DeaD - Sonoma Classic Motorbikes

The R69 at completion
of the restoration.
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BMW OWNERS NEWS December 2010
Return
from the
DeaD
By
Sam Bernstein
#41763
he thrill of the hunt for the rare and the
unusual gives life to the motorcycle collector. The
Internet is an amazing picking tool for searching
out things that interest me. I have gotten into the
habit of viewing the online auctions for motorcycles. Most of the
ads are for mundane bikes that people bought and have either used
up, didn’t use or some bad luck has befallen them. The four D’s
prevail: divorces, death, debt and dropping it. It’s all there, part of
the detritus of life. When times are good and people are flush with
money, they indulge in buying toys. For some people, owning a
motorcycle is a luxury.
This particular day I am scrolling through the ads for BMW bikes
when one ad leaps out. I can tell from the thumbnail image that this
bike, a 1966 BMW R69S, has a striking profile. I click open the
description and realize this model is among the most legendary and
desirable of the sixties BMW motorcycles. It is a sporting version of
the line of 600 cc bikes that built BMW’s reputation for manufacturing well designed and made bikes. BMWs at that time were more
expensive than other makes due primarily to the high level of craftsmanship and excellence of engineering. A BMW could be ridden
around town for shopping and then driven around the world without
missing a beat.
Most of the ads I encounter offering BMW R69S’s for sale are
either for worn out bikes or grossly over-restored pristine examples.
The subject bike of this article is dramatically altered in the “Bobber” style. The Bobber style originated in post World War II California during the late1940’s. Returning servicemen looking for fun and
excitement took primarily British bikes and Harley Davidsons and
stripped them of all unessential parts to save weight. The front
fender was eliminated entirely and the rear fender was cut down or
“bobbed”. A lighter bike could race faster and also look cool.
T
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I rationalize the fact
that this is a
1966 BMW R69S, which
has matching frame
and engine numbers,
and can be put back
to stock with very little
effort. I will not lose
money on this thing.
The R69 engine blcok
and the crankshaft
undergoing the process
of restoration.
The R69 motor
shown during
the restoration
reassembly
process. Photo
Courtesy of
James De Alba
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BMW OWNERS NEWS December 2010
This BMW R69S had the rear fender bobbed and a non-stock
front fender. The custom taillight was mounted to the side along
with the license plate holder. The seat was custom handmade by the
seller and was covered in brown nagahide material from a stool. As
the seller said in his description, the bike looked great from 10 feet
away. I stared at the photos saying to myself, “This guy got the look
right, but there is no way I’m going to buy this thing.”
I decided to order 8x10 blow-ups to better see the details. The end
of the auction was at 6:15 pm San Francisco time. At 4:30 pm I went
to pick up the photo enlargements and to do some shopping. I thought
to myself “If I linger shopping long enough I’ll miss the deadline in
bidding and some other schmuck will buy the rust bucket.”
Back home at 5:45 pm I turn on my computer and boot up. The
auction bidding is at $5,500 and the reserve has not been met. I
punch in a bid of $5,600. I am the high bidder, but the reserve is still
not met. Now I am bidding not against another buyer, but against
the seller’s reserve amount. This is the minimum amount that the
seller is willing to sell his BMW. In this situation, the only way to
buy it is to keep upping my maximum bid. I am bidding in $100
increments and quickly pass $6,000.
Still the reserve is not met. At $6,500, my computer crashes and
the screen goes blank. There are just four minutes remaining.? Is
my computer crashing as an act of God to save me from myself?
The screen surges back to life. I sign on and punch in a $7,000
maximum bid. There are four seconds remaining…Suddenly, a
message pops up on my screen, CONGRATULATIONS YOU ARE
THE SUCCESSSFUL BIDDER at $6,800. Astonished, I try to take
it all in. Yes, I want it; no, I don’t need it. My goodness, what have I
done! I don’t even know what I am buying since I have never even
seen the bike firsthand. It’s like meeting your mail order bride for
the first time.
I rationalize the fact that this is a 1966 BMW R69S, which has
matching frame and engine numbers, and can be put back to stock
with very little effort. I will not lose money on this thing. I am making reassuring mental talking points. Generally I am a perfectionist
and like my bikes to be pristine and factory correct. But this bike
has, for some reason, captured my imagination. Yes, it is
The author with the 1966 BMW
R69S Bobber on arrival day.
In the beginning! The 1957 BMW R69
frame being prepped for painting.
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The Author on the left with
James De Alba the restorer with the
1957 R69 during restoration.
The Ex Georg Meier R69
finished restoration.
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BMW OWNERS NEWS December 2010
Georg Meier riding the BMW
Kompressor on the Lap of Honor
during the 1989 Isle of Man TT races.
Photo by Graham Lloyd-Jones
cosmetically rough. The tires need replacing, the rims need powder
coating, the chrome is dim, the odometer needs repair, the headlight
needs painting, it needs another seat, it needs to be repainted Bristol
Grey and pinstriped to the original BMW specs. This could be a big
money pit… But, I like it. I think it is going to be fun. And, gentle
reader, fun is what it is all about.
Knowing that I am mechanically inept, inexperienced and ill
equipped to do more than check tire pressures and oil levels, I began
to search for a restorer. My concept was to keep the bobber changes,
but to mechanically and cosmetically renew the bike.
Arriving at the dealership where the bike was shipped, I walked
into the service department and there on the lift sat the 1966 R69S
bobber. It looked really cool, just like the photographs online. In
fact, I was relieved to find that it was in much better condition than
I expected.
One of the dealership’s salesmen told me that a man was in earlier
while the bike was being off loaded from the truck and mentioned
that he saw it on the EBay auction. He left his business card and
asked that it be given to the owner of the bobber. “Sonoma Classic
Motorbikes, James De Alba, Restoration Specialist, (707) 2272142, Sonoma California email [email protected]. We’ll
restore your classic bike the way you dreamed it could be…”
This was music to my ears! The next day I called the restorer and
made an appointment to meet him in Sonoma, north of San Francisco
in the heart of northern California’s wine country. I arrived at De
Alba’s house and noticed a magnificent freshly painted black vintage
BMW gas tank with white pin striping sitting on a table. De Alba
wanted to show me a freshly restored headlight nacelle as well as
front and rear fenders that were in the garage. The painted bits were
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Younger readers may not
be aware that Georg Meier
was one of the greatest
German motorcycle racers
of all time.
impressive. In my mind I was visualizing the grey painted fenders
and tank of the bobber. What a difference! I can see why collectors of
these vintage BMWs want the original black with white pinstripes.
There is a beauty to the combination that is classic and timeless.
I liked De Alba’s passionate matter of fact manner. He showed
me photographs of the previous bike, a BMW R69S that he had just
finished and delivered to an actor in Los Angeles. Every detail is
correct down to the tire pump attached to the frame. Magnificent! I
realized that I had found my Bikelangelo of BMW restoration in my
own backyard!
“I am not sure whether I want to upgrade the bobber, or have it
restored to mint concours condition,” I say. “Well you can do that. I
have the tank, fenders and headlight for the project I am working on
now, ready to go. If you want to put those on your R69S, I am willing to do that,” De Alba replies. “What are you working on now?” I
ask. “I have a 1957 R69 of which there were less than 3,000 made.
It is much rarer than the R69S. I would be willing to trade my R69
fully restored to concours condition for your R69S Bobber. If you
would like to see my workshop, we can go there” he says.
The De Alba workshop is located in a rustic old barn out in the
countryside about five miles from the Sonoma County town square.
Inside, there was a vintage BMW motor and a frame on the workbench. I was intrigued how something as old and worn as these bits
and pieces can come together as a flawless, magnificent motorcycle. As De Alba explained the various parts, I reflected that restoring vintage motorcycles is an art form. It requires taking the original
motorcycle apart and putting the parts in boxes and zip lock bags.
Each group of boxed parts is renewed as necessary and then all of it
is reassembled.
I am looking around at the parts in the shop and make the decision then and there to do the trade. De Alba looks pleased as we
shook hands on the deal.
“Your R69 bike will be ready in about two months. I’m going to
do an incredible restoration,” he tells me. Five months go by in the
twinkle of an eye. De Alba and I have spoken several times and I
have visited his workshop twice to take a look at the progress of the
restoration. Finally, in the summer, De Alba called to tell me he was
ready to deliver my finished bike. I waited anxiously as the white
pickup truck pulled slowly into my driveway. Strapped in the back
was my 1957 BMW R69 motorcycle. It was immaculate and looked
better than the day it first left the showroom floor 53 years ago.
“Well done, Bikelangelo!” I exclaimed as I smiled and shook De
Alba’s hand.
My natural curiosity and art historian training made me curious
about the history of this R69. When was it made? Where did it come
from? Was it really an R69?
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BMW OWNERS NEWS December 2010
Georg Meier riding the BMW Kompressor
on the Lap of Honor during the 1989 Isle of Man
TT races. Photo by Graham Lloyd-Jones
December 2010 BMW OWNERS NEWS
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At last the long wait is
over, and iron has been
turned into gold. This
historic classic BMW from
the past has been brought
back from the dead.
ortunately, BMW Motorrad maintains an extensive
archive of its vehicles. The BMW Classic Group is
the official archive of Bayerische Motoren Werke
located in Munich.
I decided to make a formal application to obtain a Zertifikat for a
modest sum. About two months later, BMW mailed the document,
Zertifikat number 4169 to me.
My bike, BMW R69, chassis and engine number 652581 was
produced in black on April 17, 1956. It was one of only 2,956 made
between 1955 and 1960. It was delivered to the great German
motorcycle-racing ace Georg Meier in Munich on January 2, 1957.
Meier owned one of the largest BMW dealerships in Munich in the
post war years. From the BMW archive document, it was not possible to determine if the bike was delivered to Georg Meier for personal use or as inventory for his dealership. Younger readers may
not be aware that Georg Meier was one of the greatest German
motorcycle racers of all time. Born in November 1910, Meier was
the first foreign winner of the prestigious Senior TT on the Isle of
Man Races in 1939 riding for the factory BMW team.
Meier became known as “Schorsch” (the Bavarian diminutive for
Georg) while serving as an apprentice at a local motorcycle repair
shop in Muhldorf am Inn in Bavaria. During the 1939 Senior TT,
Meier led from start to finish winning with an average speed of
89.38 mph. In the Second World War, Meier served as a motorcycle
instructor for the German Military Police and as a driver to Wilhelm
Canaris, head of the Abwehr, the German military intelligence service from 1939 to 1944.
After the war, Meier returned to racing and between 1947 and 1953
won the German 500cc championship on a modified pre-war supercharged BMW motorcycle for six years out of seven. Georg Meier
retired from racing in 1953 to concentrate on his BMW motorcycle
business. In 1989 on the 50th Anniversary of the 1939 Isle of Man
TT, Meier demonstrated the BMW Type 255 Kompressor in the Lap
of Honor during the TT Races. I attended the 1989 Isle of Man TT
races and recalled seeing Meier sedately make the Lap of Honor
along with an assorted group of TT legends riding their historic bikes.
At last the long wait is over, and iron has been turned into gold. This
historic classic BMW from the past has been renewed and has been
brought back from the dead. It is alive again. I reflect what a tragedy it
would be for this magnificent machine to disappear from the road. We
are only temporary keepers of these marvelous mechanical treasures.
If our generation does not value the past, then this knowledge and skill
will be lost forever. That would be a tragedy for all of us… F
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BMW OWNERS NEWS December 2010
The R69 at
completion of the
restoration
R69 restored with original
tail light style.
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