1948 BMW R35, RESTORED

Description

 1948 BMW. Restored. Runs and Rides. Engine Number: 215335

1948 BMW. Restored. Runs and Rides. Engine Number: 215335 

In the late 1930?ˆ™s and into the 1940?ˆ™s and 50?ˆ™s. the BMW motorcycle company turned out some of the most popular and dependable motorcycles in the world.   This R35 is an example of one of the most iconic of those early BMW machines.   

The condition of this machine is restored.   Everything from the frame to the fenders has been restored. preserved. re-built. and/or re-finished.

I believe I am the third owner from the time it arrived in the U. S. in 2001. but can?ˆ™t be positive.   Please note this bike comes with German registration documents along with the necessary United States EPA importation papers and a bill of sale.   I have never had it titled in Illinois.   If the new owner would like to title the bike is his or her own state. I would be happy to help in that process.   And although the importation documents specify this machine as a 1948 model. it is more than likely it was manufactured later. possibly 1950 or 51.  

This machine has been a part of my collection for some time and is actually ridden occasionally.   It is stored in a temperature controlled environment (my office) throughout the entire year.   When I purchased the BMW a few years ago. the restoration had already been completed.   All of the major engine. transmission. and braking components are operational.

The tires are in good condition and are the correct type and size for the R35.   It you look at the photos in my description. you will see they are Soviet tires manufactured in the U. S. S. R. . evidence that is was most likely in an Eastern Block country most of its life.   Although they look great. hold air. and are not hardened. if I were to ride this bike any distance on the road. I would replace the tires.   That said. I take it out every few months and don?ˆ™t have any problem.  

The engine and transmission were disassembled. checked. and freshened up to their original factory specifications and are in excellent interior condition.   The original carburetor was also re-built and re-installed.   A new battery was also installed last year and the brakes have been recently checked for safety. front and rear.

The paint was applied when restored in the factory correct black color with the correct and original BMW emblems.   The seat also appears to be original and in very nice condition. as you can see in the photos.

The R35 on the road runs great. is very easy to handle. and rides down the road tight. with no shakes. shimmies. or rattles.   It shifts and accelerates smoothly and holds the road as it should with the tires currently installed.

There is absolutely nothing that needs to be done to this machine to ride. show. and enjoy it.   The new owner will have a top quality machine that can be ridden and enjoyed as well as shown at any vintage motorcycle event.  

TERMS:  $500 DEPOSIT WITHIN 48 HOURS OF AUCTION CLOSE.   BALANCE OF AUCTION AMOUNT MUST BE PAID BY CASH IN PERSON. BANK TO BANK WIRE TRANSFER. OR CERTIFIED FUNDS (WITH VERIFICATION) ONLY WITHIN 7 DAYS OF AUCTION CLOSE.   SORRY. NO C. O. D. AND NO PAYPAL.  

The description of this motorcycle is written to the best of my knowledge.   However. I am by no means an expert on vintage BMW motorcycles.   Please don?ˆ™t hesitate to ask for more photos and. if possible. come and look in person before the auction ends.   ALL SALES ARE FINAL!  If you have any questions. please contact me before the auction ends.

If you have any questions. please contact me.   If you live close to Chicago. I encourage you to come and inspect the motorcycle in person.

In an effort to protect the eBay user information and to help ensure the authenticity of correspondence between sellers and bidders. eBay?ˆ™s new listing format does NOT display any bidder information.   Nevertheless. I STRONGLY encourage bidders to contact me directly to answer questions or to verify correspondence.   Seller reserves the right to not accept bids or sell the vehicle to anyone with a zero or negative eBay feedback rating.

This motorcycle is being sold as is. where is with no warranty. expressed. written or implied unless there is a warranty in effect from the factory.   The seller shall not be responsible for the correct description. authenticity. genuineness. or defects herein. and makes no warranty in connection therewith.   No allowance or set aside will be made on account of any incorrectness. imperfection. defect or damage.   Any descriptions or representations are for identification purposes only and are not to be construed as a warranty of any type.  It is the responsibility of the buyer to have thoroughly inspected the motorcycle and to have satisfied himself or herself as to the condition and value and to bid based upon that judgment solely.   The seller shall and will make every reasonable effort to disclose any known defects associated with this motorcycle at the buyer's request PRIOR to the close of sale.   Seller assumes no responsibility for any statements regardless of any oral statements about the item.

Please remember that your bid constitutes a legally binding contract to purchase this item.   If you require an inspection. have it done prior to bidding.   I strongly encourage all bidders to inspect the motorcycle personally or enlist the services of a professional inspector prior to placing a bid.   After the sale. inspections are not recognized as a contingency to completing your obligation to your winning bid.   If there are any questions regarding the above terms. please e-mail prior to bidding.

Please do not waste my time or yours bidding on an item you do not intend to pay for.   If you bid on this part and win. you are expected to pay for the Motorcycle and pick it up in a timely manner!

I welcome ALL international bidders and am happy to assist with making shipping arrangements.   I can also arrange crating for shipment on my end for a nominal extra charge.   If you are an international buyer. I understand it can take some time to arrange shipping. so I do not mind keeping the motorcycle for a longer period of time until pick up.   Please contact me before the sale ends. if possible. to discuss the specifics.

Thanks for your interest!

For more on the BMW R35 and the BMW motorcycle company. please read on past the photos?ˆ¦

Make Model: BMW R 35

Year: 1937-50

Engine: Air cooled. four stroke. single cylinder vertical. OHV

Capacity: 342 cm

Bore x Stroke: 72 x 84 mm

Compression Ratio: 6. 0:1

Induction: 1x SUM type C K 9/22

Ignition / Starting: Bosch magneto ignition / Kick

Clutch: Single plate. dry

Max Power: 14 hp @ 3500 rpm

Transmission / Drive: 4 Speed

Gear Ratio: 1st 3. 4 2nd 2. 18 3rd 1. 35 4th 1

Frame: Pressed steel twin loop frame

Front Suspension: Telescopic fork

Rear Suspension: Rigid

Front Brakes: 180mm drum

Rear Brakes: 180mm drum

Front Tire: 3. 0 x 19

Rear Tire: 3. 5 x 19

Wet-Weight: 155 kg / 351 lb

Fuel Capacity: 12 liters  / 3. 1 gal

BMW's motorcycle history began in 1921 when the company commenced manufacturing engines for other companies. Motorcycle manufacturing now operates under the BMW Motorrad brand. BMW (Bayerische Motoren Werke AG) introduced the first motorcycle under its name. the R32. in 1923.

Pre-1921:

BMW began in 1916 as a reorganization of Rapp Motorenwerke. an aircraft engine manufacturer that began production before World War I. With the Armistice. the Treaty of Versailles banned the German air force and the manufacture of aircraft in Germany. so the company turned to making air brakes. industrial engines. agricultural machinery. toolboxes and office furniture and then to motorcycles and cars.

1921-1944:

In 1921. BMW began manufacture of its M2B15 flat-twin engine. Designed by Max Friz for use as a portable industrial engine. the M2B15 was largely used by motorcycle manufacturers. notably Victoria of Nuremberg. and Bayerische Flugzeugwerke in their Helios motorcycle. Friz was also working on car engines.

BMW merged with Bayerische Flugzeugwerke in 1922. inheriting from them the Helios motorcycle and a small two-stroke motorized bicycle called the Flink. In 1923. BMW's first "across the frame" version of the boxer engine was designed by Friz. The R32 had a 486 cc (29. 7 cubic inches) engine with 8. 5 hp (6. 3 kW) and a top speed of 95 to 100 km/h (59 to 62 mph). The engine and gearbox formed a bolt-up single unit. At a time when many motorcycle manufacturers used total-loss oiling systems. the new BMW engine featured a recirculating wet sump oiling system with a drip feed to roller bearings. This system was used by BMW until 1969. when they adopted the "high-pressure oil" system based on shell bearings and tight clearances. still in use today.

The R32 became the foundation for all future boxer-powered BMW motorcycles. BMW oriented the boxer engine with the cylinder heads projecting out on each side for cooling as did the earlier British ABC. Other motorcycle manufacturers. including Douglas and Harley-Davidson. aligned the cylinders with the frame. one cylinder facing towards the front wheel and the other towards the back wheel. The R32 also incorporated shaft drive. BMW has continued to use shaft drive on its motorcycles and did not produce a chain driven model until the introduction of the F650 in 1994.

In 1925. BMW introduced the R39. a 250 cc single-cylinder motorcycle. It was not successful and was discontinued in 1927. In 1931. BMW introduced the single-cylinder shaft-driven R2. which. as a 200 cc motorcycle. could be operated in Germany without a motorcycle license at that time. The R2 headed a series of single-cylinder BMW motorcycles. including the 400 cc R4 in 1932 and the 300 cc R3 in 1936.

The BMW R12 and R17. both introduced in 1935. were the first production motorcycles with hydraulically damped telescopic forks.

In 1937. Ernst Henne rode a supercharged 500 cc (31 cubic inches) overhead camshaft BMW 173. 88 mph (279. 83 km/h). setting a world record that stood for 14 years.

During World War II. the Wehrmacht needed as many vehicles as it could get of all types and many other German companies were asked to build motorcycles. The R75 performed particularly well in the harsh operating environment of the North African Campaign. Motorcycles of every style had performed acceptably well in Europe but. in the desert. the protruding cylinders of the flat-twin engine performed better than other configurations which overheated in the sun. Shaft drives also performed better than chain-drives which were damaged by desert grit.

The U. S. Army took note of these advantages and asked Harley-Davidson. Indian and Delco to produce a motorcycle similar to the side-valve BMW R71. Harley-Davidson copied the BMW engine and transmission?ˆ”simply converting metric measurements to inches?ˆ”and produced the shaft-drive 750 cc (46 cubic inches) 1942 Harley-Davidson XA.

1945?ˆ“1955:

The end of World War II found BMW in ruins. Its plant outside of Munich was destroyed by Allied bombing. The Eisenach facility. while badly damaged. was not totally destroyed. and tooling and machinery had been stored safely nearby. Contrary to popular accounts. the facility was not dismantled by the Soviets as reparations and sent to the Soviet Union to be reassembled in Irbit to make IMZ-Ural motorcycles; the IMZ plant was supplied to the Soviets by BMW under license before the German invasion of the Soviet Union in June 1941. After the war. most of BMW's engineers were taken to the US or the Soviet Union to continue the work they had done on jet engines with BMW during the war.

The terms of Germany's surrender forbade BMW from manufacturing motorcycles. In 1947. when BMW received permission to restart motorcycle production from US authorities in Bavaria. BMW had to start from scratch. There were no plans. blueprints. or schematic drawings because they were all in Eisenach. Company engineers had to use surviving pre-war motorcycles to copy the bikes. The first post-war BMW motorcycle in Western Germany. a 250 cc R24. was produced in 1948. The R24 was reverse-engineered from the pre-war R23 with some improvements over the R23. and was the only postwar West German BMW without rear suspension. In 1949. BMW produced 9. 00 units and by 1950 production surpassed 17. 00 units.

BMW boxer twins manufactured from 1950 to 1956 included the 500 cc models R51/2 and 24 hp (18 kW) R51/3. the 600 cc models 26 hp (19 kW) R67. 28 hp (21 kW) R67/2. and R67/3. and the sporting 35 hp (26 kW) 600 cc model R68. All these models came with plunger rear suspensions. telescopic front forks. and chromed. exposed drive shafts. Except for the R68. all these twins came with "bell-bottom" front fenders and front stands.

The situation was very different in Soviet-controlled Eastern Germany where BMW's sole motorcycle plant in Eisenach was producing R35 and a handful of R75 motorcycles for reparations. This resulted in one BMW motorcycle plant existing in Eisenach between 1945 and 1948 and two motorcycle companies existing between 1948 and 1952. One was a BMW in Munich in Western Germany (later the German Federal Republic) and the other in Soviet controlled Eisenach. Eastern Germany (later the German Democratic Republic). both using the BMW name.

Eventually in 1952. after the Soviets ceded control of the plant to the East German Government. and following a trademark lawsuit. this plant was renamed EMW (Eisenacher Motoren Werke). Instead of BMW's blue-and-white roundel. EMW used a very similar red-and-white roundel as its logo. No motorcycles made in East Germany after World War II were manufactured under the authority of BMW in Munich as there was no need for an occupying power to gain such authority. BMW R35 motorcycles were produced in Eisenach until 1952. when they became EMW.

If production in Munich and Eisenach is added together. some 100. 00 motorcycles were produced between 1937 and 1955. This would make the R35 the most successful model in BMW's motorcycle history.

Source: bmwdean. com

 

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