Until the R75/5 was introduced, the R12 was BMW’s most popular motorcycle. Almost 30k were made, 2/3rds for civilians and the rest for the Wehrmacht. Here’s an example of the latter, claimed to have been delivered to the Waffen-SS. Because of this, it’s apparently a civilian model that was used by the military – and the seller says he has documentation for all of this.
The R12 was an evolution of the R11 – in the process it gained telescopic forks, a 4-speed transmission, and a little bit of cosmetic work. This actually made the R12 (and the sportier R17) the first production motorcycles with hydraulically damped telescopic forks. Other interesting features include a left hand clutch paired with a right side shifter off the tank. For more on the R12, check out this profile from Motorcycle.com
This bike (VIN: 27472) was delivered to the Waffen-SS in November 1940. Claimed to be ‘in excellent condition and priced under value’, this bike was imported into the US just 3 months ago after a recent service (and an older restoration). Find this R12 for sale in Winder, Georgia with bidding up to $16,101 and the reserve not yet met