1963 BMW R-Series

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Normal 0 false false false MicrosoftInternetExplorer4 If you’ve got the budget for a nice bike, you may want to consider this one. Per the ad title, I restored this bike with no regard to expense. I started with a low mileage, clean, no rust bike with about 12,000 miles on it. With some exception, all the replacement parts were NOS (new old stock). This restoration was done about 10 years ago and looks like it was done yesterday. I don’t think it would be possible to do another bike to this level today. I don't believe the parts are out there to do it. I could be wrong. The NOS parts were for the most part purchased from Roman Cycle in Youngstown, Ohio. Johnny Roman had a stash of stuff that no one could buy at any price, but now that he has passed away, I can let out the secret that Rich Roman (took over the business after his dad retired) sold me the parts perhaps because either he appreciated what I was trying to accomplish, or perhaps he was tired of keeping them on the shelf. The restoration process went like this: First, I took it apart, sent the painted parts for stripping and light blasting and had them refinished by the guy that does the work on my vintage Ferrari’s and Porsche’s. His workmanship is as good as it gets. The paint is single stage acrylic urethane – also as good as it gets, no clear coat, just pure paint. The quality of work on this bike is as good as he would do on a $300,000 car. The striping was done by Guy Shively, the guy everybody takes their nice stuff to for stripes. The drive train went to Bob Bancroft, a noted vintage BMW restoration and repair expert. He went through everything. Because of the low mileage, not much needed rebuilt, but he checked everything, cleaned, re-assembled, resealed and otherwise made it all like new and got it ready to put back onto the bike. While at it, Bob re-lined the brake shoes, cleaned the drums inside and out, and re-laced the wheels with Stainless spokes and new alloy rims. The spokes and rims are one of the three parts that are not original BMW. The nuts and bolts are all original. Per above, they were rust free, so they were cleaned, and any little wrench marks were filed smooth. Then they went, along with all the external cast iron parts, such as the rear lower spring perches and the rods and levers for the braking system, out for Cadmium plating – exactly as original. This is much more expensive than simply buying new stainless bolts. The speedometer went to Palo Alto Speedometer for cleaning and a new bezel. With minor exception, the chrome parts are all NOS, sourced from Roman Cycle per above, and include the fender brace, headlamp trim ring, ignition key housing, steering damper knob, tail lamp bezel, etc… Roman didn’t have the bolts and washers that hold the headlamp assembly so they were replated. The following parts were also NOS: headlamp lens, reflector, sliding “ignition key hole rain cover”, tail lamp lens, throttle cables, clutch cable, hand (tire) pump, rear shock absorber finials, various springs, spacers, brake lamp switch. Most of the rubber parts are original to the bike and in impeccable fine condition, including the fuel tank knee pads and headlamp bracket base pads. The tank emblems are original with their soft silver plating intact. They have never been overly tightened and therefore their cloisonné is present and not repaired. The fuel cap is an original BMW reproduction. They made a run of them about 10 years ago. It is exactly as the original with the fine knurling, rather than the “stamped pie pan” look of the common replacements. The fuel petcock is the original “Everbest” and it has been rebuilt. FYI – you do not have to use a later petcock which doesn’t look right. Brooks Motor Works in Washington will rebuild your Everbest with a new screen and washers for about $100. They do nice work. The wiring harness ties (on the handle bars and frame) are original metal cable ties, not plastic “zip” ties. The wiring harness is new (the second reproduction part). The battery is good, for what it’s worth. The tires are Dunlop “Gold Seal K-87”. There is light checking on the sidewalls. I would feel comfortable riding across the country on them, but if you want to ride aggressively in the rain, I would replace them with something softer. Bob Bancroft assembled the entire bike without scratching a thing. Bob installed a complete EPCO stainless exhaust system (the third thing that is not original BMW). Bob went through the bike recently to make sure everything was still ok, and he said there is nothing left to do. The bike starts on the first kick and rides like it just came out of the crate. Having restored many cars and motorcycles, two things I have learned are, first, “near perfection and completely original” is much more costly than simply making things look new, but not exactly as original. That is why it costs $100,000 to restore a 1958 Porsche Speedster (plus $100,000 for the car to start with) and only $40,000 to do a ‘69 Camaro. The Speedster has to be perfectly as new, and the Camaro, well, just has to be shiny and sort of like it was originally. Quality materials, new old stock or finely reproduced parts, and abundant quantities of skilled professional labor are far more costly than average parts, materials and minimal time spent. Second, a quality restoration will stand the test of time. The paint won’t shrink into overly thick and under cured primer, the chrome won’t fade, the rubber parts won’t crack, and the bike or car will drive just like a new one. This bike was done 10 years ago, and it looks like it was done yesterday, and just like a finely restored car, will still look the same 10 years from now assuming it is stored properly. So there ya’ have it. For the same cost of a new BMW, you can have this. I just wish I could buy a ’58 Speedster in the same condition for the cost of a new Porsche…If you are a serious bidder and want high resolution pictures, send me your email address and I will send them to you. The files are large, so I won't send a zillion pics and will wait until I have a few requests, so if you don't get them immediately, don't panic.