Mt friend's 1971 BMW R-75 leaned against a wall in my garage for five years. Now it's been leaning against a wall inhis Dad's garage for 12 years. Dad offered me the bike.
Do I restore it or tart it into something I like?
Last time I rode it, shifting gears the flywheel was so heavy you had the pull in the clutch, liteally count to four in your head, then shift and drop the clutch. It took forever for the engine to wind down.
Instead of the newer models with a carb on each jug, this 1971 has runner tubes to the jugs and a single Solex in the center under the tank.
What would you do?
Dan
I would restore it. It should be pretty fun.
I would give it to a fellow GRMer in Michigan who loves old BMW's
PM for my address 
That's pretty much how those bikes shifted...take it slow, and even then they still clunk a lot.
Restore,
buy a james dean leather jacket
ride
I vote restore. Just think of the clunking as part of the charm.
They all shift like that, even my R100RS does that to a certain extent.
IIRC a 75/5 (which a '71 would/should be) should have Bing CVs, not a single Solex. Sounds like that part has been messed with.
Can you just ride it as is or just very sympathetically refresh it? That is my vote.
Lighten the flywheel perhaps?
They're smoother with the heavier flywheel, plus the gearbox doesn't like its changes rushed anyway.
GregW
New Reader
4/1/11 6:24 a.m.
Back in the day I put nearly 54k on my '73 including a cross country trip. I suggest a good tune up including greasing the fork, swing arm and wheel bearings. Clean and replace carb parts as necessary and install a points replacing electronic ignition. I would pad the seat and ride the hell out of it.
Thanks Greg, that's the direction I'm headed.
Dan
The owner worked at a BMW motorcycle shop when a woman came in and asked if anyone was interested; seems it was her husband's and he just passed away.
He picked it up for $10.
Mental
SuperDork
4/7/11 3:02 a.m.
Dan,
You remember wanting mine when I was trying to sell my R/60?
http://flatracer.com/#/bmw-cafe-racer/4537795245
One of the few areas where ADD does not apply. I remember.
This bike drove home for me the perfection of the combination of new and old, as is one of my favorite things for bikes and cars alike.
I have it tattooed on me.
Check out the details.
That is stunning. Hanging the engine as a stressed member has become quite common in modern motorcycle design, but the visual bulkiness of the BMW boxer compared to the filigree of the frame and tail section give it a great sense of designed contrast.
I had an R90/6 and an R100RS converted to a CS. I shined my ass on those things for decades and worked at Bob's Used Parts and Battley Cycles slinging parts and eventually motorcycles. I did quite a bit of side work on these at home as well.
They've got a lot of "character" - but at heart are slow, clunky, not particularly good handling or braking motorbikes. I love them, don't get me wrong - but I'd only have another one if I wanted to expand my fleet of bikes (KTM 690 SMC for in-town, KTM 950 Supermoto for my "big" bike, restored RD400 Daytona for my "old" bike) to include an old 4-stroke, and if I did I'd probably look for a Norton Combat Commando...
