Classic BMW Motorcycles

The Motorcycle Classics/Dairyland Cycle Insurance 1974 BMW R90/6 Race to Rebuild project finally wraps up — and it’s lovely.

The Vintage Motorcycle Festival at LeMay – America’s Car Museum (ACM) has named BMW Motorrad as featured marque for the August 24-25, 2013 motorcycle event in Tacoma, Wash. The decision to feature the Munich-based motorcycle manufacturer coincides with the 90th anniversary of BMW Motorrad.

The Motorcycle Classics/Dairyland Cycle Race to Rebuild 1974 BMW R90/6 is racing to a finish, and it’s looking like a winner. 

The other flat twin engined, prewar BMW: the 1940 BMW R12 

BMW’s first 600cc motorcycle, this 1937 BMW R6 is one of just 1,850 built. 

A 1937 BMW R17 on display with other classic motorcycles at the Barber Vintage Motorsports Museum in Leeds, Ala.

Motorcycle Classics’ editors show you how to replace pushrod tube seals on BMW /5, /6 and /7 airhead twins.

Our project 1974 BMW R90/6 may be in pieces, but we’re quickly getting traction on our build. 

Better known for twins, the BMW R25/2 with its 250cc single carried the company to prosperity. 

A 1934 BMW motorcycle on display with other classic bikes at the National Motorcycle Museum in Anamosa, Iowa.

Dale Keesecker’s Clymer-Munch Mammoth at the 2012 Pebble Beach Concours d’Elegance

A very unique and uncommon collection of four classic racing motorcycles, including a BMW Kompressor, will be offered at Bonhams’ anticipated Las Vegas Motorcycle Auction in January 2013.

After deconstructive surgery, the transformation of our 1974 BMW R90/6 starts.

Pertinent details about the 1939 BMW 255 Kompressor engine.

German racer Georg Meier won the 1939 Isle of Man TT — a first for a non-Brit — on this 1939 BMW RS 255 Kompressor.

In the beginning, there was a 1974 BMW R90/6, and it was not pretty. We aim to fix that in the Race to Rebuild.

Jon Dieman shared photos of his BMW R90/6, bought new in 1976 and rebuilt (with a few modifications) after an unfortunate encounter with a little old lady in a Plymouth.

How-To: Service the swingarm bearings on a BMW /5 to correct sloppy handling.

We show you how to service the steering head bearings on a BMW R75/5.

AHRMA racer Norbert Nickel: 64 years in the saddle and still going strong

Best bets on tomorrow’s classics: 250cc BMW R27

A reader describes the time he bought his 1976 R90/6 BMW and why he names the bike after its original owner.

Motorcycle Classics has teamed up with Dairyland Cycle to build a Custom BMW Cafe, and when we're done, you could win it.

Who tours on old – read Classic – bikes these days? I may be a salmon swimming against the motorcycling stream, as my wife and I ride a 28-year-old 1983 BMW R100RS. We bought the bike as newlyweds, kept it when the kids were growing up, and have just kept riding it as it is now a member of the family. Admittedly it is fairly well cared for, and has somewhat low miles at around 88,000. We still like it, so we’ve kept it, maintained it, and ride it! Fact of the matter is, it’s only been in the last four years that we have ventured over 300 miles from home. We are making up for lost time!

Vintage BMWs can be made much better than new in so many ways and still retain the exact same appearance externally. A vintage BMW that accelerates harder, stops better, has better road holding, 12-volt electronic digitally controlled ignition and 150-watt alternator to power real lights AND an electric vest to keep you warm on those brisk fall and spring rides! And the only external indicator that all these attributes are hidden inside waiting for you is the 12-volt battery. What's NOT to like?! So what has this got to do with racing at the Bonneville Salt Flats? A Lot!

Christian Fisher discusses owning and riding his 1973 BMW R75 /5.

George Paley discusess the experience of owning and riding a 1975 BMW R90/6.

Book by Ian Falloon covers most air-cooled models from 1970-1996.

Derek Pugh's 1981 BMW R80/7 has logged more than 230,000 miles over the course of a rough life.

The BMW /2 Series: Bavaria's Best? Many consider the BMW Slash 2 one of Germany's best motorcycles May/June 2011 By Greg Williams  “If you want to be happy for a day, drink. If you want to be happy for a year, marry. If you want to be happy for a lifetime, ride a BMW.” That’s the copy from a 1965 ad for

A very special 1958 BMW R50 receives a very special restoration.

BMW /2 Motorcycle Restoration and Service Manual covers BMW’s air-cooled twins from the 1955-1969 era.

Pat Burch loves her 1976 BMW R90S, which she has ridden almost 20,000 miles since purchasing it in 1996.

James Alaimo recaps his classic motorcycle restoration projects from 2010. 

The BMW R60 /5 represented a revolution in BMW motorcycle design.

Modern performance with Race Tech cartridge emulators and shocks.

A 1976 BMW R75/6 with an attitude.

Riding the first-ever Superbike winner, Steve McLaughlin’s 1976 BMW R90S.

Every time I ride a BMW R75 /5, it makes me wonder what I was thinking when I parted with mine a few years back.

The high-speed BMW R90S set the motorcycle industry on its head

In a quiet neighborhood east of New York City, Peter Nettesheim has assembled 50 BMW motorcycles and cars representing his dedication to the brand.

Josh Withers always loved BMW’s Toaster-style tanks, and who doesn’t love the café look? To fulfill his love of both, he built an R60/5 special perfect for ripping around the streets of Los Angeles.

Written by a pair of dyed-in-the-wool BMW GS fans, BMW GS Adventure Motorcycle is an unabashed celebration of the brand and the model.

When BMW introduced the radical sport-touring 4-cylinder BMW K1 in 1988, the Bavarian firm was already under attack from BMW traditionalists.

As the largest of BMW’s new line of Slash-Six models introduced for the 1974 model year, the BMW R90/6 plugged an important hole in the famed Bavarian company’s line-up.

Keeping any classic motorcycle on the road is a combination of who you know and what you know, and this is especially true in the classic BMW motorcycle market.

Looking back, high summer equates to rally season. Whether you ride a Vespa or a Ducati, there will be a rally somewhere for your chosen mark. With all of this in mind, and the hopes of finding some riding pants that fit, we (my trust R80G/S and I) pointed south in mid July for the BMWMOA National rally in Vermont.   

Subconsciously, I have been arguing with myself for some time in an attempt to justify the purchase of a newer machine. After all, my ‘new’ bike is now 25 years old. Neither of my bikes is speedy, and many things need adjusting – frequently. 

Like changing clothes to suit the season, my bikes take on new persona to match the changing times – but the bottom line always remains the same. Satisfying and safe riding on a compliant and willing machine - wherever the road might take me. 

I like sidecars. They are unwieldy, awkward, off-centre, totally unique, and loads of fun! For years I had harboured a half-formed and totally un-researched notion that involved a sidecar rig, a long trip and my German Shepherd dog. This idea gradually took on a life of its own, not-withstanding the minor problems of not owning a sidecar rig and never having driven one!   

All of my life I have been in the lucky position of assuming that good health is the normal state, and that anything less is an aberration that will soon pass.

There never was any concrete plan to restore or resurrect abandoned and abused air-heads, but somehow for the past six years, my garage has become a winter workshop. Let me hastily add that I make no claims to being a mechanic. I just can’t stand the sight of an otherwise lovely old boxer resting derelict under a pile of accumulated debris. It must be rescued!

In an era of increasingly sophisticated touring machines, the 1977 BMW R100RS was the best-dressed of them all.

BMW’s GS series, including the BMW R100GS, created the adventure/touring sportbike

Dubbed a "flashbike" when it was introduced, the BMW R65LS featured an out-of-this-world design on a sport/touring bike

A list of parts suppliers and resources for classic BMW motorcycles.

Dennis Gage, the handlebar-mustachioed host of Speed TV's My Classic Car, has been lighting the old car world on fire with his passionate discourse on classic cars and the classic car scene for the past ten years. But these days, classic bikes are what really "move" Gage.

Desirable and rare, the BMW R69 US was built to be ridden.