This is a bike with an identity problem… We purchased it at auction in July 2020.

The original listing on the auction site had it as a 1961 R69. After viewing the pictures on the auction site I emailed the auction house to ask for it’s serial number, as it didn’t look like an R69 to me. The auction house quickly relisted the bike as a non-numbers matching R50/2, with rumors that this was a Japanese police bike. After the auction was over, the auction house sent us an email from BMW motorrad in Germany. The contents of the email were

The frame number 643085 belongs to a BMW R 50/2 which was manufactured on August 26th, 1966 and delivered to the BMW dealer Glöckler in Frankfurt/Main. The original colour was Police Green.

The engine number 639777 belongs to another BMW R 50/2 which was manufactured on March 04th, 1965 and delivered on March 17th, 1965 to the BMW dealer Glöckler in Frankfurt/Main. That bike was also Police Green.

After a bit of investigation this information made perfect sense, as did the non-matching serial numbers, as fleet bikes like this would often get their motors removed and swapped with a rebuild one while work was being done on them

The alternator has 4 brushes, the bike has a 12-volt electrical system the 2 x 6V batteries wired in series, the tail light with the mountings for a radio antenna, and even an obscure Japanese symbol on the engine case. A bit more research showed that the symbol means “to show”, so “to show – 82 – to show”, perhaps indicating that the unit was last overhauled in 1982.

Unfortunately when the time came to register the bike in New Brunswick, they didn’t seem to care about the information from Germany, preferring to register it as it had previously been registered as a 1961. to fix this we would need a certified letter from BMW (not just an email). BMW indicated they would be happy to send us a letter saying that, but it would be 100 Euros. Thanks but no thanks. I guess it will “be” a 1961 bike for a while anyways…

The bike was certainly in need of some TLC, so once we got it going, we rode it around to realize a lot needed to be fixed on it, both wheels were trashed beyond repair out of round and out of true, it was leaking from most areas that contained oil, the paint was dismal… It became clear that all it needed was everything…

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Where it was clearly a police bike my initial thoughts were that it should return to it’s original color, so it was decided. As the disassembly process was taking place, I found some remnants of it’s original color on part of the Earles’ fork

Time to take out all the parts that should be “authority green” and send them out to paint…

Now for the mechanics;

The transmission was rebuilt with all new bearings as the transmission oil that came out was quite milkshaky. The kickstart gear was also damaged, letting the kickstarter go too low before engaging. A new gear was ordered. 3 of the 6 bearings were either worn or damaged

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

• 

Much work was done over the Winter and Spring of 2021. Slingers cleaned, case bearings replaced, one of the cylinders was resleeved, wheels rebuilt with new rims, stainless spokes and new wheel bearings, New seals, cables all around.

Finally, the bike was repainted in the original police green as it was when it left the factory. The results are well worth the effort!