so i came across this motorcycle the 1963 bmw r60/2 and i was man thats what i want to travel on, therefore i was wondering if anyone has some information about it as far as price how long a motor lasts (found one with 12,400 miles on it dont know if its on it last legs or not) how much it would be to custom (sort of like the 'blitz' 1963 bmw r60/2, just some general info about it.
After you have gone through the bike they sound like they are very reliable. But....Where would you be thinking of traveling too? Id be afraid to leave that one unattended overnight in a strange area..Bikes like that belong locked in your garage overnight....
Wow! Do not alter that bike in any way! That is a classic 600cc 30 hp model that can run forever. Beautiful bike. That thing is built to take a sidecar, especially if it has an Earles front end which can be adjusted for rake and trail to ease turning when a side car is attached. The Earles will also cause the front end of the bike to rise when braking instead of diving which is what happens with a telescopic front end. I knew a guy who bought a new R69s with an Earles in 1968 and drove it from PA to Florida and back with no troubles whatsoever. He sold it about 20 years ago and has been kicking him self ever since. Here's one with an Earles: http://youtu.be/_hS_wifaR6M How much is it going for and where is it??????I'm not going to tell you what they go for cause I want it! P.S. I would not use this bike as an everyday ride....it needs to be preserved. Buy some Jap bike for everyday use or traveling, they are very dependable, plentiful, cheaper on upkeep, and easier to modify. Lots of used ones about.
They run from 6,000-16,000 USD$, fair to excellent. Classic vintage beemer, not the kind of bike I would leave outside overnight. Also, though BMW's can be ultra reliable, it's not going to be easy or cheap to get parts or even a qualified mechanic for a bike like that out on the road if you need them.
Almost seems weird looking at that. I grew up around these things, my dad having purchased them at Art's BMW & Cycles in Columbus, Ohio in the early 60's. Smooth ride with or without the sidecar. The air intake was changed in '68, making it look like part of the engine, and they introduced telescopic forks right after that. Art's is no longer in business, as I recall, but there's another shop in Lithopolis, and yet another near Athens, Ohio. Not sure how many other shops are scatterred across the US these days. If you keep doing routine maintenance on it, it'll run forever.
R60 isn't a real big bike so I don't think I'd be bombing down a interstate trying to keep up. But it would be a blast hitting 2 lane highways, the back roads of america are great fun. I have a 82 R100 that's got problems and I'm more into harley based bike but I'm kinda excited to get it going. I remember once I had my 1932 Ford pu with my 1948 Whizzer in the back, getting gas in the pouring rain and old man came up to me yelling on how stupid I was not knowing what I had and how hard they are to find. I just told him "give me 20 grand and you can hide it in your garage forever" People who tell you don't do this or that to something can buy there own crap and keep it safe forever. If you want it and can afford it, buy it and do whatever you want. They are reliable motorcycle but they are old and need to be maintained. I say get it and make it into a bitchin little cafe bike.
There's great cheap japanese bikes that look more or less like that, that will be much better and more reliable and easily worked on and less stolen and more modifiable (without sending you strait to hell without passing go or collecting $200) for your traveling needs. I don't think 14k is that bad at all, especially if it was babied, as I might expect from a BMW - but it seems like an exceedingly bad choice for what you want. For the bike's sake and for your sake, don't do it.
thanks all for replying, i know its an old bike but how epic would it be to ride one all over and clean her up when finished and tell the stories we had, i dont really have a place in mind for traveling i was thinking of doing an easy rider type of adventure camping out sleeping next to the bike. all i know is i want to get a bmw bike (huge fan of german engineering, the older german it is the longer it will last) so if anyone knows of a decent old bmw bike let me know so i can start looking into it because as of now im riding a old 60's chicago schwinn with a 50cc attachment
Why don't you get a Russian Ural? They're based on the 1930's era BMW R-71 and they've been making them since 1941. See Wikipedia on them here. Although they have been totally unreliable for 70 years, it seems they have updated them a bit after 2004, and you can get them in the U.S. Here is further encouragement. Should be a real adventure!
it looks cool but after reading about it, it seems to break down waaay to often and since im still learning how to work on motorcycles seems like way to much of a hassel, but thanks for the info now i know im looking in the right direction per se
Grew up around these, and even had one for my personal vehicle in my freshman year in high school, as my dad had quite the love affair with them. Ultra-reliable with the general maintenance schedule, you should remember they were designed to run on hi-test gasoline, which was 99-101 octane back then. I would imagine your local BMW dealer could tell you what that means today and the previous owner likely has taken care of that. These things purr.....
