Starting Sequence for a 1961 BMW R50S.

Ande from Barrington Motor Works explains his process for starting the recently rebuilt 1961 BMW R50S. Much of the process is the same for any vintage BMW motorcycle with a kick start system.
The /3 and /2 era BMW motorcycle ignition system uses a magneto to produce the electrical field needed to generate a spark. When the engine is kicked over the crank is rotating at a very slow rate and therefore not producing a strong electrical field and as a result a weak spark. So how does one overcome this condition??
A well tuned machine is your best defense against hard starting! Properly timed ignition system, ignition components in good condition, correctly set valve clearances, well tuned and balanced carbs and fresh fuel will get you 99% of the way there! The last 1% is understanding what your motor needs and when it needs it to guarantee a successful start up.
Follow along as Ande explains his start up procedure and be sure to leave a comment if you have anything to add!
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[@vintagemotomore2367]

The bike is so well tuned and put together it almost starts itself!

[@scottrabeler8121]

Thanks for doing these videos.

[@BarringtonMotorWorks]

Scott, our pleasure! please feel free to let us know how and what to improve. Or anything that might help with your /3 build!

[@windycityben4850]

Thanks for all these videos!! The bike sounds beautiful.

[@DAVIDGM1973]

Thanks for posting this video, very helpful!

[@johneastman1905]

Interesting … looks as if the Hella bar end turn signals have a red lenses in the rear side, makes Me think about adding a set of wires out from the brake light switch for stop signal, one would have to add a set of diodes to prevent the turn signal power from both lights…

[@brianhoover6990]

I would love to see some videos on basic things like Timing and carb synching. I would pay to see these! There is conflicting information with my Clymer and other sources.

[@BarringtonMotorWorks]

Brian thanks for the input! We'll see what we can do!

[@windycityben4850]

I’m with Brian, I would pay to see a good carb syncing video.

[@vintagemotomore2367]

Ande, my R/50 starts very well when cold, unless it hasn’t been run in several weeks, then it could take 2, maybe 3 kicks. However, when hot, it doesn’t like to start. My normal process is to turn the petcock off before I get to a stop to drain the bowls, as this can help some. Sometimes I have to resort to pop starting. On a hot start it seems to flood out consistently, and sometimes a few drips of gas are under the left bing. Could gas be leaking into the cylinder?

[@BarringtonMotorWorks]

It's very possible! You may want to check the integrity of your floats, float levels and float needles. If your float top is a "lever top" the float needle may be getting stuck in the housing. Further, hot starting issues can often times be traced back to ignition coils and ignition timing. If not set correctly, when warm the off timing may impede the development of a strong flame front. Also, breakdown in continuity of a faulty coil typically presents more often when the motor is warm.....just some areas to investigate.

[@angelepenney6407]

As for the hard to start when hot , I have changed the plug caps for zoro ohm caps .now there are big blue sparks.

[@kaptanesmer]

Rölanti slow slow okey