OL Special - Oscar Liebmann/Kurt Liebmann

If you have come across my blog, it's most likely because you are a fan of historic BMW sport and racing motorcycles.

I have recently created a web page as a tribute to a very interesting, and famous racing BMW from here in the US,  the OL Special.

BMW-Rennsport.com

As you'll learn from the site, the OL Special was a BMW Rennsport based racebike crafted by Oscar Liebmann of AMOL Precision in Dumont, New Jersey.  The bike was campaigned for over 3 decades by Kurt Liebmann in the US, Canada and Europe.

The website showcases from very cool period photos by Stuart Davis and Ed Cunningham.  Take a look around, and enjoy.

BMW Enamel Advertising Signs

In todays world, companies and corporations turn to the web for advertising.  Encouraging "likes" on Facebook, flashing pics on Instagram, and employing an army of "influencers" posting endless reviews and showcasing "lifestyles" utilizing the companies brands and products seems to be the norm.

Call me old-fashioned, but I appreciated the advertising of yesteryear.  Colorful, artfully designed posters and enamel (Email in German) signs were the mainstay of advertising for many decades, well before the advent television and the subsequent digital age.  In other words, long before there was email there was "Email".

Collectors of BMW motorcycles, myself included, are always on the look out for such items as they relate to, and can enhance, a motorcycle collection.  Advertising provides context to the experience of owning, restoring and sharing the wonderful machines from Munich.  

Below are two examples of BMW enamel signs.  Both are original and in "New Old Stock" (NOS) condition.  I was lucky enough to purchase them from a defunct dealership here in the US that operated from the 1950's through the mid 1980's.  

Each sign is 60cm in diameter and of convex metal construction.  Enamel provided longevity for these signs that were often nailed or screwed to the outside of dealerships. 

The earlier of the two signs employs the older, serif, font with the lettering in yellow.  Notice also that the blue is a darker, richer hue than the later style.  I do not know the exact years of production of this version. 

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The later sign is of nearly identical construction but employs the sans-serif font, and a lighter blue.  Curiously, the mounting hole pattern is different between the two versions. 

The firm of Boos-Hahn, the maker of the later sign, was an enamel specialist in the town of Ortenberg, Baden-Wurttenberg.  Founded by Wilhelm Boos and Anton Hahn around the time of the first World War, the company specialized in the production of enamel signs for industry and advertising.  Their work, especially as it pertains advertising, is sought amongst collectors.  

I am sure that these signs came in other variations.  I have seen smaller versions of the earlier yellow, serif type sign. I have also seen the later style sign as a clock.   Of course there is no shortage of reproduction signs in the marketplace.  Original signs tend to have chips and some missing enamel.  Often discoloration related to weathering can be seen as well.   I provide the above information to educate those looking to purchase a genuine sign as an aide in evaluating its authenticity.

Goodwood Revival 2018 - Barry Sheene Trophy Day 2

Troy Corser and Herbert Schwab did the unthinkable.  Day two saw Herbert Schwab get away cleanly at the start of the Barry Sheene trophy race  He turned in very quick laps and kept the R57 Kompressor BMW within striking distance of the leaders English and McGuinness on the Manx Norton.  After the rider change Corser put the hammer down, turning in fastest lap and whittling the lead down from 17 seconds to just over 3 seconds in a matter of only a couple laps.  Then just after the chicane, Corser eases past McGuiness, giving him a tap on the back-side.  A combination of "here I am" and "bet you didn't see this coming."  Corser went on to win day two with a comfortable lead.

Meanwhile Sebastian Gutsch and Klaus Ottlinger did a fantastic job aboard Sebastian's R5SS.  Starting from 9th position on the grid, Sebastian passed several riders on the first lap and had the bike up into third before the rider change.  Ottlinger fought hard and the duo ended up 5th on the day.  A tremendous result for a normally aspirated true 500cc pre-war bike!

Goodwood Revival 2018 - Barry Sheene Trophy Day 1

Absolutely amazing race day1 for the Barry Sheene trophy at Goodwood Revival 2018.  The BMW R57 Kompressor, piloted by Troy Corser and Herbert Schwab, managed third step on the podium for the first of two events, even after trouble at the start.

As is seen in the video, Goodwood features a LeMans start.  Riders dash across the track and hop aboard the already running bikes.  However it appears as though there was a hiccup and the R57 was near last getting away from the pit wall.  Corser, none-the-less caught up quickly, eventually taking the lead away from the Manx Norton.

Timing and scoring lists the bike as an R5SS, but it's in fact an OHV R57 with Kompressor.  Much more primitive a chassis as compared to the R5.  While both machines are hard tails, the R57 is much less rigid and utilizes a leaf spring suspension up front, and simple coil springs under the saddle at the rear.  You can see just how squirrelly the bike is at speed from the video below.  On top of that, its HAND SHIFT, not foot shift.  You can see Corser reaching across the tank with his left hand to downshift as he makes his way into to the pit for the rider change.   A practical update on the bike is a twist throttle instead of the lever throttle as originally equipped on the road going R57.

And Corser put in fastest lap of the race, topping 130mph.  As fellow Goodwood competitor  Sebastian Gutsch said, "Corser is incredible!"

BMW Motorcycle Racing Tachometers

Like most vehicle manufacturers of the day, BMW did not produce its own tachometers for race bikes.  Rather, the task was out-sourced to premier instrument makers.

In the pre-war period, this job fell to Robert Muhle and Sohn of Glashutte, Germany. Muhle tachs were sourced for use on the BMW Type 255 Kompressor, as well as the twin cam racer R51RS.   Interestingly, the company remains in business, producing high end wrist watches.  Its no surprise then that a peak inside one of these instruments would have one believing that were viewing a ship chronometer.

R. Muhle Drezahlmesser

For the post-war Type 253 (colloquially known as the RS54), the original long stroke version was fitted with a 60mm VDO, complete with a weighted and balanced needle.

VDO 60 mm Drehzahlmesser

On the works bike, and later privateer RS54's, the more commonly found tachometer is a Smith's ATRC.  Generally considered to be the Rolls Royce of instruments, the ATRC were required to be mounted in a special vibration dampening holder. It was essentially a bezel mount connected to the instrument by means of large rubber O-ring.  

Smith ATRC Drehzahlmesser

Of interest, there was two ways to run the tach on the RS54.  Both a straight drive from the timing gear, or an angled drive from the front of the crank.  The straight drive is commonly found on solo machines, while the angle drive is more common to side cars, and the works type racer.  The works motors were occasionally fitted with a Bosch fuel injector which was driven by the timing gear shaft.  Therefore, the tach drive had to be relocated, and furthermore this allowed for clearance of the cable.

Tachometer drives for RS54

Buchanan's Does it Again

Special thanks to the guys at Buchanan's Spoke and Rim in Azusa, CA!  They went the extra mile getting the wheels for one of my race bikes built.  I love this setup.  Borrani Record rim mated to a magnesium Fontana 230 doppelduplex from brake, complete with magnesium shoes.  And of course Metzler tire. Aluminum nipples, stainless spokes.  Perfectly balanced as built without weights!  Thanks again guys.

Troy Corser hits the wet deck at Goodwood!

An unfortunate end to a tremendous start to the Barry Sheen Memorial Trophy at Goodwood this year.

Troy Corser at Goodwood September 2016

I couldn't stop watching this video!  Troy Corser of World Superbike fame on my friend Sebastian Gutsch's R5 racebike at Goodwood.  Troy is absolutely flogging the bike.  Unfortunately a mechanical problem ended his tremendous run.  Congratulations to Troy for a spectacular ride, and to my friend Sebastian for building such an amazing bike!!!!

Villa d'Este - 2016

I recently had the opportunity to once again attend the Concorso d'Eleganza Villa d'Este in Cernobbio, Italy.

The venue, weather and bikes were perfect!  Threats of rain in the forecast had me a bit worried, but alas the entire weekend was absolutely wonderful.  The Monday after the show was a different story with rain of biblical proportions coming down on my drive back to Munich (snow on the pass to Garmisch!).

Held in the picturesque town of Cernobbio on the southwestern shore of Lake Como, the Concorso is the premier vintage motorcycle event in Europe.  Sponsored by BMW, who do a fantastic job, the show runs the entire weekend.  Cars are shown at the Villa d'Este, while motorcycles are on display just down the street at Villa Erba.  The motorcycles are accessible to the public on Saturday, while the Saturday car event is invitation only (due to size restrictions).  On Sunday cars and motorcycles alike are on display at the Villa Erba with the afternoon capped off by a parade of cars and bikes being presented and awards handed out.

This is how Europeans enjoy a car and motorcycle show!  We have much to learn here in the states!!

The event is surprisingly affordable (if you don't include the cost of airfare and accommodations).  The Saturday motorcycle event is on the order of 8 euros entry fee, and the Sunday event 15 euros.  The Sunday event is more because both cars and bikes are on display, or at least that was the explanation I was given.  Food and beverages are available throughout the weekend at the event.  And of course fantastic Italian food is just across the street at the many local "Ristorante" and "Trattoria/Pizzeria."

The parade of cars on Sunday at the Villa Erba. 

Having travelled from the states to enjoy the show, I visit the grounds on both Saturday and Sunday.  Saturday is very nice as the show is much less crowded and it is easier to see and photograph the bikes.  On Sunday the venue is packed and with the addition of the cars most of the locals chose Sunday to attend the event.

BMW brain trust.  Sebastian Gutsch (left) and Stefan Knittel (right), two very knowledgeable fellows about vintage and historic BMW.

The appropriately named "Majestic" is an art deco masterpiece.  One of many rare and exotic machines on display.

As this year is the 100th anniversary of BMW, they had on hand a number of bikes.  Here is a nice cross section of post-war models.

Even though BMW is the main sponsor, they don't dominate or overwhelm the show, which is quite refreshing to see from a corporate sponsor.  Aside from the small display above, only one BMW owned machine was included in the "show", the rare ex-Frank Pratt R5SS.  Another private entry was a wonderful, un-restored R5 owned by Joachim Schreyer.

Wonderful, unrestored R5.  

Another fantastic machine at the venue was my friend Sebastian Gutsch's R5 racebike.  Sebastian can be found campaigning the machine around Europe in the "Grab the Flag" series.  I'm pretty sure he brought it along just to have some fun in the hills around Como!

Sebastian Gutsch and his R5 racer.

One of my favorites!  The ex-Frank Pratt R5SS. 

Contrary to some BMW enthusiasts beliefs, the marque from Munich was not the only one to employ a horizontally opposed boxer motor.  Note the above beautiful Gnome et Rhone, complete with sidecar.

One of the star attractions was the R5 Hommage bike.  (No R5's were harmed in the making of this bike!).  As you can see, it's a modern interpretation of the classic machine using an amalgamation of new and old BMWparts.  The rear looks ridgid at first glance, but is actually sprung.  And yes, that is a supercharger run from the flywheel!!

100th Anniversary of BMW

This year (2016) represents the 100th anniversary of BMW as a company.  However, curious to most is that BMW produced neither cars, nor motorcycles, during the companies infancy.  In fact, aircraft manufacturing is what brought together the companies Rapp Motorenwerke and Bayerische Flugzeugwerke (BFw) in 1916.  The marriage of the companies in turn resulted in a  name change to Bayerische Motorenwerke or BMW as we know it today. (1)

The highly recognizable roundel logo was registered as a trademark one year later.  Contrary to popular belief, the background of the roundel with its blue and white checkers is representative of the Bavarian flag, and not an aircraft propeller.  (Click here for blog post discussing the history of the roundel.) 

It wasn't until 1923 that BMW produced their first in-house motorcycle, the R32.  Designed by Max Friz, the R32 represents the first model completely designed and built by BMW.  However, the predecessor motor, the M2B15 can be found as the powerplant in several other motorcycles whereby the manufacturer of the chassis turned to BMW to supply the power.  Some examples include Victoria, Helios and Bison.  (Incidentally, examples of all of the these BMW powered machines can be seen at the Motorrad Museum Vorchdorf in Austria.)

In 1929, six years after the introduction of the R32 motorcycle, BMW acquired the Fahrzeugfabrik Eisenach company.  And henceforth BMW became a car manufacturer as well.

So it is a little surprising today that a company so well known for its cars, did not start out in the auto manufacturing business.  Be that is it may, we will celebrate this year the 100th anniversary of the founding of the company. 

Car and motorcycle concours events around the world will showcase the marque.  As one might imagine, special events are planned in Germany.  Of course the BMW Motorrad Days in Garmisch-Partenkirken will be extra special, and will be celebrated July 1-3.  BMW Classic in Munich is also planning a special event September 9-11 that will be held across from BMW Welt at the Munich Olympia Park.  

Here in the states, car and motorcycle enthusiasts will congregate on the Monterey peninsula for the Pebble Beach Concours and a week of BMW centered festivities to follow (August 19-26).  

Check out celebratebmw.com for a list of events.  The site will continue to be updated as more events are planned. 

Finally, the Quail Motorcycle Gathering will also showcase classic BMW's as part of this years event.     I will be back once again to help judge, and I am quite looking forward to an excellent display of Bavarian machinery!