Jeff Dean’s 1966 BMW R60/2

Reader Contribution by Jeff Dean
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Your column on the size of motorcycles struck both classical and modern chords with me. I have ridden big BMWs for many years. My first motorcycle, acquired in 1967, was a 1966 BMW R60/2 (see photo). Years ago I rode 833-pound K1200LTs all over the United States. I still have 2015 and 2017 BMW R1200RTs, which weigh in at about 630 pounds each. I also have three 1967 R60/2s, which tip the scale to 460 pounds. They are much lighter than my big modern BMWs and I love riding them locally. Recently I was impressed with the 2018 BMW G310GS, which weighs only 373 pounds wet, nearly 300 pounds less than my RTs and 460 pounds lighter than LTs. Indeed, it would take both an R60/2 AND a G310GS together to weigh as much as one LT. The G310GS has a little bit more horsepower than my R60/2s. And it has other benefits: electric starter, soft 7-inch suspension, tubeless tires, modern ABS brakes, 12-volt electrics and an MSRP of around $6,000. All good points. I ordered one. It has chain drive and a single-cylinder engine: I can adapt.

Jeff Dean/via email

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