BMW R25/2 Test Ride

Covid provided a bit of time to put this back together since Sweden. Took only 5 years…R25/2 1953 manufactured on June 12th, 1953 and delivered on June 18th, 1953 to the BMW dealer Schoth in Berlin.

R25/2 1953(?)

I got a great deal on an r25/2 in the Stockholm area. It is running and registered on the road until 2017. This baby was in a barn since the mid 60s. Until it came to light two years ago. upon further inspection I will decide what to do with it, keep it as is, restore, or touch up. Bmw r25/2

Final

I made an inquiry regarding the origin of the bike VIN number and where and to whom it was shipped.
Original Owner/Delivery: German Ministry of Defense
Date Delivered: April 13,1960
Notes: Sidecar

I always suspected that it was a military bike, but was unsure until I inquired to BMW regarding the VIN. Perhaps one day I will make it a military style bike.

Overall the bike is well past the breaking in stage and is running smooth. I have had it up to 110-115kph, though the speedometer was shaky at this speed and it was hard to exactly determine 100%.

The bike gives a very smooth ride. The speed the bike likes to travel is at: 40, 60, 80 and 100kph. On the upper end I find it settles in at 100kph, but takes a bit of time to reach it. The main speed I tend to travel if driving it is 80 – 85kph. I moved to the states and many of the local roads are around 45 – 55mph which this bike speed meshes well. I come from a metric origin, so I prefer these units.

BMW_R26

Another April Update

Was able to finish all of the wiring, tested and all was functioning as normal. The wiring diagram provided by Uli’s Motorrad Laden was not the greatest. Luckily I had another at my disposal which by combining the two made sense. After the wiring was complete I adjusted the timing on the advance plate by lining on the S mark on the flywheel. Once that was done I gave it a few kicks to verify there was a spark. At first there was no spark and upon observation the ground wire came lose on the coil. I soldered it back and a very nice spark/arc was observed.

The bike started on a few kicks. I still need to adjust the throttle cable since it was reving a bit high.

 

R26 BMW r26 headlight electrics R26 BMW

Feb Update

Well I got most of the bike together, it is surprising how quickly this bike goes together when you have all of the parts. Check the assembly area for all the pics. I have included a couple below.

image_9 image_10 image_12

Feb Update

Well it has been a busy few months, I have made a few more orders and replaced some parts which I just thought would look nicer new. I have also placed the engine in the frame and assembled a few other components. I am currently waiting on some new handlebar risers since my original set had a bit of pitting on the chrome. I had some issues installing the seat and it would seam some bolts that should have came with either the seat or the bolt kit were not present. I made due with what I had. I have included more photos in the main assembly.

photo 5

 

R26 Update December

I added some new photos to the engine/motor and have begun to assemble the bike.
The chassis and assembly photos can be found here: http://clev.ca/BMW/?page_id=93
The Engine photos can be found here: http://clev.ca/BMW/?page_id=17

I still have some work to do on the chassis and engine. I am currently waiting for the new year to begin working on the bike again. Work and Christmas has a tendency to get in the way.

Major future challenges will be the electrics. Luckily I have some extra original parts and should be able to rewire and rebuild the generator. The next challenge is the carburetor, I have an original carb and rebuilt it, but I need a new slide. I may acquire an aftermarket one from Uli’s  just to get a better idle. Since these carburetors were rather problematic or so I have read.