Here's a beautifully executed earles fork race replica owned by a collector here in the states. The sport tank was modified with clubman dents to accommodate the Hoske racing bars and 1950’s long type Magura racing levers. Other notable rarities include the Magura "quick" throttle often seen on race bikes from that era, Heska variation headlamp mount mirror and non-standard tachometer mount required by the Hoske bars. The little ball on the end of the post '67 handlebar lever is a safety feature required by German law. You can imagine what happens if you run into some poor soul with those long blade-like Maguras! |
Here's a stunning 1937 R5 owned by a fellow enthusiasts here in the states. The R5 is certainly one of the most desirable and attractive BMW's of any period. I hope to aquire one of my own someday. |
This incredible R5 based race replica resides in in Germany. Note the Lugauer/Keckheisen racing tank with racing type paste-on roundels. The owner races this machine frequently. This has to be one of the finest looking prewar BMW's on earth! |
How would you like to own an all original R68? This bike still has its original and unusual SFS seat rubber which was common on the 1954 model.
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This R68 is belongs to the BMW Museum in Munich, complete with hi-mount 2 into 1 ISDT exhaust.
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I purcahsed this wrecked R67/3 police bike several years ago and have since sold it to make way for other projects. Note to self - do not sell what you may never find again. |
Here's a classic restoration of argubly the best performing BMW's of the earles fork era, the R69. The 1960 version used the same coffee can tail light as the later earles fork models.
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These rare and excellent condition Hoske racing hubs recently found a new owner on Ebay. Notice the brake shoes which are mounted on a standard simplex brakeplate. |
I recently disassembled and serviced this NOS VDO tach camshaft drive. The unit is held together by four screws and “T” nuts. It’s a very good idea to clean out the 40+ year old, hardened factory grease and repack periodically. To remove the screws, the “T” nuts must be captured. A simple tip is to grind an arch in the center of a flat blade screw driver. This allows clearance for the screw tip so you can reverse the screws and take the drive blocks apart.
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Another view of the above tach drive reveals the part number and date stamped into the housings. The cam drive tach may have been a popular accessory back in the day, but for optimum performance, it required more maintenance than the later oil pump version. This has not discouraged collectors though, as these tachs routinely sell for well over $1000 on Ebay.
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I owned this NOS Heinrich Typ Fuhrmann 1 tank for several years before selling it to a Canadian Police Officer. I'm sure I'll regret that someday, but it was just too expensive to have as shelf candy. It's amazing how paint quality has improved over the years. The paint on this tank was riddled with orange peel and the hand striping was quite inconsistent. |
Heinrich tanks are not impossible to find but they always seem to be missing the necessary mounting brackets. Here's a photo of the correct brackets and other hardware as included with the above NOS tank.
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Another shot of the same tank shows the original Karl Heinrich decal which was placed at top center.
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Racing machines have always been sought after but with original factory parts being near unobtainable, many collectors are building faithful replicas to capture the look and feel of those legendary BMW’s. Here’s a properly and beautifully executed R51 Sport. |
Here's a Hoske tank with rarely seen external tool box. Hoske did offer a tool box but this version could be a homemade item. By moving the box outside the tank, the fuel capacity is increased. Aesthetically, the box does not do the tank justice, but it's a really interesting piece none the less.
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