Founded in 1903, Kreidler was a metal/wire factory for nearly 5 decades before they started motorcycle production in 1951. They were immediately successful, as within 8 years they were producing one third of all German bikes. From the late 60s to the early 80s, Kriedler offered MF (mofas) and MP (mopeds) models, and the US got the MP-9 and the …
Dirt Hack – 1996 BMW R1100GS with DMC 72D Sidecar
Named “WIMPA”, this is one of the best dirt-focused sidecar builds I’ve seen in a long time. The seller only finished the build last year, and he notes that it’s a good choice for someone who’s getting older (and doesn’t have the same confidence off-road as they once did) but still wants to get out in the wilderness. It’s also …
German Military – 1944 DKW NZ 350-1
In 1938, DKW released the NZ 350, and it was instantly a popular motorcycle. Almost immediately, the German Wehrmacht asked DKW to start prototyping a military version, which came to be known as the NZ 350-1 when it was released in the early 40s. 12,000 units were built between 1943 and 1945 – here’s one of the few examples that …
2001 BMW R1150GS
The GS has been a huge money maker for BMW, and it really took off in with the 1150. Many riders were inspired by Ewan McGregor and Charley Boorman’s Long Way Round, which ended up being quite an advertisement for BMW (and a decent-sized debacle for KTM).
1991 BMW K75S
Those of you that have read some of my older travel reports probably know that I have a soft spot for the BMW K75. It’s not a particularly exciting motorcycle but I’m biased because a K75C showed naive young me what motorcycle touring was all about after 4 years and 75,000 miles with only one issue (which was my fault). …
70 Pound Diet – 2003 BMW R1200CLC Custom
The seller of this bike bought this as a stock CLC with 81K miles on it, and then customized it into something that feels like a predecessor to the K1600B. In the process, it saved a whopping 70 pounds!
Luftmeister Turbo – 1985 BMW K100RT
From one angle, this is just a very ugly BMW K100RT in Big Bird Yellow. But if you look up at the front of the engine, you’ll notice one of the 200 turbo kits that were produced by RB Racing on behalf of Luftmeister. Now it’s ugly AND fast!
Monolever – 1988 BMW R100RS
Post Listing Update: this RS did not meet reserve despite 22 bids up to $5,605 on eBay. After the “Last Edition” debacle, BMW brought back the R100RS as a Monolever (one rear shock). There were other changes as well – a slight shift in powerband for more torque and the expense of top end horsepower, lower gearing to make up …
1938 BMW R66
Post Listing Update: this R66 did not meet reserve despite 28 bids up to $22,200 on eBay. Introduced in 1938, the R66 was BMW’s “sport roadster”, and it was the pinnacle of their pre-WWII creations. It was designed to lug a sidecar around, but if you were only riding it as a two-wheeler then you could flirt with a top …
1975 BMW R75/6 Cafe Racer
Post Listing Update: This /6 did not get any interest at the opening ask of $3,750. Offered by Classic Motorcycle Consignments, this slash 6 has been “customized by its owner to run a bit truer, a bit quicker, and a bit smoother.”
1995 BMW R100GSPD Classic
Post Sale Update – this GSPD sold for $7,751.51 after 8 bids on eBay. 1995 was the last year of the airhead GSPD (Paris Dakar), and BMW named it the Classic. Approximately 70 black examples were brought over that year before BMW debuted the oilhead R1100GS. The last time I featured one for sale, a reader/contributor picked it up and …
First Year – 1977 BMW R100RS
Post Listing Update: This R100RS sold for $6,100 after 5 bids on eBay. The BMW R100RS arguably launched the idea of the sport touring motorcycle, but I don’t feature many non-limited edition examples just because they’re fairly common place. But did you know that the earliest examples of the legendary model were all silver/blue with blue pinstriping and blue anodized …
Well Farkled – 2007 BMW G650 Xchallenge
According to the seller, this BMW is ready for a “round the world adventure ride” for those of you that think of a R1200GS is just too big for true adventuring.
1984 BMW R100S Last Edition
Post Listing Update: This Last Edition did not meet reserve despite 23 bids up to $5,501. In 1984, BMW Motorrad thought the boxer motor was done. The K-series (you may remember it as the Flying Brick) had been introduced 2 years prior as the future of BMW, so it only seemed fitting to kill off the flat twin that had …