| |
The History of BMW Motorcycles
1950 to 1960
The 1950s. With time, the stringent post war
restrictions on Germany were relaxed. BMW was finally freed to continue
production across all its divisions. In a short time they reestablished
their world reputation as a preeminent motorcycle manufacturer. The
production of handmade sports cars also resumed. Even the airplane engine
division won lucrative contracts. But toward the end of the '50s, with
motorcycle sales slumping, the era of "Wirtschaftswunder" (economic
miracle) came to an end plunging BMW into financial worries again.
1950. BMW enters the new decade in top form. R
24 production is up to 17,000 units, and the new R 25 with plunging rear
suspension is poised to replace the R 24. The R 23 has now become the
most-produced motorcycle in BMW's history with an astonishing 47,700
machines having rolled off the factory floor. It is in this year, too,
that BMW releases the R 51/2, its first twin (based on older designs)
since the war. An updated version of the R 5, its 500 cc overhead-valve
engine musters about the same power as its predecessor, achieving 24 bhp
at 5,800 rpm.
1951. The R 68, which comes to be known as the
"100-mile racer," is the first German production bike to hit 100 mph.
First presented at the International Bicycle and Motorcycle Exhibition, it
signals the return of BMW to the list of top manufacturers. The R 68
generates 35 bhp at 7,000 rpm, the greatest power and highest revs yet.
BMW also introduces the R 51/3 this year. It is the first of the newly
designed post war machines and the first ever BMW engine without any
chains in the motor. Other innovations include Dynamo electrical
generation, which produces an astonishing 160 watts (60 being the average
at the time) and a "tunnel-casting" crankcase which would continue to be
used until 1969. BMW is operating at full capacity with production jumping
from 9,450 to 17,100 in a single year.
1952. BMW answers the market demand for a
sidecar outfitted motorcycle with the R 67. It is BMW's first 600-cc
overhead-valve twin and the first machine over 500-cc made since the war.
Twin leading shoe front brakes are introduced on this model and the bike
will remain unchanged until 1954. BMW motorcycle production continues to
grow and is now at 25,000 total units per year.
1953. Utilizing a swinging arm rear suspension
system and pivot forks with sprung struts, BMW begins development of the
Rennesport (RS) Series. Front forks are improved with the introduction of
two-way damping and front fork gaiters. BMW also updates the R 25 single
with the R 25/3, its most successful bike to date. Topping out at 73 mph,
the R 25/3 goes on to sell 47,000 units during its production run largely
due to the improvements in the carburetion and engine, yielding a very
efficient 98 miles per gallon fuel consumption. While BMW has now sold its
100,000th motorcycle since the war, demand for the heavier bikes is
waning.
1954. A year after initial development, the RS
Series, specialized for competitive racing, makes its production debut.
BMW begins to establish a reputation in sidecar racing this year as
Wilhelm Noll and Friz Cron win the World Sidecar Championship. BMW will go
on to dominate the World Sidecar Championship every year from 1955 until
1974.
1955. BMW, hampered by the high cost of
automobile production, breaks its connection with the Eisenbach facility,
which becomes the Automobilwerke Eisenbach. In motorcycle manufacture, the
R 50 (26 bhp at 5,800 rpm) with full-swinging-arm rear suspension and
leading-link front forks replaces the R 51/3. The bike is criticized for
looking dated and, combined with a growing slump in motorcycle sales, BMW
begins to face economic uncertainty. The R 26, acclaimed for its comfort
and style, is also released this year introducing Earles-Type forks to the
BMW motorcycle catalog.
1956. New models released by BMW meet with
meager sales. Only 3,500 R 60s are purchased and only 1,300 of its more
powerful cousin, the R 69, are sold. Feeling the economic decline, German
companies begin to downsize. BMW lays off 600 employees, shrinking
motorcycle production from 23,531 in 1955 to 15,500 in '56. With warehouse
surplus for the bigger machines growing and the oil shortage caused by the
Suez Crisis compounding matters, BMW shifts its focus to fuel-efficient
machines.
1957. Things go from bad to worse this year.
Total motorcycle production at BMW drops yet again - from 15,000 to 5,429
this time. Rival manufacturers like Adler, DKW and Horex all scrap
motorcycle production in general. BMW pulls back from designing new
models, focusing instead on shipping the majority of its machines overseas
to the United States or to England.
1958. The financial bubble finally bursts for
BMW. With its money reserves depleted, talk of mergers and buyouts begin
to circulate. Though production is up slightly to 7,156 machines, the
future of BMW is uncertain at best. No new models are released this year
or the next.
1959. Dismal sales (production is only at 8,412
machines for the year), surplus inventory and complete depletion of
financial reserves leave BMW operating in the red. Competitor Daimler-Benz
eyes BMW for a buyout and rumors begin to circulate. But Dr. Herbert
Quandt, a banker of some repute and a motorcycle enthusiast himself, backs
the troubled company. His confidence proves contagious and soon other
investors fund BMW. MAN, a well-known heavy vehicles manufacturer, buys
BMW's airplane division in Allach and covers other debts. While this
signifies the final end of BMW's involvement in aeroengineering, the
company does manage to remain in business.
Back
to BMW Timeline
|
|
|
