Singularly Perfect: 1953 BMW R25/2

By Greg Williams
Published on December 10, 2012
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In 2007, Tony Hessner placed a request on his company’s internal classified ads system, simply stating he was looking to purchase an old BMW.
In 2007, Tony Hessner placed a request on his company’s internal classified ads system, simply stating he was looking to purchase an old BMW.
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Tony used walnut shell media in a sandblast cabinet to clean and detail the engine and transmission cases, and then left the cases and internals with, as he says, “some deadbeat. I spent a lot of time waiting on the engine before I decided to move on.”
Tony used walnut shell media in a sandblast cabinet to clean and detail the engine and transmission cases, and then left the cases and internals with, as he says, “some deadbeat. I spent a lot of time waiting on the engine before I decided to move on.”
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Tony’s BMW had suffered an engine seizure and had been off the road since 1974. Still, for a bike this old, it was fairly complete.
Tony’s BMW had suffered an engine seizure and had been off the road since 1974. Still, for a bike this old, it was fairly complete.
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The natural market for these BMWs would have been well-heeled commuters, but it didn’t take long before European police and postal services — as well as the Red Cross — adopted the single-cylinder BMWs for their use.
The natural market for these BMWs would have been well-heeled commuters, but it didn’t take long before European police and postal services — as well as the Red Cross — adopted the single-cylinder BMWs for their use.
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Tony Hessner and his perfect 1953 BMW R25/2.
Tony Hessner and his perfect 1953 BMW R25/2.
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Fasteners that might see road grime, such as those located under the fenders, were bagged and inventoried for preservation, and stainless steel replacements found.
Fasteners that might see road grime, such as those located under the fenders, were bagged and inventoried for preservation, and stainless steel replacements found.
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"It was basically a no-expense spared restoration. But I don’t know any other way of doing things."
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The original piston suggests the throttle might have been wide open when the engine seized.
The original piston suggests the throttle might have been wide open when the engine seized.
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The R25/2 had been traded to the prior owner to settle a bar tab.
The R25/2 had been traded to the prior owner to settle a bar tab.

1953 BMW R25/2
Claimed power:
12hp @ 5,800rpm
Top speed: 65mph
Engine: 247cc air-cooled OHV vertical single, 68mm x 68mm bore and stroke, 6.5:1 compression ratio
Weight (wet): 312lb (142kg)
Fuel capacity/MPG: 3.17gal (12ltr)/75-85mpg
Price then/now: $680 (est.)/$3,500-$6,500

If there were just one word Tony Hessner could use to describe himself, that word would be “meticulous.” One look at his 1953 BMW R25/2 supports that notion: Better than when it first left the factory, the machine is a rolling piece of Teutonic art. Surprisingly, the BMW is also his first complete motorcycle project.

Tony’s no mechanical newbie, however. During high school and college he worked at bicycle shops, and even managed the Schwinn store in Waukesha, Wis. He particularly enjoyed building his own custom racing bikes, using exotic Italian frames and choice components, from cranksets to derailleurs to hubs. “I’d build up a 10- or 12-speed bicycle to my specifications, including building the wheels myself,” Tony says, adding, “Even then I was, and continue to be, very, very meticulous.”

Tony owned and rode a few motorcycles immediately after graduating from college, but lost interest following an accident aboard his 1986 Honda CB700SC Nighthawk in 1989. However, when he and his father toured Germany in 2004, Hessner Sr. found himself admiring the motorcycles they saw. Back home, the recently retired Hessner Sr. bought a new Honda Shadow.

“That rekindled my interest in motorcycles,” Tony says, “but, I wasn’t going to be looking for a modern machine.” Indeed, the classic lines of a vintage BMW with its black paint and white, hand-laid pinstripes are what Tony appreciated. “Plus, they seemed pretty elementary in design and I thought they’d be easy to work on,” Tony confides.

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