ENGINE 498CC M04 BOXER TWIN
OUTPUT 32 HP @ 6,400 RPM
CURB WEIGHT 451 LBS.
TOP SPEED 98 MPH
PRICE WHEN NEW DM 3,696 ($943)
YEARS PRODUCED 1969-’73
NUMBER BUILT 7,865
COLOR BLACK
OWNER BMW NA CLASSIC
LOCATION WOODCLIFF LAKE, NEW JERSEY
#2904336
1972 R 50/5
In 1969, BMW moved motorcycle production to Berlin, where its Spandau factory would build the all-new /5 series of bikes. Created by Motorrad chief Hans-Günther von der Marwitz and Helmut-Werner Bönsch, the /5 was designed as a solo machine, with telescopic forks and dual shocks at the rear. The engine was allnew, with BMW’s first electric starter. The /5 marked the motorcycle debut of designer Hans Muth, who penned the chrome-sided “toaster” tank on the R 50/5 seen here.