The Last of the “Plungers”
by Jeff Dean
Last updated Saturday, September 15, 2012
R67-R67/3 Engine Numbers and Production
BMW Model | Engine Numbers | Production |
---|---|---|
1951 R67 solo | 610001- 611449 | 1,470 |
1952-1954 R67/2 | 612001- 616226 | 4,226 |
1955-1956 R67/3 | 617001- 617700 | 700 |
This is a 600cc BMW 1955 BMW R67/3. It was beautifully restored by Todd Rasmussen of Oklahoma City. Note the plunger rear suspension, exposed and chromed drive shaft, “mechanic's hand shift,” telescopic forks, front stand, and full-width brake drums. The finned covers over the exhaust nuts were popular aftermarket additions. The R67 was the first postwar 600cc BMW motorcycle. It was built for one year, 1951, and the R67/2 was built in quantity from 1952 through 1954.
The R67/3 is the rarest postwar BMW motorcycle. Only 700 were produced in 1955 and 1956, overlapping for two years the introduction of the Earles-fork and swing-arm equipped "slash-2" models.
How do you quickly tell the difference between and R51/3 and one of the R67 series of BMWs, both of which have six-fin valve covers? The R67 through R67/3 have pointed cylinder fins (photo below, left). The R51/3 has smaller round cylinder fins (photo below, right). This distinction is the same for the later R60-R60/2 and R50-R50/2 motorcycles.
On a more personal note, my affection for the R67 goes back to my youth. In December 1968, I purchased a 1951 R67 (photos of me and it below along with my first BMW, a 1966 R60/2) and owned it for several years. Stupidly, I sold it a few years later. Ever since, I regretted selling that handsome motorcycle. So, in 2009, I purchased a replacement for it, a 1955 R67/3, which you see in the photos at the top of this page. The R67/3 has rubber gaiters, whereas the original, 1951, R67 had metal sleeves (photo below, right).
Rear Drive Ratios | |
R51/3 Solo | 35 / 9 (1:3.89) |
R51/3 Sidecar | 32 / 7 (1:4.75 |
R67 — R67/3 Solo | 32 / 9 (1:3.56) |
R67 — R67/3 Sidecar | 35 / 8 (1:4.38) |
R68 Solo | 35 / 9 (1:3.89) |
R68 Sidecar | 32 / 7 (1:475) |
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