Description
Additional photos of this BMW R62 are available here for your perusal.
Introduced in 1928, the R62 was BMW’s first 750cc touring motorcycle and it laid the foundation for all big-touring BMWs to come. It uses the last generation of the bent-tube, all-welded frames known as “flat tankers,” and it was both light and strong. It was BMW’s top of the line machine, selling for 1,650 Reichsmarks (approximately the average salary for a German at the time).
The front suspension is BMW’s distinctive trailing-link fork cushioned by a leaf spring, and this big tourer features full electric Bosch lighting.
BMW made a habit of introducing innovative new models on an almost yearly basis; the R62 arrived only five years after motorcycle production began at the Munich factory and it was a huge improvement from BMW’s first model, the R32 of 1923. The R62 had more than twice the horsepower (18 HP at 3,400 RPM), and a far more modern engine and gearbox than the original.
These early flat-tank BMWs have a particular charm for collectors of vintage machinery, being that it is the last with a clear visual link to that first BMW of 1923. The design is spare and elegant, showing the influence of German design by Bauhaus concepts of function free from excessive ornamentation.
The R62 was replaced by the pressed-steel frame R11 in late 1929, and while the engine and gearbox were identical, the tube-frame machines appear lighter than the flat-metal frames which replaced them. These earlier models are robust enough to successfully tackle the Cannonball cross-country endurance run, and they have a rabid global following which includes excellent spares availability.
Flat-tank BMWs with 750cc engines are in high demand as they’re suitable for modern road conditions, featuring both enough power to keep out of harm’s way and terrific reliability.
This 1928 BMW R62 (VIN: 62306) is a rare numbers matching example which includes case halves and transmission. Owned and restored by a well-respected Canadian collector, this particular R62 underwent a 3-year restoration, being completed in 2014 and raced in the Motorcycle Cannonball with 3,310 miles covered. Just 3,750 miles have been put on the bike since the restoration.
The R62 is among the rarest of all BMWs, with only 4,355 machines built in two years. This is an excellent opportunity to acquire a flat-tank BMW that’s simultaneously a concours contender and ready for the 2020 Cannonball.
