Never having slung my leg over a BMW twin before, I was shocked to find that achieving either a smooth ride off or gear change apparently required years of practice. At tickover the whole machine shuddered. When I engaged first gear it tried to leap off the ground. When I let the clutch out the lurch was the kind of thing you used to find in the last railway carriage when a train pulled out of the station. At least there was bags of low speed torque. I changed up at three grand, the lurch was still there but not quite so violent. The bike had a particularly agricultural feel which I didn't really mind, it was just that I didn't really expect it on what was supposed to be the quality machine.
I found the pots sticking out in front of my feet a bit intimidating, but reflected that though they might slow down speeds in town traffic, at least they would stop me breaking a leg if I fell off or crashed into the side of a car, and they might keep my feet nice and warm in winter.
I live out in the country and know the curvy roads well. I was able to swing the BM through the bends without any problems, the low centre of gravity meant only minimum pressure on the flat bars. The bike felt solid, the riding position was relaxed and very natural. After just a couple of miles I felt like the bike was an old friend. Except when I changed gear, then it felt like an old enemy trying to make me look silly.
Fortunately, there was enough power to leave it in fifth as soon as I reached 30mph. The motor sounded a little clattery, there was a whine from what I assumed was the gearbox that disappeared as soon as I passed 4500rpm. This was the first big bike I'd ridden with a TLS drum - it felt really nice, I could control the braking force so finely I began to appreciate just why the editor attacks disc brakes with such vigour; it didn't seem to lack power either.
I rode the R60 for an hour down my favourite roads. It held the road well, was smooth once I'd built up a few thousand revs and I had a definite grin at the end of the ride. I hated the gear change and wasn't too happy with the way the back wheel would jump about if I backed off the throttle in curves.
Twelve years and 40000 miles hadn't done much damage to the appearance of the BMW. It had non-standard paint, chrome side panels, a handlebar fairing and fairly new exhaust system. I knew the owner well, he was the sort of chap who was too old to thrash the engine but liked to do his own maintenance. I figured it had been well treated and five hundred was a fair price.
Since buying it I've put another 25000 miles on it, have just about mastered the delinquent gearbox and am generally happy with my purchase. But there have been problems. I bought some second-hand panniers, which once fitted and filled full of junk led to a rather large weave if I ventured beyond 80mph - something the naked bike can manage with surprising ease, it'll cruise all day at 90mph. I once swapped bikes with a friend and found the way the back wheel moved around on the BMW a little frightening it looks even worse than it feels. Stronger springs in the shocks helped a little but I reckon the weak looking swinging arm mounts are to blame.
The frame looks a bit like a Featherbed job until you remove the tank to reveal that the steering head lacks rather a lot of support in comparison. The forks aren't very helpful in achieving good stability either, those eight inches of travel are too softly sprung, although the damping is good.
While I complain about the suspension when the bike is overloaded and hustled through country lanes, I have to compliment these very same components when travelling long distances. This is the first bike I've owned that I can travel over 500 miles at high speeds and still arrive feeling fresh. The suspension soaks up both small and large bumps, while the seat and riding position are so ergonomically correct that the ride is completely painless. It's that good.
It's also very good on fuel. Most of the modern BMW twins seem hard pushed to better 45mpg, a figure the R60/6 has never, ever dropped down to. The absolute minimum consumption was 51mpg (the result of a flat out motorway thrash). I usually get between 60 and 65mpg riding fast down country lanes. It's quite possible to do 90mpg if you just potter around under 40mph (I kid you not). Keep within legal limits, it'll do around 70mpg. Many modern BMW owners I relate this to refuse to believe it. I mean, the bike has done 65000 miles...
The engine only develops 40hp at 6500rpm, but it seems to make the maximum use of that power. The motor has plain main bearings, big-ends and small ends, which means I change the oil every 1000 miles just to be on the safe side. With pushrod OHVs I thought I'd avoided the terrors of camchains, but the cams are actually chain driven and I had to put a new timing chain in at 58000 miles. The tappets don't go out of the service range and the points need adjusting only every 5000 miles.
The carbs do need fettling every 800 miles, but I have come to enjoy this and can do it by ear, so don't have to resort to vacuum gauges or anything silly like that. The engine castings have no varnish and I even find myself enjoying polishing them up with Solvol. Like a pair of good quality shoes polished every day, the engine castings have developed a beautiful patina, although I only work out on the. BM every other week. With Jap bikes they can literally degenerate over night. The quality implicit in the BMW makes the effort worthwhile.
That quality extends to the instruments and controls, although I didn't like the position of the indicator switch. The 60W quartz halogen headlamp was a revelation, only a company that made cars could bother to import that kind of lighting. If I ever sell this bike I'll have to take the light with me, I just wouldn't settle for anything less. The battery was non-standard, out of some car I've been informed, but it works. I've read that BMWs don't like to start in the cold but I've never had that trouble myself. Stick the choke full on, press the button, a whirl of the starter (rather noisy but quite normal) and it burbles into life.
Now that I've mastered the gear change the only thing I have to worry over are the weaves at high speeds when fully loaded. I've had a couple of speed wobbles. These occur around 80mph when the bike is weaving and then hits a bump. The front end goes all light then the whole bike twitches. Luckily, all I have to do is back off the throttle and it dies out. If you don't know this the first time it happens can become very frightening. There's also the problem of backing off in corners. Without panniers, it's just a small spasm that can be ridden through. With loaded panniers it's much more violent, the bike tries to skip across the road. My solution to this problem has been the fairly obvious one of stopping riding with the panniers fitted. Now you know just why there are so many pannier sets for sale in the back of MCN.
In one sense this story is very boring because despite the large mileage the bike has required very little mechanical attention and still runs with this disgusting Teutonic efficiency. After a long hard thrash at illegal speeds (funnily enough the police don't give me any bother, perhaps because they tide BMs), the damn thing just sits there, ticking over as if it's never been used in anger, without even the thought of dripping oil over the floor. I read the BMW article in issue 4 in which all three owners wanted to sell their bikes because it lacked character, but I've become really enamoured with my R60/6 and have no thought of selling it.
The silencers and balance pipes are beginning to rust and I'll have to cop up for stainless items, but that's it, nothing else looks like needing replacing for many more miles. I wouldn’t mind buying the prettier /7 petrol tank and an RS fairing, but I'd have to go for used items from a breakers which are quite rare. The rear tyres go for 10000 miles, the brake shoes haven't been replaced since I bought it, there're no chains to adiust or replace (think about it) and it's very frugal. It adds up to minimal running costs (plus it'll hold its value) and much practical fun.
Jack Wilson