Motorcycle Restoration

gone the same way like you did but build a bimmer repop from the scratch - means i pulled the best parts out of a pile of junkparts and built up my R75 repop sidecar

to give her this special R75 look i was after i replaced the 19" rims with 16" like on the real bimmer

looks much better to me with the more "beefy" rubbers

don't wanna bust your thread but here are a couple of pics


1st mockup





on with the 16 " and some bodyparts





almost finished but still some small touch ups missing





finally here she is - added some plaquettes and badges for the realistic look




meanwhile i sent her to Germany where she currently waits for me to take her to Normandy in June this year

looking forward to your updates and next steps

 

I have a few helmets to choose from and a Whermacht motorcyclists coat (Kradmantel) is on my want list.

4444Design, nice bike! You are fortunate to be in China as parts are readily available there.

What size tyres do you have on the bike?

 

i did what you said about that 16' rim ...




same basis which i used for the wehrmacht rig

 

THX for the positive feedback ...

Yep - i had a nice time here in BJ but will move back to Europe in a couple of months

during that time i did almost 15 bikes - mostly customized and in solo configuration

the only army-repops i did was a solo in US Army OD representing a Bimmer "liberated" and used by american troops and 2 wehrmacht sidecars - one for me and one for a good friend of mine

also here it ain't that easy to get hands on good quality parts - most of the stuff i use is ex chinese military parts after restoring them - there are some newly made parts available on the commercial market but they are mostly scrap

i run 5.00 by 16 - originally on the R75 bimmers where 4.50 x 16 interchangeable with the kueblewagen tyres

 

Ah...THAT looks familiar! I saw the magazine spread a while back

 

Latest update...

The bike parts are currently at a local vehicle restoration company where they are being sandblasted in readiness for painting.

Here are a few parts and accessories that arrived in the post this week...

Brand new (albeit old) pistons and rings. What looks like dirt and rust on the pistons is in fact a protective coating of grease.


Ammo boxes which attach to either side of the sidecar.


More bits are on the way...

 

Good show John, you are doing this seriously

 

One dilemma I have with the restoration is which variant of the BMW logo to put on the sides of the fuel tank.

This is the enamelled type


And this is the plain alloy version which would be painted the same colour as the fuel tank


Both types were used by the German armed forces in WW2 and I can't decide which ones to use? :huh: What do you all think?

 

John, would it depend on what year of entry into service you're recreating? Would the enamelled items date from the early years of the war?

 

Good point!

The BMW R71 was only produced from 1938 to 1941 (before the more versatile BMW R75 came in to service) so it's probable that early versions of the bike that had enamelled badges later had them painted as the war progressed so as to reduce their visibility in the field.

The plain badges may also have been introduced as part of a cost saving exercise.

Update: The frame and other bits of the bike should be back from the sandblasters tomorrow, complete with a protective coating of undercoat paint.

 

I'd go for the painted scheme , they seem more logical regarding cammo. The early blue version looks like a target on the tank to me.

 

I took those pics in Normandy a few years ago !

 

I remember seeing your excellent photos when you originally posted them, Skipper.

It's not a BMW R-71 though...it's a Russian M72 like what I have. There are certain tell tale signs that give it away and those are the things which I will be changing on mine to make it more like an R-71.

It's still a very nice bike though.

 

Update...

I've now got the parts back from the sandblasters who had a tough time removing the old paint. They told me they had never known paint to be so difficult to blast off...It was obviously made to last when it was applied.

Here are some of the parts after being sandblasted.

 

Did you make airfix models as a kid.....? Plain Alloy by the way...Looks the business.

 

I know John, I wanted to show you this particular fellow had used a colored BMW logo from his bike.

 

I made many Airfix kits when I was young so I hope my childhood assembly experience can be used in putting the bike back together!

The bike is all made of mild steel(the metal looks almost alloy because the sandblasting has dulled it)and I almost bust a gut getting it all in to my car as it is very heavy. The bike and sidecar, when assembled, weighs in at 355kgs.

 

Update...

Various parts including engine gaskets, new headlight (the original one was starting to lose its reflective coating) and wheel bearings are on order.

This week I hope to get the frame etc undercoated in preparation for the top coat of Feldgrau.

 

Great work, John ! Somehow I managed to completely miss this thread before...doh !

( And I can't post any 'likes' as my quota is exceeded - which sounds like something out of Kafka or Orwell.... :i_surrender: .)

 

Thanks, Martin!

I'd also like to say that the bike is a joint venture with my dad. We had been looking at buying a military vehicle of some sort for a few years and we finally decided on a motorcycle and sidecar combination as we both have an interest in the world of motorcycling.