A few years ago, after I sold a Brough SS100 basket case, I had enough cash to buy a '28 BMW R63, which is a 750cc ohv machine, very rare, top of the line, and a beautiful bike. I've never been so disappointed! It was awful, sounded like a cement mixer, handled like a cart, had terrible brakes which dragged and howled while riding, and a gearbox which whined like a dog with attachment issues. I don't know if it was representative of ALL BMW's of the 1920's, but after asking around for opinions, I found that although it might have been mechanically suspect, they're all pretty crude pieces of kit until you get to the R5 in 1936. It became clear to me first-hand why British machines were dominant in racing in the 20's, as my Sunbeam or Norton or Velo would run rings around this tractor. When I look at the pictures, though, I wish I still had it, and could re-engineer some finesse into the thing. Anyone got an opinion on old BMW's?
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5 comments:
Hi Paul
Think the R63 had nothing at all to do with anything related to "Racing", it used to be a sturdy troublefree touring bike.
Please have a look at my friends restored R63, see
www.pfeffer.ch, choose 'Motorrad' from the left hand yellow navigation bar and klick on 'Klassik'
The R63 restorer is a collector of old bikes and cars, a member of the Swiss 'Albis Racing Team' and a school teacher.
Regards
Robert Pfeffer
Bulach/Switzerland
Robert, thanks for your comment, but I'm afraid you're very mistaken. R63's were regularly used by the factory and private owners for racing; BMW even supercharged them for road racing and record breaking, which must have been terrifying! I'll make a post about early BMW racing efforts.
Hi Paul
Of course you're right. Almost anything was raced in the crazy twenties. And I forgot Ernst Henne. I think it was he who asked to have it supercharged for record breaking.
Regards
Robert
Hi Paul.
I read with a chuckle your comments on your R63 Experience. I have a nicely restored R63. I have never had it running, I am close. Had to do the usual things, coat the tank fix a lever, things like that. It has a weak spark and when I push it the diff has a suspicious noise. After reading your comments, perhaps I should just keep it as a static display.
I also have a Brough. 1936 SS80, my favorite bike to ride. I rode it to Legends a few times (about 350 miles up the coast) It handles great, keeps up with modern traffic and never lets me down.
Doug McKenzie
Re: Your interest in women motorcyclists. I have a photograph of a relative of mine who lived in Bradford, England. The photo was taken early last century. She sits on a motorcycle with sidecar. She was known as the first woman to ride a motorcycle in Bradford. Her name was Olive.
When my wife and I were honeymooning in England in 1990, I attempted to try and find out who my grandfather's father might have been. He was born to an unwed mother and raised by two spinster Aunts. He took his mother's last name and was Ernist Priestley. If he knew who his father was, he never spoke of it.
I was introduced to another relative who was 95 years old and still working as a soliciter (lawyer) in Bradford. When I asked him if he knew my grandfather, he said he knew "of him". But he said that the person I should have spoken to when she was alive would have been a woman named Olive who rode a motorcycle with sidecar all over Bradford, was quite gegarious, and knew everything about everyone in the family. I wish I could have met her. She looks quite wild on the motorcycle.
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