1964 BMW R 69S

The youngest BMW motorcycle in our Museum is a R 69S in Dover white, a change from the usual color of  black. In production from 1955 to 1964, this model used a 34 cu.in. engine and shaft drive system like the other BMWs: it has no chain drive.

BMW started production of the R 69 series in 1955, and continued with R 69S and R 69US models until 1969. The model became popular with its different colors and Steib S 500 sidecar: Steib sidecars were manufactured according to the specifications of BMW motorcycles. R 69S’s won numerous motorcycle races with sidecar.

The R 69 and R 69S utilised the Earles Fork for the front wheel, a design patented to the Englishman Ernest Earls in 1953, and a “double-loop” frame, called chassis.

Selling 11,317 numbers from 1960 to 1969, the R 69S’s 42 bhp engine allowed it to reach 108 mph. This speed drops to 65 mph with the largest model of chrome-free Steib S 500 sidecar. The R 69S was the most suitable motorcycle for a sidecar in the 60s. That is why it won many medals in motorcycle-and-sidecar races. It remained in production from 1955 to 1960 as the R 69 (with 35 bhp), and as the R 69US from 1968 to 1969.

An R 69S in good condition with an original sidecar can now command a price of around 23,400 Dollars.