• Welcome, Guest! We hope you enjoy the excellent technical knowledge, event information and discussions that the BMW MOA forum provides. Some forum content will be hidden from you if you remain logged out. If you want to view all content, please click the 'Log in' button above and enter your BMW MOA username and password.

    If you are not an MOA member, why not take the time to join the club, so you can enjoy posting on the forum, the BMW Owners News magazine, and all of the discounts and benefits the BMW MOA offers?

1971 50/5

rkasal

Unavailable for comment
Hello, looking at a 1971 50/5 and I apologize if this is not the right forum.

The 50/5 is going for $4,500 but I think it can be had for $4,000. It's in pretty good shape and owned by a BMW cycle shop employee.

What item or items should I look out for beyond the normal for age? It's been driven regularly and hasn't set. I <think> it has about 80k miles but am clarifying.

Thanks a lot for help!


Randy Kasal
 
Randy -

Price seems a little high for an early R50/5...were they highly sought after?

I'd want to know as much as I could about the maintenance history. Has there been any major components changed (timing chain, clutch, valves/seats) and by whom? How is the seal around the base cylinder and push rod tube seals...any leaking there? Any oil on the shelf below the transmission? Can the shop provide information on engine compression? Has the periodic maintenance been kept up well? Any info on oil usage and gas mileage? Will you get a chance to ride it to see how it performs?
 
Randy -

Price seems a little high for an early R50/5...were they highly sought after?

That all depends on where your priorities lie. Most would say the 500cc bike is the ugly stepsister and the only ones worth owning are the R75/5s. To guys like me (and probably the owner, judging from his asking price) the much harder to find small displacement bikes are that much more interesting.
Personally, I like my R60/5 more than the R75/5 I sold last year. I LIKE the smaller carbs, and I found the displacement not that big of a deal.

That said, I would expect a bike to be in very good condition for that kind of money. 8.5 out of 10 at a minimum.
 
Last edited:
Gentlemen, thanks greatly for your imput. I thought the asking was kind of high for the bike but we haven't started negotiating yet.

Thanks again!

Randy Kasal
 
I stiil own my 1st motorcycle a '71 R50/5. It's been a great bike for me. I'm the 2nd owner, when I bought it, it was in close to new condition. It's been ridden to a lot of rallies. I rode it to the DuQuion MOA National and later did a 1000 mile run around Arizona. Mainly Phoenix to Grand Canyon with several sidetrips. I currently have it taged an ride it locally as a weekend rider. It's more like a big scooter than a motorcycle. I wish it was a 750 with a little more power. But, it is what it is. :thumb
 
The early /5's had a short frame, which made fun early-model sport bikes (great in the twisties) but also were prone to High-Speed Wobbles.

I would recommend that you at least know which frame is on the bike, as that should dictate your riding style while on it.

I had a 1971 R50/5 and loved it. But it wouldn't have been able to go 80 mph unless I pushed it out of an airplane. :)

Have fun!

:thumb
 
I think the R50/5 is underpowered. I would wait for an R75/5, preferably 1973-1/2 long wheel base.

http://jeff.dean.home.att.net/r75.htm

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/BMW_R75/5

4-bike-montage-75.jpg
 
Last edited:
Hey BMWDean

Any of those could be in a living room. Especially the top two. Very nice! :thumb

Regards,


Randy Kasal
 
Back
Top