ENGINE 494CC M252/2 BOXER TWIN
OUTPUT 26 HP @ 5,800 RPM
CURB WEIGHT 429 LBS. (704 LBS. W/SIDECAR)
TOP SPEED 87 MPH (62 MPH W/SIDECAR)
PRICE WHEN NEW DM 3,050 ($726), SIDECAR DM 895 ($213)
YEARS PRODUCED 1955-’60
NUMBER BUILT 13,510
COLOR BLACK
OWNER LOTHAR SCHUETTLER (SINCE 1995)
LOCATION DARNESTOWN, MARYLAND
#560911
1959 R 50 & STEIB 350S
In 1955, BMW replaced the “plunger-style” rear suspension with a twin-shock swingarm, and the telescopic forks with Earles forks to give R 50 and R 69 uncommon stability and incomparable ride quality. The bikes were popular for sidecar duty, using a BMW sidecar or a Steib like that on the R 50 seen here. “An R 50 was the first BMW I owned as a teenager in Germany, and I put a Steib 350S sidecar on it so I could ride in winter through snow and ice,” says Lothar Schuettler, who owns and restored the identical outfit seen here.