1974 BMW R-Series

4010308

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howardj27 store Up for adoption is this VERY ORIGINAL LOW MILEAGE 1974 BMW R75/6, dealer-kitted from NEW with white Luftmeister fairing, matching white Krauser saddlebags with luggage rack & Denfeld touring seat - only 37,475 original miles on this very nice example from early in the first production year for BMW's /6 airheads! As all airhead enthusiasts know, 37K miles is barely broken in for a Beemer and this R75 is in EXCELLENT condition, both mechanically and cosmetically. Everything works PERFECTLY - the engine fires right up, hot or cold, even after I have let it sit for a month or more... Idles smoothly, carburetion & timing are both spot-on, pulls clean & smooth right up through the rev range, clutch action is exactly as it should be with no stutter or slipping, 5-speed transmission works flawlessly and is not anywhere near as "clunky" as some other airheads I have ridden. This bike is truly a joy to ride, and will take you down the road at 70mph all day long... The only "complaint" I have with the mechanical performance of this R75 is the braking - don't get me wrong, the brakes work and will stop the bike, but the first-generation BMW front disk brake has a very wooden feel to it and requires some serious lever pull to scrub off the speed... This is pretty much a fact of life for all the /6 airheads, and can be improved by installing new updated front brake pads... Other than this, I can honestly say that this bike needs NOTHING, and I would not hesitate to jump on it and ride across the country tomorrow... Of course if I had time to do something like that I would not be selling it in the first place! All lights and electrics work, horn is nice & loud, both gauges work well (except for the trip meter re-set - I have not been able to get that to work). It has a very nice set of Metzelers installed, not brand new but still plenty of tread left, 19" ME33 Laser on the front and 120/90-18 ME88 Marathon on the rear, likewise the genuine BMW battery is not brand new but still holds a charge, no problem. This bike has the long wheel base swing arm, final drive ratio is 32/10, carbs are the original 32mm Bing CV units (64 32 9 on the left carb, 64 32 10 on the right), rear shocks are the original OEM units, in fact everything about this bike is VERY original and unmolested, right down to the tire pump, toolkit and original Owner's Manual that was given to the original owner when he purchased the bike new from San Jose Bavarian Cycles in February 1974! As an early production /6, this R75 retains some of the /5 features that most airhead enthusiasts consider highly desirable - it has the simpler & cleaner /5 handlebar switches, polished aluminum turn signal housings (as opposed to the "cheaper"-looking black plastic units used on later /6 models), and it still has the kick start pedal, which can prove useful in the event of a dead battery... Cosmetically, the bike looks really REALLY nice, as you can see in the photos below. It has the larger capacity gas tank and the Granada Red paint is factory original on the tank & fenders. The previous owner lost the original side covers when the notorious "rubber band" broke, so I found a set and had them professionally color-matched and painted. There is one small scratch and a shallow indent on the top of the tank, maybe 2" across, but there are no cracks or flaws in the paint and this could probably be popped out by someone who knows what they are doing. The paint on the top of the tank has some barely noticeable tiny bubbling or blistering from age and/or sun exposure, but the paint is not faded at all and still has a nice high gloss shine. There is a wear mark on left rear of the front fender (from the brake line), and a flaw or wear mark on the right front of the rear fender... Other than these issues the paint is in great shape and the overall finish is EXCELLENT! The aluminum engine castings are clean, no heavy corrosion or white fuzz, the valve covers are PERFECT (probably thanks to the frame-mounted crash bars), NO broken fins on heads or cylinders, overall the chrome is very nice, other than some pitting on the afore-mentioned crash bars and some scattered light pitting on the spokes. Frame paint still looks very good, no significant wear, no flaking or nasty rust spots. There are only a couple of other cosmetic flaws that I can think of - the rubber "rim" around the gauges has started to split, and end of the right muffler has a split or crack... That is pretty much it... Basically this bike has been well cared-for and garage stored its entire life, and it shows! The touring set-up that was dealer-installed for the original owner is all in EXCELLENT condition. The white Luftmeister frame-mounted fairing does have a small chip in the fiberglass on the right side, NO other flaws or damage, windshield is clear and in great shape, both snap-on pocket covers are included... Importantly, all the original pieces are still there - the headlight shell, Bosch headlight lens, turnsignal mounting stems and the complete original turn signal assemblies with polished aluminum housings - so, if you wanted to remove the Luftmeister fairing to return the bike to the cleaner original look, NO problem! The king/queen-style touring seat with backrest is a Denfeld unit (I think), cover and base are all in great shape, there are just a couple of small splits or cracks along the top edge of the backrest - NO holes, tears or cracks in the seat cover itself. The RARE white Krauser saddlebags are both in EXCELLENT condition, NO cracks or damage, just some scuff marks and normal wear, all latches work correctly and YES I have the keys! The Krauser saddlebag mounting bracket set-up has the optional bolt-on rear luggage rack as well... Bottom line: If you are looking for a vintage steed with some class and character to carry you and the missus down the road in style for many happy miles together, you COULD NOT DO BETTER THAN THIS! This is a VERY VERY NICE stock & original 1974 BMW R75/6 - PERFECT for a late summer/early autumn road trip (make that late spring/early summer if you are in the Southern hemisphere)! Sold with clear title, original California blue & yellow tag and current California registration!!! RESERVE LESS THAN $3K!!! Payment by Paypal, Paypal E-Check, bank transfer or email me for other payment options. LOCAL PICK-UP IN SAN JOSE CA PREFERRED! However I will work with winning bidder to arrange shipping by trucking company or private party of your choice... LOW COST international shipping can also be arranged - email me to discuss options!