Cycle News - Archive Issues - 1970's

mywiy. But sometimes, eapeciaI1y late at nit!ht. gas stations just don't come down the road that often. The carbs are just plain old Bings, not the trick CV items found on the 750. They may be overwhelmed by sudden throttle openings, bu t the flywheel (there is a lot of it) will keep the thing from stumbling. The carbs are smaller ')on the CV's and are less in the way. A ~at stuck once. The drive shaft is a BMW tradesmark. is not the hot set-up for performance, It it is reliable and certainly saves adling with a chain. The result of lving all the drive (you should pardon le expression) chain masses turning the me way is that the bike tips to the gh! slightly when buzzed at a stop. The whole engine package is very sible. It isn't a multi. On the other ~d, what could you gain with a multi? ot smoothness, really. Performance n't the point. More cylinders would w t add weigh t and complication, ~ aking it harder to maintain. A multi o ould be less a BMW. . :z: It is smooth, relatively ecological, j o~ and quiet. Few things3i'ethese was that tlte aignala often were left on. We would switch the position of the tum indicator light with the neutral light and change color. The tool box was neat. It was under tlte seat, lockable and waterproof. We found that it contained one of the best tool kita seen on any motorcycle. Good tools, and lots of them. TlUnp like a 5000 volt-proof screwdriver anil tire irons. Hot dog. It als<> contained a wiping rag and some little instruction booklets in several languages. In short, this dandy little compartment held I""""~'?-"""-~~_"""'.!'~~~~ g ~~i~~~a~~:,o~~~etM,:~ alt~~ ~. lat is because you are in it, not. ~ ~tside. The BeeEmDub is kind to the ~ bni>articipant, too. Ride silent; ron o r·de . C.) o The z suspension package was ~mething of a puzzler. The front forks o fwe all the travel that,you could want. ~ bey absorb those big jolts amazingly. > ou can hit ditches and so on at speeds' a: tat would bring other machines to ~ eir knees. The little ga-Iumps, though, Ol all transferred to the rider. The ..J ints between slabs on the freeway will C.) ~ get to you. It takes a lot to use ... ~at first inch of travel. With a pasaenger ~ ,e situation is Improved, but it never l1. ~pears. The freeway joints once ~und the frequency of that fron tend ~d it started bouncing so badly that ur tester forgot his exit_ This was the nly time it ever got out of hand. sually, it just jarred the rider through e bars. Rear suspension is normal. It features built-on tension adjuster so that you on't have to invade the tool box. The "'chine handled very well in high speed oms. It took a steady, reasonably recise line. The tires are the hrmt in lost comers. First thing to ground is le side stand on the left and the brake .dal on the right. You can ground the r"ds, but if you get that far over you cand a good chance of grounding ~metlting else, like your helmet or the bdiebars. Brakes are adequate. A disc would be nice on the front end; especially at high speed. Looks are always a controversial point. I am not goin1. to tell you whetlter you shoula fike it or not. It definitely looks better in the flesh than on film. Before you pass judgment, go look at one. This year chrome has been tacked on liberally and the tank shape has been altered. Ours was finished in black with.: white pinstripes on the (enders. (BMW) stands for Black Mit White some say. The R60 is also available in white or silver. People used to less lavishly finished machines will be surprised to find that the pinstripes are real pain t and not decals. Welds, if you can find any, are excellent. There is very little steel in tlte machine. Abundant use is made of alloy and plastic. The fenders and headligh t shell are plastic. (The rear fender is no longer hinged so tire removal will be a little more difficult.) The whole thing weighs about 450 pounds. It may be the most comfortable bike around for two-up riding. The seat is long and wide and has the prop~r resilience. The forward part is sian ted down. ' It's a minor pain around town, since it' causes the rider to slide forward under braking. At cruising speed, however. it blends righ t in to the required crouch. It enables you to lean on the wind. The passenger pegs may be just a little far forward for optimum comfort. The BMW features a lot of nice touches. Electric starting is standard. The switch on OUTS shorted out and occasionally cut in at idle. There is a cut-out to keep it from doing so at anything above the minimum ti.ck-over. The high-low beam swi!ch incorporates a flasher to warn cars of a pass or approaching an intersection. The BMW turn signals are the only ones that anyoody seems to have taken any time over before tltey hung them on a bike. They are activiated on the right switch. We will register a gripe about the indicator light. It was forward on the headlight and colored green. The result toola, a poliabing doth from the Palmer HOUlIe, lanpap leaaana, md atiD had room left over for one small buzzard. Strangely, there was no trip meter and the speedo had no tenths. The latter ;m't 'really needed, but it something that will occupy your mind while going down that long, lonesome highway. The left mirror was reverse threaded so that wind pressure would tighten it. The key is a big, simple push-in affair. Some people liked it, some didn't. It was easy to find in a crowded pocket. Good lights for high speed. Th"e big B is a nice bike to ride solo in the fog because of its silence and smoothness. Fog is peaceful and the R60 matches. It is a good bike to ride two up transcontinental. It was one of the few bikes tltat people in limousines look envious of. It is unobtrusive and respectable. Our machine had no plates, but we were never stopped. It isn't the ego extension that some machines are. If it is an ego extension at all, it is for the unobtrusive ego, one that is interested in biking rather· than being looked at. You don't need to describe. it to the people who will buy the BMW R60 they know_ It is, a machine that you don't worry about. It isn't a performance machine. It is OK around town and exceUent on the highway, especially two-up. AU motorcycles are sporting, just by being motorcycles, but some are different. Some have the accent on elegance. They are less flashy, subtle; swooping rather titan quick. The BMW R60 is such a machine. The YAMAHA / in purses, prizes, and contingencies InTER AmA l.A. memORIAL COLiseum '. featuring Europe's YS. the U.S.A.'s top riders Outdoors under the lights SATURDAY EVENING JULY 8th 8:00 P.M. PLUS "SUPER JOE" ATTEMPTING A SPECTACULAR FOOTB..,LL FIELD JUMP IN HIS ~ $5'OOF~:~:~:~:':nN::r~~7a::b~aNb:A~::::~:A~I~::CRASH R.-ved YOU only Box Office, Mutual agencies, Liberty agencies, and Ticketron Statewide, For block ticket sales or additional information. plea.e call (213) 747-7111, ~ . • SANCTIONED Display Information J 2806 Nichols C.nyon Rd .• Hollywood 90046 (213)780·9054 CO) I ... N :;; - -3 .., ~ w Z W ..J o t

• Cover