etc and lightened the flywheel ... instant cafe racer / track day bike. Then took it all back to stock and it had 70K+ miles on it when I gave it to my sidecar racing partner ... still going strong the last I heard. GREAT motorcycle!
That sounds like a fun bike
Wonderful video.
What a good video well done 👍
_You_ like these bikes? I am lucky to be old enough that I had the opportunity to talk with veterans of the Wehrmacht, and more than once I heard that the reliability of those machines quite literally saved the lives of the men I talked to. Because those bikes … just wouldn't break down. Tanks broke down, cars couldn't get on, but with a Kraftrad, you could get out of any situation. Thank you for this video. Makes me understand why those old men spoke so highly of them.
Reliability is the first thing that comes to mind when owning this bike. Never once have had an issue that left me stranded
@@SirDrifto - exactly. And now imagine, you are running from the Soviet army, your life literally depends on the reliability of your machine, and … it does _not_ break down.
You see, I do not even have a driving license, and, as citizen of a European city with excellent public transport who is well in his 40ies age-wise, I likely never will, but _damn_ are these gorgeous machines!
Also, I realize I just cannot not resist to make some pointy comments at British and a certain U.S. manufacturer concerning reliability 😉You, with your BMW are - quite literally! - sitting on a gem of engineering, and I'd tell you to enjoy every moment, but I take it this goes without saying. Greetings from Austria!
Love the toaster tank and great video. I have a '21 BMW R nineT and a '59 BMW R60. Have seen a fair amount of the SWB toaster tanks come up for sale over the years but that seems to be getting less and less unfortunately. Would love one of these and an R90s to round out an airhead "collection."
Ah you have some great bikes 🏍
You're the personification of the book Zen and the art of motorcycle maintenance.🥰
I really need to read that book! I'm slacking!
@@SirDrifto A good read, yule love it.
What a pretty thing she is.
And what a gorgeous motorcycle too :-)
I was looking at the indicator stalks and they look so solid compared to later, modern bikes. There appears to be virtually no plastic on the bike, with everything beautifully made and solid. 👍
Built like a tank
Great vid.! So good to see Ted Lasso thriving.
Very good and informative video ! I have always wanted one of those classic airheads...but, never found one that turned me (still looking)....in the meantime, I have an Italian airhead - a 1973 Moto Guzzi Eldorado 850cc it gives me the joie de vivre ! for all the reasons you stated
I love moto guzzis. Great motorcycles 👍
I agree. I had a '73 R75/5 long wheel base. Same color. Black with the toaster tank. It was the most reliable. I never should have sold it. It was the first BMW that I had, but not the last. Great bikes.
That bike is growing on me, reliable, simple, easy to work on, impressive.
This vid really made me miss my 1983 R65 😥
I had a 1962 R60 with the Earls front end. It had the original BMW plastic saddle bags. It had 48,000 miles on it when I got it. The transmission had some wear, I had to move the shifter a little further than normal, but still worked perfectly for me. At the same time, I had a 1969 R69S with the regular telescopic front end. While they were both 600cc, the R69S took off like a rocket, nothing you would expect. BMWs were the best made machines I had ever ridden. Take a look at how the twist grip pulls the throttle cables sometime. There's a beveled gear on the twist grip that turned another beveled gear, that in turn pulled the throttle cables perfectly straight without bending them. Both of my machines had the original cables. Your pipes don't look like the BMW pipes I'm familiar with and seem to make much more noise. My Beamers were quiet. I could ride them all day without needing a break to rest my butt. I could ride it all day without needing a break.
I owned a r 60/5 for around 7 Years and really enjoyed riding it. Since 2021 I have a more „modern“ Follower of this. It is an 1999 R 850 R and Boy this is also a fantastic Bike to Ride. And since 2022 there is also a v-twin in my Garage it’s a Moto Guzzi v 7 from 2016 and in my Opinion a perfect Addition to the BMW.
Moto guzis are phenomenal bikes too.
great video Man you said it "that is no other motorcycle manifacture with more bike with over 100.000 miles"
Agreed. Thanks for watching
Beautiful bike
I’ve just bought a 1985 R80 and love the bike. At 65 I find it handles very different to the 750 Yamaha triple shaft drive. Love it here in Australia.
That is really cool!
I owned the same bike back in the 80s it's 1 bike I regret selling R 80 RT
The young lady patiently sitting near by on the side of the road should be appreciated .
great stuff.
Owned my Granada Red 1972 toaster R75/5 for 40 years. Never ever a problem. It came with with the low bars with bar end mirrors. Lucky enough to find a pair of NOS bullet pipes at a local BMW shop's tag sale left by a customer who walked away from them for $25/the pair. A few scatches in the gorgeous red paint but like new shiny paint. One of my MDs said, enough already now at your age and medical situation, it must go. Well after riding bikes for 60 years it was a tearfull Good Bye.
Nice bike!
My R60/6 tended to ping and then overheat even on premium fuel. Several dealers looked at and told me I just needed to rebuild it and lower the compression. It also tended to eat points. No mater who installed the points or how they were set, they would burn and take out the primary wire with them. I put a Dyna III on it and it was fixed. Never could find the problem with the points and I out 30,000 miles on the Dyna with a new set of points in the toolkit. I can highly recommend the Works Performance shocks, which really settled down the shaft drive jacking.
That's some great info 👍
The R60 model was inclined to ping on modern gas: when first on the road, 100 octane gas was available and they did run better. The Bing carbs were not the best but if sealed and in good order, ran fine. Modern Mikunis are a fairly priced replacement and do wake the motor up!
My pal had much the same issue with his 72 600. A Boyer ignition timed accurately solved the issue.
Much livelier than the 750 but less torquey, I alaways enjoyed riding a 600.
what a gem.
My JAWA moped 49cc from 1981 will probably make 70,000 miles, but it will take a while; it’ll take lots of residential and beach coast cruising
Lovely bike , i have a B M W K75c , which ive owned for 15 years , its a 1987 model , once again always reliable and nice to ride , its a trait of B M Ws well made bikes , but i certainly like yours , Thanks for the information. 😊
In 1974 I bought a new R50/5 (not a toaster). It was my first BMW. I loved it and unfortunately, I put a handlebar mounted fairing on it and that was not the best thing to do because the fairing was a little too much for the 50 to push especially when my wife rode with me. Later I bought an R75/6 and then a new R100/7 special that had the orange paint, color matched factory fairing, Krauser bags and snowflake mag wheels. I have also owned 2 oil heads. Thanks for the memories.
I owned two BMWs. a R80/7 and a R100RS in the late seventies...I swopped from a Moto Guzzi 850 leMans ..(possible a mistake) going by current prices for the Italian Stallion, I digress. The R800/7 was a lovely touring Bike..comfy, smooth engine, reliable. Everything about it exuded quality. I then moved on to the top model in its time a R100RS. This had a build quality far exceeding Japanese bikes of the time,....I believe it was the most expensive mass production Bike of its time....I rode both bikes many thousands of carefree, reliable miles...BMW air-cooled Boxer twins...Great motorcycles
Love guzzis
I bought a used 1968 (1,500 total miles) BMW R60 motorcycle in 1970 for $1,050.00. It had been purchased by a retired man and his wife to ride from Santa Fe New Mexico to the Grand Canyon and back. The bike was equipped with comfortable leather bicycle style individual seats, Bates fiberglass side and top cases and the R60 hearing had been swapped out for R50 gearing for better performance in the higher altitudes of Santa Fe. A week after I bought the bike I set off on a 2,500 mile trip to LA and Washington state during which I crossed the Mojave Desert in mid July. He temperature in Needles California was 115F and I collapsed with sun stroke. Had to spend two days hunkered down in a motel to get my strength back and then completed the rest of the desert crossing at night when the temperature cooled to around 112F. Despite the hideous heat the bike performed flawlessly. At trips end I wound up settling in northern California and a year later I sold the bike for $50 less than I paid for it. The only mechanical trouble I had with it was a faulty bakelite spark plug wire lead which kept sorting out during my trip. This resulted in a preignition problem that caused a rapping sound which I initially worried was either a bad wrist pin of connecting rod bearing. Given the total lack of BMW dealers on my route this worry really put a damper on my trip and I didn't discover the real source of the problem until the trip was over. All in all I found the bike a comfortable touring platform as well as dependable. On winding coastal roads, however, I discovered that backing off the throttle during tight corners would sometimes result in driveshaft torque altering the lean of the bike in sometimes rather unsettling ways. I also found the bike a bit on the heavy side when it came to backing out of dead end parking spots and around town in stop and go traffic compared to the nimble Kawasaki 250 I'd been riding. I also discovered that the side kick starter presented some very difficult challenges when I managed to stall the bike on a steep hill in downtown San Francisco as the bike did not have an electric start!
This bike is what the Honda Super Cub wants to be when it grows up!
Art. I agree.
Yes, a fantastic bike. I used to own an R60, 1966 model, when I was young.
It was stone reliable, and had that parallel fork up front. People used the BMW for fitting a sidecar, because it wouldn't dip when the brakes were applied.
However, it wasn't particularly fast, and didn't perform well over 80 mph. It had only 30 hp, after all...
The next generation, the R50/5, /60/5, 75/5 were much better machines. Faster, and more comfortable at highway speeds.
I've ridden an R75/5 (a former Swedish police bike), and it was pure bliss. It had all the power you need, in a silky smooth package.
Truly the best touring-bikes, for simplicity and economy ...❤
That's so true 👍
Wow nice bike!
It has a low center of gravity with the opposed cylinders cancelling out vibrations with the flywheel acting as a gyroscope further stabilizing the ride, especially around corners. All other bikes with the vertical, non-opposed cylinders mounted up high give a totally different ride, with the rear cylinder obviously not getting as much cooling as the front one. These BMWs are _touring bikes_ you take across the country, through Europe or around the world. That R50/5 probably gets around 50 to 75 MPG. _Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance_ features a 1972 R75/5.
Timeless 😎
Many years ago I had an R80. I really liked it but I always thought it was a bit underpowered. Then just before selling it, I took it in to get serviced ,and the whole time I'd been riding it the throttle wasn't hitting its max position, and one of the carbs was faulty. When I picked it up from the workshop I couldn't believe it was the same bike. The power and weight and handling had become perfect. Alas, the new customer had already paid so I had to let it go. It was nice riding it around for the last couple of days before the new guy picked it up. Looking forward to getting another one eventually.
Agree with everything you said, I´ve had three BMW´s, but the one I kept for 31 years was a1955 BMW R69, as you know the 1955-1969 models were more reliable because they didn´t need a battery to start them up, just an easy kick, I like to mention that the points on my bike lasted me 500 000 kms (300 000 miles) and nobody believes me, the advantage over the ones like yours is that the charging system wasn´t that reliable, they were ok on the highway but in heavy trafrfic in the city they sometimes wouldn´t start up, and the American version didn´t have a kickarter, greetings from the Yucatán.
Great video.😊
Thank you!
I love the Air head but could not afford the prices. I purchased a very well maintained 1985 K100 RT form a BMW collector. The old man passed away and his son sold it to me for $2000. It has 79,0078 miles but I love it. Some day I will get an air head.
Have a 77 R100/7. 105k miles, love riding it. Done little to it. Has an oil leak will require attention, but runs great. Have around $5000 in it, much better than newer Bmer. Even with disk brakes they are not the best at stopping.
So cool. Airheads are the biz. R100r 1992 is my ride, and I love it far more than my ex wife. In Scottieland you need a small screen and heated grips. How can't you love it?
Great bike 🏍
Built like a tank 💪🏼
Greetings from Germany 🇩🇪
Of course, i own a airhead BMW😎
Awesome thanks for watching
Great bike, need to get another classic.
Absolutely buddy 👍
I have two here a BMW r60/6 and a r75/5 and really the best motorcycles that I have ! And I make amazing lot of kilometers and had never big problems... Some gas and oil and regular maintenance and all is ok ! ;-)
Very reliable aren't they?