Description
H&H Classic Auction @ National Motorcycle Museum | Solihull, West Midlands
15th November, 2023 13:00
1959 BMW R50
Fitted with period correct colour matched panniers
Estimate
£7, 000 - £9, 000
Registration No: 932 UYW
Frame No: 560290
Engine No: 560290
CC: 500
MOT: 13-06-2024
Beautifully presented matching numbers 1959 R50
Fitted with colour matched period style panniers
MOTd until 13-06-2024 and supplied with a V5C
BMW was established in the early 1900s as a manufacturer of aircraft engines and produced their first motorcycle in 1923, the R23, already sporting the flat twin boxer configuration they have now become synonymous with. In 1955 BMW created its 'R' series of R50, R60, and R69 models with similar engines and the same shaft-drive as earlier models but fitted with swinging fork rear suspension for the first time and most distinctively, 'Earles' type front forks. BMW have always built expensive motorcycles, but you got what you paid for and they quickly gained an enviable reputation for long lasting reliability and quality. The R50 probably cost twice as much as a British 500 twin in the day making them an exclusive machine in the late 1950s and early 1960s.
This stunningly presented R50 was restored in 2016 by its previous owner who actually inherited the bike from a relative who left it to him in his will. The bike is fitted with a set of period correct panniers that follow the curvaceous shape of the bike. Unusually for what would have been a very expensive bike in its day, it was sold new in the UK by the importers AFN Ltd of Isleworth. The bike comes supplied with a letter of authenticity from BMW Germany and a current V5C.
