Rider: Adrian Barb, Downingtown, Pennsylvania
Adrian’s story: “I am one of your magazine’s subscribers and I have to say that I love it.
“A while ago, I stumbled on a rather unique motorcycle, at least for the U.S. It was offered on eBay as an old BMW, but I knew exactly what it was, as I used to have the same one back in Romania when I was in my teens.
“It was a 1957 AWO 425 Sport, also known as a Simson Sport. I was surprised to see it on this side of the Atlantic as it was produced in the DDR and offered only to countries in the Eastern Bloc. It is a BMW replica, I would say, which is why it resembles a BMW R25 single. It was produced for five years in a quantity of 124,000, according to Wikipedia.
“I was very lucky that the seller was based in Phoenixville, Pennsylvania, just 15 miles away from where I live. I got the chance to go and see it before I bought it, and I was hooked because it was exactly like the one I had in Romania, including the color scheme.
“The bike was incomplete and with non-matching parts, but I won the bid and brought it home. It took me several years to get it in riding condition, but I was lucky because this bike has a ‘cult’ status in Germany. I found two companies in Germany who specialized in this motorcycle and with their help I got the bike where it is now.
“A few days ago, I got the chance to ride it for the first time and it felt great. I still need to do some adjustments but I am happy I was able to salvage this part of my youth.”