Another bike. BMW R60/2 1968

[Chocaholic]

Have always admired this vintage (1954 - 1969). Watching them launch way beyond my comfort zone on BaT, had all but given up. Stopped by the Mobile Vintage Bike Sunday coffee gathering (via my Guzzi) met the local BMW guru and scored this 68. Paint is all original and Odo shows 11k miles. No way to verify of course but the overall condition seems appropriate. He bought it from a guy who got it in an estate sale, so that’s where the tracking ends.

He went through to bring it back to life, obviously hadn’t run in many years. Fluids, plugs, carbs, points, coil, etc. I had to drill out the tank tool box lock and found the original tool roll. Nice. Lots of parts on the way. Paint work cleaned up nicely. My son and I installed the Pagusa seat on FD. Going to be a fun adventure. Tires are dry rotted so not much riding yet. Will replace the aftermarket mufflers eventually, hoping to find a nice used set but no luck so far. Anyway…a few early pics:

[A930Rocket]

Now that is a cool bike!

[sc_rufctr]

That's a very clean bike (the front suspension and upright rear shocks are very interesting).

I just love the simplicity of these bikes.

[Jeff Higgins]

That is just so freakin' cool, Mike.

It appears BMW have always had their own approach to suspension. We can definitely see the early genesis of modern "paralever" types of front ends.

[LWJ]

It is art! Love it.

[Rot 911]

Those mufflers look like stainless steel reproductions of original Hoske mufflers. They give the bike a nice “Harley“ sound. Here are some originals on mine:

[Bill Douglas]

A beautiful bike. Good score.

[MMiller]

Very nice! That brings a smile..

[Baz]

Congratulations, Mike....what a gorgeous bike! There's nothing in the world like a boxer engine on a motorcycle!

Please share more updates as they happen.......thanks and have fun!

[Chocaholic]

Took it out for a shakedown yesterday…on badly dry rotted tires. Only went a few miles but had a chance to run up the RPM’s and take it through all 4 gears with no issues. Pulled in the garage with a big grin all over my face. No smoke, wierd noises, a bit of shimmy easily dialed out with the steering damper. Don’t see any wheel weights so I’m sure they’ve never been balanced. New rubber is scheduled for delivery tomorrow so the wheels come off today.

Wire harness from handlebar switch (horn, high beams) is toast with insulation crumbling away…lots of electrical tape inside headlight bucket spaghetti. New harness on order.

Added rear luggage rack, repainted air box, replaced tank tool box lock and reinstalled rubber. Adding a fuel filter in each fuel line today (ugly, but peace of mind). Will be repainting wheel caps with them off the bike later today. What a kick riding this old jalopy. The Barrington manual is in transit!

[sc_rufctr]

Well done Mr Mike!

[wdfifteen]

Nice!
'68 is the year they started switching from Earles forks to tube forks. Looks like you got an early one.
I bought a R-50 in about 1968 on a gloomy, cold April morning. The owner's advice on starting it was, "In weather like this, before you start kicking it, push up on the ticklers until you get your hands full of gas. Then it's ready to start."
Brings back memories. Heavy, slow, smooth as glass and built like a tank. Lucky guy.

[Sawyer911]

They are a beautiful machine, way over built and so smooth.

I use my 66 weekly for most of my errands and never worry other than the time it takes to talk to folks in the parking lot.

A bit finicky to start and shifts like a Porsche 915 tranny. And at 30HP a bit slow, the bike and sidecar come in somewhere north of 600 pounds

The lower compression makes it easy for this old guy to kick start.

Here is a pick of it, the factory mounts and Earles forks make it a natural for side car service, BMW has the factory mounts, adjustable rear shocks and front fork geometry
for the boat.

Sawyer

[MMARSH]

That is a beautiful motorcycle!

[Chocaholic]

Indeed! Kudos Sawyer. Just lovely. I had a Ural a few years ago and enjoyed the heck out of it.

Ride safe! You need a St. Bernard for the hack.