from the dead - sonoma classic motorbikes 2010 bmw owners news 73 the author with the 1966 bmw r69s...

BMW OWNERS NEWS December 201070

The R69 at completion of the restoration.

December 2010 BMW OWNERS NEWS 71

The thrill of the hunt for the rare and the unusual gives life to the motorcycle collector. The Internet is an amazing picking tool for searching out things that interest me. I have gotten into the

habit of viewing the online auctions for motorcycles. Most of the ads are for mundane bikes that people bought and have either used up, didn’t use or some bad luck has befallen them. The four D’s prevail: divorces, death, debt and dropping it. It’s all there, part of the detritus of life. When times are good and people are flush with money, they indulge in buying toys. For some people, owning a motorcycle is a luxury.

This particular day I am scrolling through the ads for BMW bikes when one ad leaps out. I can tell from the thumbnail image that this bike, a 1966 BMW R69S, has a striking profile. I click open the description and realize this model is among the most legendary and desirable of the sixties BMW motorcycles. It is a sporting version of the line of 600 cc bikes that built BMW’s reputation for manufac-turing well designed and made bikes. BMWs at that time were more expensive than other makes due primarily to the high level of crafts-manship and excellence of engineering. A BMW could be ridden around town for shopping and then driven around the world without missing a beat.

Most of the ads I encounter offering BMW R69S’s for sale are either for worn out bikes or grossly over-restored pristine examples. The subject bike of this article is dramatically altered in the “Bob-ber” style. The Bobber style originated in post World War II Califor-nia during the late1940’s. Returning servicemen looking for fun and excitement took primarily British bikes and Harley Davidsons and stripped them of all unessential parts to save weight. The front fender was eliminated entirely and the rear fender was cut down or “bobbed”. A lighter bike could race faster and also look cool.

Returnfrom the

DeaD

BySam Bernstein

#41763


This BMW R69S had the rear fender bobbed and a non-stock front fender. The custom taillight was mounted to the side along with the license plate holder. The seat was custom handmade by the seller and was covered in brown nagahide material from a stool. As the seller said in his description, the bike looked great from 10 feet away. I stared at the photos saying to myself, “This guy got the look right, but there is no way I’m going to buy this thing.”

I decided to order 8x10 blow-ups to better see the details. The end of the auction was at 6:15 pm San Francisco time. At 4:30 pm I went to pick up the photo enlargements and to do some shopping. I thought to myself “If I linger shopping long enough I’ll miss the deadline in bidding and some other schmuck will buy the rust bucket.”

Back home at 5:45 pm I turn on my computer and boot up. The auction bidding is at $5,500 and the reserve has not been met. I punch in a bid of $5,600. I am the high bidder, but the reserve is still not met. Now I am bidding not against another buyer, but against the seller’s reserve amount. This is the minimum amount that the seller is willing to sell his BMW. In this situation, the only way to buy it is to keep upping my maximum bid. I am bidding in $100 increments and quickly pass $6,000.

Still the reserve is not met. At $6,500, my computer crashes and the screen goes blank. There are just four minutes remaining.? Is my computer crashing as an act of God to save me from myself? The screen surges back to life. I sign on and punch in a $7,000

maximum bid. There are four seconds remaining…Suddenly, a message pops up on my screen, CONGRATULATIONS YOU ARE THE SUCCESSSFUL BIDDER at $6,800. Astonished, I try to take it all in. Yes, I want it; no, I don’t need it. My goodness, what have I done! I don’t even know what I am buying since I have never even seen the bike firsthand. It’s like meeting your mail order bride for the first time.

I rationalize the fact that this is a 1966 BMW R69S, which has matching frame and engine numbers, and can be put back to stock with very little effort. I will not lose money on this thing. I am mak-ing reassuring mental talking points. Generally I am a perfectionist and like my bikes to be pristine and factory correct. But this bike has, for some reason, captured my imagination. Yes, it is

I rationalize the fact that this is a

1966 BMW R69S, which has matching frame and engine numbers, and can be put back

to stock with very little effort. I will not lose money on this thing.

The R69 motor shown during the restoration reassembly process. Photo Courtesy of James De Alba

The R69 engine blcok and the crankshaft undergoing the process of restoration.


The author with the 1966 BMW R69S Bobber on arrival day.

In the beginning! The 1957 BMW R69 frame being prepped for painting.


The Author on the left with James De Alba the restorer with the

1957 R69 during restoration.

The Ex Georg Meier R69 finished restoration.


cosmetically rough. The tires need replacing, the rims need powder coating, the chrome is dim, the odometer needs repair, the headlight needs painting, it needs another seat, it needs to be repainted Bristol Grey and pinstriped to the original BMW specs. This could be a big money pit… But, I like it. I think it is going to be fun. And, gentle reader, fun is what it is all about.

Knowing that I am mechanically inept, inexperienced and ill equipped to do more than check tire pressures and oil levels, I began to search for a restorer. My concept was to keep the bobber changes, but to mechanically and cosmetically renew the bike.

Arriving at the dealership where the bike was shipped, I walked into the service department and there on the lift sat the 1966 R69S bobber. It looked really cool, just like the photographs online. In fact, I was relieved to find that it was in much better condition than I expected.

One of the dealership’s salesmen told me that a man was in earlier while the bike was being off loaded from the truck and mentioned that he saw it on the EBay auction. He left his business card and asked that it be given to the owner of the bobber. “Sonoma Classic Motorbikes, James De Alba, Restoration Specialist, (707) 227-2142, Sonoma California email [email protected]. We’ll restore your classic bike the way you dreamed it could be…”

This was music to my ears! The next day I called the restorer and made an appointment to meet him in Sonoma, north of San Francisco in the heart of northern California’s wine country. I arrived at De Alba’s house and noticed a magnificent freshly painted black vintage BMW gas tank with white pin striping sitting on a table. De Alba wanted to show me a freshly restored headlight nacelle as well as front and rear fenders that were in the garage. The painted bits were

Georg Meier riding the BMW Kompressor on the Lap of Honor during the 1989 Isle of Man TT races. Photo by Graham Lloyd-Jones


impressive. In my mind I was visualizing the grey painted fenders and tank of the bobber. What a difference! I can see why collectors of these vintage BMWs want the original black with white pinstripes. There is a beauty to the combination that is classic and timeless.

I liked De Alba’s passionate matter of fact manner. He showed me photographs of the previous bike, a BMW R69S that he had just finished and delivered to an actor in Los Angeles. Every detail is correct down to the tire pump attached to the frame. Magnificent! I realized that I had found my Bikelangelo of BMW restoration in my own backyard!

“I am not sure whether I want to upgrade the bobber, or have it restored to mint concours condition,” I say. “Well you can do that. I have the tank, fenders and headlight for the project I am working on now, ready to go. If you want to put those on your R69S, I am will-ing to do that,” De Alba replies. “What are you working on now?” I ask. “I have a 1957 R69 of which there were less than 3,000 made. It is much rarer than the R69S. I would be willing to trade my R69 fully restored to concours condition for your R69S Bobber. If you would like to see my workshop, we can go there” he says.

The De Alba workshop is located in a rustic old barn out in the countryside about five miles from the Sonoma County town square. Inside, there was a vintage BMW motor and a frame on the work-bench. I was intrigued how something as old and worn as these bits and pieces can come together as a flawless, magnificent motorcy-cle. As De Alba explained the various parts, I reflected that restor-ing vintage motorcycles is an art form. It requires taking the original motorcycle apart and putting the parts in boxes and zip lock bags. Each group of boxed parts is renewed as necessary and then all of it is reassembled.

I am looking around at the parts in the shop and make the deci-sion then and there to do the trade. De Alba looks pleased as we shook hands on the deal.

“Your R69 bike will be ready in about two months. I’m going to do an incredible restoration,” he tells me. Five months go by in the twinkle of an eye. De Alba and I have spoken several times and I have visited his workshop twice to take a look at the progress of the restoration. Finally, in the summer, De Alba called to tell me he was ready to deliver my finished bike. I waited anxiously as the white pickup truck pulled slowly into my driveway. Strapped in the back was my 1957 BMW R69 motorcycle. It was immaculate and looked better than the day it first left the showroom floor 53 years ago. “Well done, Bikelangelo!” I exclaimed as I smiled and shook De Alba’s hand.

My natural curiosity and art historian training made me curious about the history of this R69. When was it made? Where did it come from? Was it really an R69?

Georg Meier riding the BMW Kompressor on the Lap of Honor during the 1989 Isle of Man TT races. Photo by Graham Lloyd-Jones

Younger readers may not be aware that Georg Meier was one of the greatest

German motorcycle racers of all time.


Fortunately, BMW Motorrad maintains an extensive archive of its vehicles. The BMW Classic Group is the official archive of Bayerische Motoren Werke located in Munich.

I decided to make a formal application to obtain a Zertifikat for a modest sum. About two months later, BMW mailed the document, Zertifikat number 4169 to me.

My bike, BMW R69, chassis and engine number 652581 was produced in black on April 17, 1956. It was one of only 2,956 made between 1955 and 1960. It was delivered to the great German motorcycle-racing ace Georg Meier in Munich on January 2, 1957. Meier owned one of the largest BMW dealerships in Munich in the post war years. From the BMW archive document, it was not pos-sible to determine if the bike was delivered to Georg Meier for per-sonal use or as inventory for his dealership. Younger readers may not be aware that Georg Meier was one of the greatest German motorcycle racers of all time. Born in November 1910, Meier was the first foreign winner of the prestigious Senior TT on the Isle of Man Races in 1939 riding for the factory BMW team.

Meier became known as “Schorsch” (the Bavarian diminutive for Georg) while serving as an apprentice at a local motorcycle repair shop in Muhldorf am Inn in Bavaria. During the 1939 Senior TT, Meier led from start to finish winning with an average speed of 89.38 mph. In the Second World War, Meier served as a motorcycle instructor for the German Military Police and as a driver to Wilhelm Canaris, head of the Abwehr, the German military intelligence ser-vice from 1939 to 1944.

After the war, Meier returned to racing and between 1947 and 1953 won the German 500cc championship on a modified pre-war super-charged BMW motorcycle for six years out of seven. Georg Meier retired from racing in 1953 to concentrate on his BMW motorcycle business. In 1989 on the 50th Anniversary of the 1939 Isle of Man TT, Meier demonstrated the BMW Type 255 Kompressor in the Lap of Honor during the TT Races. I attended the 1989 Isle of Man TT races and recalled seeing Meier sedately make the Lap of Honor along with an assorted group of TT legends riding their historic bikes.

At last the long wait is over, and iron has been turned into gold. This historic classic BMW from the past has been renewed and has been brought back from the dead. It is alive again. I reflect what a tragedy it would be for this magnificent machine to disappear from the road. We are only temporary keepers of these marvelous mechanical treasures. If our generation does not value the past, then this knowledge and skill will be lost forever. That would be a tragedy for all of us…

At last the long wait is over, and iron has been turned into gold. This

historic classic BMW from the past has been brought

back from the dead.


The R69 at completion of the

restoration

R69 restored with original tail light style.

from the dead - sonoma classic motorbikes 2010 bmw owners news 73 the author with the 1966 bmw r69s...

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