Not to high jack the thread but I would have to agree the R 60 is much smoother and better mannered compared to the R 69S especially when cold. If you want butter the R 50 is the way to go but you give up a lt of get up and go with them. Yeh I've had my R 60US since '85 and I have collect the parts and restore an original paint Granada Red R 60US. When the new to me S bike comes home I'll gather the clan and post a few pictures.
No hijack, no problem. Looking forward to seeing the photos. At some point I would like to collect my thoughts about the "good old days" and post them in the appropriate section. Unfortunately I have very few photos from that storied era, just a few to prove I was there. Agree the R50s were very civilized, but as you say, performance was lackluster even by the standards of the time. That's why I believe the R60 hit the sweet spot. Still, any twin from that era was then and yet remains a fine machine.