BMW R71 a Brief History

[@sleepyrasta420]

I would love one of these maybe one day I'll have one

[@themadmechanic1964]

@@sleepyrasta420 you can always borrow mine 😀😀😀 thanks for your comments 😀😀😀

[@windycityben4850]

That was a neat video. Especially about weighing the frames to determine which motorcycle it is.

[@themadmechanic1964]

Thank you sir 😀

[@fbbugler]

Great video! interesting tidbit about distinguishing the difference in frames by weighing them. I also found the comments from the early riders about comfort amusing and relatable after my experience riding an old hardtail harley sportster. I climbed off that bike and said never again.

[@themadmechanic1964]

Thank you my friend ... more to come on the upkeep of it ...

[@fattossa]

ive got a cj750, its great fun

[@arturasstatkus8613]

Thank You,Sir.

[@themadmechanic1964]

My pleasure glad you enjoyed .. thanks again

[@peterwilliams2152]

If you open the engine, you can easily see the differences between a R71 and the M-72. The soviets corrected all the R71's flaws.

[@themadmechanic1964]

@@peterwilliams2152 and that sir is where you are so right many thanks for the comment 😀

[@ihave35cents95]

It took me eight years to build one of these it was very expensive piece by piece the only thing I could never find was the original Graetzin 24 carburetors so I just ended up going with some k37,s with some dummy carb tops

[@themadmechanic1964]

Mate I feel your pain … I couldn’t find any Graetzin carbs and when I did they were silly money …many thanks for your comment

[@ihave35cents95]

@@themadmechanic1964 I never even found any I looked for years on that Allegro site out of Poland and they usually have tons of parts and i just could never locate any of these carburetors. There's a running joke in the forms whether or not these things even really ever existed. Restoring these BMWs will definitely bring out the OCD in you. I will never do another one

[@themadmechanic1964]

@@ihave35cents95 I heard story’s that they leaked like mad … I just bought some PZ 26 Chinese copies and used them … but then mine is a hybrid part 71 part early M72 3NC glad you liked the video mate

[@sskradmelder]

hiya ,i think we met at the Oddessy last year,I had the grey R71 at the same show.

[@themadmechanic1964]

Hello mate … good to see you

[@bb-ballistics1706]

I have a Ural 750 I love the history of military side car bikes. I would love a zundapp or BMW war bike but rightly so they're worth a fortune. Rolling history on wheels.

I rode/owned a Chinese built R71 for 12 years. The Chang Jiang is/was a Communist block gift from the USSR. She was one of the best vehicles I've ever owned.

[@zebulon9307]

7:32 "...the R71s used in Africa also had a different air filter...." No, they didn´t, because they weren´t used there. You probably mixed it up with the R75. I have to pour some water into that historic wine, I fear. The R71 was never comissioned by the German army, and only around 1500 of them were made (the number of 3500 is for all 3 models of that series, as they used the same set of frame numbers) Their (civil) production halted in 1940. Although meant as a replacement for the R12, the military stuck to those for their great number already in service and easier spare parts management. Since a dedicated army motorcycle was announced ( R75) the R71 was obsolete. All of these types of machines that you can find on photographs were civilian bikes that were commandeered for service, some in their original civilian paint. German motorcycles comissioned by the Wehrmacht were BMW R12 and R35, DKW 350, some types of NSU. Later came some lightweights (DKW RT125) and then in 1942 R75 and Zündapp 750. Also in the course of the war a lot of captured foreign material was added, plus commandeered civilian machines (as would have done all other countries). Today´s obsession with the R71 being a military motorcycle (in my view a British and American tic) has it´s origins in the ubiquitous Russian M72s and Urals, but that´s a story in itself. In my opinion the BMW opposed twin machine of that era is the least desirable machine you´d like to have for war purpose: too heavy, too wide near zero ground clearance, the sv-engine prone to overheating under heavy load, low hp output, high fuel consumption, personnel completely unprotected. The "fantastical" R75 and Zündapp KS750 came too late and were overcomplicated, to use and maintain. Their presence up to date stems from the heavy propaganda around them. It is not by accident that their British counterparts gained fame as dispatch riders but not as combattants. You show a picture (5:05) of Steve McQueen on a modified Triumph motorcycle from the 1962 movie "The great escape". A Britsh 1960s machine with an American actor depicting German war material. What a fitting illustration of make belief. I would dare to claim that 99.9% of the "BMW R71" which you can find anywhere are NOT what their owners would like them to be. The few real survivors are sitting in museums and some private collections WITHOUT a rifle on their fake Russian sidecar. (5:26)

[@joachimandreassen4832]

Seen a couple of pictures with r71 in Africa. Used by Luftwaffe

[@dr.sawdust4278]

I have a ural M72. Its funny to see they took copying the bmw seriously. Its like 1:1

[@themadmechanic1964]

Thanks for your comment … you can see why when people have a real German 71 there will always be a doubt … a early 3NC wartime M72 can be worth just as much as a real 71