ID help of potential project bike

[cruisincruzan]

First time posting in this section. a close friend has been offered this bike for free. He has asked me to be his restoration partner. I have basic skills, decent selection of tools and can follow directions well but have never had an old bike (presently have ‘21 RT and ‘25 GS, he has an ‘18 Grand America. but we both appreciate the style and relative simplicity if this bike. Asking help in identifying model and year. Any words of wisdom, sources and anything you feel would be beneficial is welcome. I don’t have access to the bike at the present time. Thanks in advance

 

[GTRider]

Get the serial number off the frame plate then go to https://www.realoem.com

Enter the BMW section, select “motorcycle” and “classic” at the drop-downs on the left. Then enter the last 7 digits of the VIN into the search box at the top. It will tell you the exact model and month of production. Let us know what you find out!

Best,
DeVern

 

[20774]

Going to RealOEM won't help with a bike built before 1970. You have either a R50/2 or R60/2...there's a distinct difference in the fins of the cylinders...one has the fins coming to a slight point around the circumference. I think the bike is probably a mid 1960s build given the finger dents in the hand levers and the pull-back handlebars.

Go to this site and type in the engine number. You'll find that on the right side just above where the pushrod tubes go into the engine case. Once you figure out which model it is, at the bottom of the model page, there is a PDF file listing model years and VIN numbers that I have been collecting. It will give you a general idea of the year of manufacture.

BMW Model Info | Vintage BMW Motorcycle Owners club

BMW Motorcycle Model List, Vintage, Airheads, Oilheads, Plungers inlcuding a list of production years, engine and frame numbers, cylinders, and displacement

vintagebmw.org

I also have a similar list here on the MOA forum:

/2 VIN Numbers, Model Years, and Build Dates

In the following posts are PDF files containing a running list of VIN numbers for the /2 era bikes from 1955 to 1969. BMW didn't publish infomation as to the break between model years as they started to do with the /5 models. One reason that might explain this is that there was really little...

forums.bmwmoa.org

 

[69ZEFF65]

Its a post '66 R 50/2 from what I can see. Cylinders are shorter, brake and clutch levers as Kurt pointed out and the gas tank badges are the later ones. The front engine cover looks like it does not have the tell tail bump that the later /2's had. A VIN would confirm an R 50/2 or an R 60/2. It looks to be a prime candidate for a mechanic and rubber part refresh and a good cleaning as opposed to a restoration. They're only original once ya know! Where have I heard that before?

 

[20774]

I ran across the info on the fins. The R60/2 cylinders round out into small "points" facing forward and aft of the barrel. The R50/2 and R69S cylinders are uniformly round.

 

[cruisincruzan]

Additional info from paperwork that was found, it's a 1968 R50

 

[20774]

I guess I see "644xxx" on the plate. It does make is around a 1968 R50/2. The "R50" on the plate is just a placeholder. Beginning with about the 1961 models (showing up in late 1960), BMW changed the designation from R50 to R50/2. As I said, the VIN will be stamped on the right side of the engine just above the cylinder. It should be the same as on the steering stem plate.

Anything else interesting on the paperwork?

 

[20774]

You have a few nice period farkles there. Headlight mirrors and the chrome ring around the headlight.

 

[cruisincruzan]

These are the books that accompany the bike. The present owner bought the bike from the original owner in 1989. He has a personal notebook listing the items he bought and what he repaired/replaced. He hasn’t ridden the bike for at least 25 years. The serial # 644891.

 

[cruisincruzan]

The one invoice that was present (10/98) was from Blue Moon that included the headlight mirrors and headlight guard.

 

[20774]

Those are some good documents to have. The Roland Slabon book "How to Restore Your BMW Motorcycle" is hard to find and has a lot of info that helps to identify bits and pieces about each of the various models.