The 1931 BMW R16 Series II in our pictures is coming up for sale by Mecum Auctions at their Las Vegas auction to be held between January 25th-28th. Note the unusual kick starter located at the rear of the gearbox, the same as on the earlier R52. The BMW R16 is a modern looking motorcycle despite the fact that it was designed and made between 1929-1934. You’ll find a rider’s impression of the BMW R16 at “The Vintagent” web-site if you click here. The front suspension by pressed steel trailing link leaf spring girder fork aids in giving the motorcycle stability and predictable handling even at speed. Starting the bike’s engine produces a loud and purposeful engine note that gets attention straight away. But the appearance was not the only thing the BMW R16 had going for it. The BMW paintwork with the black bike decorated with white pin-striping enhanced its appearance even more.
With an engine that had its ancestry in an aircraft engine design the bike already had a bit of an aviation look about it and the use of the pressed steel frame accentuated that impression nicely. The R11 would be the father of the later R12 whilst the R16 would later be the ancestor of the R17.Īs BMW’s sports-bike the R16 was the top of the range motorcycle for BMW and was a highly capable machine with a top speed around 90mph. The R11 being the “ toermotor” (touring bike) and the R16 being the “ sportmotor” (sports bike).
The R11 and R16 are two variants of the same bike. The rear brake mounted on the drive-shaft is visible in this picture. It comes with a plate spring front suspension, a rigid rear suspension with a sprung saddle, a dual exhaust system, a rear luggage rack, laced wheels, a round headlamp and a dry, single plate clutch.The R11 and R16 have the same engine and transmission of the 750cc R52.
Bmw r11 for sale manual#
The 1929 BMW R 11 sports an air-cooled, four-stroke, 745cc, twin cylinder powerplant paired to a three-speed manual transmission and can produce a claimed 20 horsepower at 4400 rpm. The R11 Series 4 was fitted with a 3.7 Gallon (14.00 Liters) fuel tank. The front suspension was a plate springe while the rear was equipped with a rigid. Stopping was achieved via expanding brake (drum brake) in the front and a 37mm cardan brake in the rear. Power was moderated via the two plates-dry. A 78.0mm bore x 78.0mm stroke result in a displacement of just 745.0 cubic centimeters. The engine was a air cooled two cylinder boxer, four-stroke. This R11 displays a total of only 4 kilometres on the odometer, which, presumably, is the distance covered since restoration. Progressively improved, the R11 was built in five series up to 1934. BMW's relatively vibration-free engine was already a byword for smoothness and refinement, and this, coupled to a three-speed shaft-drive transmission, made the R11 sidevalve one of the finest touring motorcycles of its day. The transversely mounted 'flat-twin' engine was already a BMW trademark but for the first time it was installed in a pressed-steel frame, the first model to incorporate this landmark of motorcycle design being the 740cc R11. Shortly after venturing into car manufacture for the first time by acquiring the Dixi works at Eisenach, BMW introduced a major innovation to its motorcycle range in 1929.