1966 R60/2

[Capt'n]

I am about to inherit a 1966 R60/2 with 16K miles on it, that has hardly been ridden in the past 20 years. I rode it last week-end and it started on the the 2nd try and just purred for the 10 miles, that I rode it.

Can anyone give me some preventative maintenance and general repair advise? Everything that i have been reading says that the hardest thing with and R60/2 in fixing oil leaks and changing oil seals.

Any feedback is much appreciated.

 

Capt'n

[Lincoln_Faller]

there's a good forum for vintage BMW bikes, which you might check out:

 

http://vintagebmw.org/v7/forum/

 

also a yahoo discussion group for slash /2 s:

 

https://groups.yahoo.com/neo/groups/slash2/info

 

given that it's hardly been run in the past 20 years, even with only 16K miles on it, you should get the slingers cleaned or changed. these are a primitive kind of oil cleaner that collects particles on disks attached to the crankshaft. when these get clogged, real big problems result for your bearings and you may have to replace your crankshaft. a new crank alone for an R60 would cost about $1000 plus shipping from Germany; they don't seem to be available any longer in the US.

 

unfortunately, getting at the slingers to clean or replace them means removing the engine from the bike, disassembling it and removing the crankshaft. fortunately, there are still a number of shops able to do this. probably the best known with the best reputation is Benchmark Works in Mississippi:

 

http://www.benchmarkworks.com/

 

I had mine done two years ago by BoreTech in Batavia, Ohio, and they seem to have done a good job at a fair price, not only cleaning the slingers but making sure the engine was entirely to spec. this involved replacing a bearing and all the piston rings and gaskets and seals, among other things, for something less than $1300. don't have a website for them.

 

my R69S had only 10,000 miles, but like yours had been left standing for about 20 years. the slingers were full when the engine was opened up, and I was told that was because the bike had stood so long without being run.

 

you should put new tubes and tires on the bike if what it now has are 20 or more years old, and you will probably have to replace a lot of rubber bushings and other fittings, throttle, clutch, and brake cables, maybe bulbs and, if you care, chromed parts that are rusted more than you like. I hope you replaced all the fluids before you took your test run. check your manual for the proper lubricants. a '66 should use non detergent oils in the engine, 30 or 40 weight depending on ambient temperature, and also in the transmission and final drive. the original seals in the latter aren't designed to stand up even to GL-4 to say nothing of GL-5. you want to avoid detergent oil for the engine, as that defeats the operation of the slingers.

 

for parts in the US, Benchmark is probably the best, especially for the help and advice they offer over the phone, though there are some other good vendors as well. if you're going to order a lot of parts, check out Uli's in Frankfurt, Germany. they charge a flat shipping charge for however much you order, 33 euros I think. for their amazingly complete online catalog, in English, go to their website:

 

http://www.ulismotorradladen.de/uli/Web/shop/Homepage.aspx

 

they respond quickly and helpfully in English to email inquiries in English. given the current exchange rate for the euro, the fact that there's no sales tax, German or American, and apparently no customs duty (I've never had to pay any), their prices are hard to beat.

 

hope this helps, and good luck with the project

 

 

 

[taylor1]

You can also try boxerworks.com/forum2 This were I go for my airhead question . Great guys , a little nutty , but great guys !

[mwood7800]

I had a 68 r60. Bought it for 3500 and sold it a few months later for 7500. Cool looking boxer, kinda scary elect system, if u keep it I would put a cdi on it.

[MarkAZ]

Subscribe to the airhead mailing list on micapeak.com. The people on there can tell you more than you ever wanted to know about airheads. Also might want to join the Airhead Beemer Club.

[tallman]

Subscribe to the airhead mailing list on micapeak.com. The people on there can tell you more than you ever wanted to know about airheads. Also might want to join the Airhead Beemer Club.

 

That is whair I hung out when I had my Airheads.

3 digit member number.

I lapsed when I sold my last one in '05 (bylaws say you are an owner).

Probably shouldn't have done either...

Best wishes.

[MarkAZ]

And how could I have forgotten Snowbum's web site:

 

Snowbum's BMW Motorcycle Repair & Information Site

 

Keep scrolling down. The info is there. Snowbum can be a bit verbose but he knows what he's talking about. I understand he's quite a character.