1972 BMW R75/5 Toaster Tank

Did I mention that my wife and I use to own the local Vespa dealership?

It was a great time. My parents worked at the shop a few days a week and my brother in law Matt was our full-time employee. Matt and I became Vespa certified mechanics after some training and it was all just a good time. We ended up selling the entire business along with all our vintage Vespas and gear to a local businessman.

Anyway, back to the BMW! This 1972 short wheel base BMW R75/5 was traded in on a Vespa 250 GTS back when we owned the local Vespa shop. I had seen the BMW cruising around town and was delighted when the owner came in and wanted to buy a Vespa for his daughter. I suggested he trade in the BMW! The guy had owned the bike for twenty-five plus years and it was still wearing its original paint and came with the original tool kit, air pump, two sets of panniers and the owners-manual. I kept the bike for about five years but ended up trading it for a Porsche 993 engine in need of a rebuild to my buddy Eric at Ozark Import Specialist. I missed the bike and spent years trying to buy it back to no avail. It wasn't until Eric had a storage building fire that he finally sold it back to me. The bike was in the corner of the building and the fire melted all the plastics and rubber and peeled off the paint from about half way up the tank to the headlight. Everything below that "fire line" was actually ok. There was even gas still in the tank after the fire. I spent the next eight months restoring the bike but this time converted it into a mild Cafe style racer using all original BMW parts. I changed the color from the original black to Green Metallic, an original BMW R75/5 color. About 90% of these motorcycle parts can still be purchased through BMW for these air cooled bikes.

The bike is a real pleasure to ride. It only has four speeds but can cruise relatively well at 60-65mph. The dry clutch is a bit clunky but like most things, you get used to it. The Corbin Cafe seat is really comfortable and still opens like the original seat. Over all, it's a great bike and I am happy I got a chance to get it back!