ENGINE 494CC M252/1 BOXER TWIN
OUTPUT 24 HP @ 5,800 RPM
CURB WEIGHT 418 LBS.
TOP SPEED 84 MPH
PRICE WHEN NEW DM 2,750 ($655)
YEARS PRODUCED 1951-’54
NUMBER BUILT 18,420
COLOR BLACK
OWNER LANE MOTOR MUSEUM (SINCE 2003)
LOCATION NASHVILLE, TENNESSEE
#527840
1952 R 51/3
In 1950, barely a year after R 24 singles started rolling off the line, BMW launched the R 51/2—essentially a prewar R 51 updated by Alfred Böning. A year later, the R 51/3
brought an all-new engine with a magneto ignition and a gear-driven oil pump; the engine would provide the basis for all BMW boxer engines through 1969. An all-new frame used front forks with hydraulic compression and rebound damping as well as the seal-protecting rubber boots developed by Alex von Falkenhausen for the wartime R 75.