Post Sale Update: This MZ sold for the BIN of $4,499. Someone in Latrobe, Pennsylvania apparently loves the MZ 1000S, as just 30 were imported to the US and this is the second he/she has had for sale recently (here’s the first). The 1000S was MZ’s first superbike, built after a Malaysian group took over the company in 1996 and …
Start of a Legend – 1981 BMW R80G/S
Hindsight has shown that the introduction of the GS model line was one of the best things BMW did for their Motorrad business. But at the press launch in 1980, journalists (and the public) shared a general sentiment of “what’s the point of a large, heavy dual-purpose bike?” Modern cynics still have the same complaint as the bike seems to …
87 Miles – 1974 MZ TS150
If you want a city commuter that will really stand out from the crowd, consider this piece of East German history. TS stood for Telescopic Fork and Swingarm, letting you know that this bike was fully suspended. MZ offered the TS line in a few displacements – this was the medium sized 150. Somehow, this little bike has just 87 …
Last of the Breed – 1965 BMW R27
Bavarian Motor Works was prohibited making motorcycles after WWII until 1948 when it brought out the single cylinder R24. It was followed in 1950 by the R25, which added rear suspension. The R26 was introduced with an new motor and many frame and suspension changes. The very last of the BMW shaft driven singles, the R27 introduced a rubber mounted …
Restored – 1970 BMW R75/5
This one is for Abhi, as we all know he has a soft spot for BMW’s. This is a completely restored 1970 R75/5. I’m not a BMW expert, but this was early in the run, so I assume it is the short-wheelbase model, which supposedly had some handling issues, especially if heavily loaded in the rear. The /5 models ran …
First Ride – 2017 BMW RnineT Scrambler
View Post750cc Update – 1962 BMW R60/2 Custom
This bike started as a BMW R60/2, but it has received the drivetrain from a R75/5. In the seller’s words, this makes the bike the “best of both worlds” as you get “a modern electric start 750cc motor with the classic looks of a 1960’s BMW.” Do you agree?
Uber Rare Project – 1965 Hummel 155
Hummel is a division of DKW, the well known German motorcycle works. DKW had begun producing motorized cycles in 1919 and in 1932 became a partner in Auto Union. The introduction of the Hummel 155 in 1965 caused a considerable stir in the European motorcycle press. The Hummel was never exported to the US.
Sitting Since ’75 – 1961 BMW R27
The R27 was BMW’s last shaft-driven single. An evolution of the R26, the 27 got power bump up to 18 ponies and rubber engine mount. Here’s one of the 15,364 examples that were produced.
Heinrich Tank – 1968 BMW R69S
Post Sale Update: This R69S sold for $15,100 after 13 bids on eBay. If you wanted to avoid gas stations on your classic BMW, then Karl Heinrich was one of very few people you wanted to talk to. He designed a few different sizes ranging from about 8-10 gallons – here’s a 8.2 gallon tank that’s turned a R69S into …
Military Police – 1972 BMW R50/5
Classic BMW /5? Good. Military Police variant of a /5? Very, very good. A strong running international example of a Military Police variant of a /5 with free shipping to the US? Now we’re talking.
1978 BMW R100/7
Between 1976 and 1980, BMW produced 12,029 examples of the standard R100/7. Here’s one of them that’s claimed to still run like a Swiss watch.
Viktoria – 1978 BMW R100S Custom
Built by Brandon Wulf of Bavarian Cafe, this custom BMW started as a R100S. It received a ‘frame up restoration’ and gorgeous bodywork from Ritmo Sereno. This means we get to play another game of ‘how much is a custom bike worth?’
1977 BMW R100S
Post Sale Update: After 26 bids on eBay, this R100S sold for $10,600. If I was shopping for a classic BMW right now, I’d look for a R100S over the iconic R90S just because of how expensive the latter has become. Here’s a beautiful example of the 100S that probably won’t be cheap either, thanks to a restoration that the …