BMW R60/5

BMW R60/5
“The Jigsaw Puzzle Bike Project”

Growing up, most of the toys and gifts I received at home were puzzles.
I recall very vividly the keen interest and obsession I had with them.
Seemed like nothing peaked my interest more than a puzzle.
It was such lovely feeling of accomplishment whenever I solved a puzzle.
I loved to get things figured out.
I still do

I still lean towards puzzles and continuously try to pass that interest and curiosity on to my children and grandchildren.
It’s quite a challenge though, ‘cos in these modern times of digital games/puzzles, the physical connection is nowhere near the same as in the earlier era.
They, like many other children of today are more stimulated in a different kind of way.
So with a storeroom full of brand new parts - every part imaginable - this assembly project came to life.
With no manuals or diagrams it was a major challenge and a true labor of love.
Throughout this project I began to realize how beneficial all those puzzles and games had been to me.
How they had sharpened my sense of observation and my logical approach towards the assembly of component parts and the dexterity with which I was able to perform.
So night after night each weekday after school and all weekend long, I worked at bringing this machine into being.
A handful of friends were always on hand to lend physical and moral support because they were just as equally, or more so excited than I to see this “big machine” come into existence from nothing but boxes!
In relation to their “non-mechanical” backgrounds, they always complimented my “wizardry”!
So the day finally arrived when I fired up the machine.
It was a day to celebrate.
A trip to the restaurant kitchen of the most prominent hotel in town (Hotel Continental) and the purchase of Grilled Chicken and Potato Fries, made for a great celebratory meal that kept us up all night long in full view of the “newly minted” R60/5 motorcycle.
The only thing “non-stock” on the machine was a low-slung handlebar that gave it a “cafe-racer” look and feel.
If you’d like to know about what a cafe racer is and the culture surrounding its influence on motorcycling today, open the youtube link that follows.
I encourage and recommend you to watch all the parts of it.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=fGeXjHU0ZHE

It is a great historical record of the glory days of British motorcycles, immortalized by The British Broadcasting Company (BBC)
In my honest opinion, it is very well worth it.
So, it was a “brand new” machine and it was great to ride.
The prestige of it being a BMW made me feel somewhat special.
Unforgettably though, this engine required frequent - I dare say - almost weekly engine valve adjustments.
It was the nature of the beast - typical of all the BMW boxer engines of that era.
At 600 cc cubic displacement, it ran well and was a pleasure to ride.
Single disc brake up front
Shaft Drive final output
Generously sized comfortable seat
… and of course the traditional “jacking” up and down of the suspension due to the design of the engine and final drive from the rotational torque of the engine.
The feel of the horizontally opposed twin-cylinder engine was like no other machine out there.
It took a little bit getting used to, but all in all a lovely machine to have.
I garnered a great feeling of accomplishment and pride from it, which really solidified my “can do” spirit!