Menu

A comprehensive list of special and generic tools

It’s a wide spread misconception that pistons must be round / cylindrical. The opposite is true, This is a new Kolbenschmidt R27 piston 68.50 mm:               From the Internet: Profile: If you roll a piston across a flat surface, you’ll notice it doesn’t roll in a straight line. This characteristic is called profile. Aluminum conducts heat significantly, so pistons are designed with a taper. The top of the piston (near the crown) has a smaller diameter than the bottom (near the skirt). The skirt itself is shaped like a barrel. This taper allows the
Read more »

The only difference between the Denfeld en Pagusa saddle is the saddle deck. There are small differences between the saddle deck frames: the shape of the frame and the front threaded bolt. The Pagusa saddle bolt it is a bit longer and has a spacer so that the front of the saddle deck sits +- 1.5 cm higher compared to the Denfeld saddle deck. The grain texture of the Denfeld rubber saddle deck surface is finer than the Pagusa grain texture. There is no quality difference All other parts are the same: subframe, Z-bracket, rubber spring, spring stop piece, mounting
Read more »

The Light & Horn Switch with P/N  61 31 8 048 162 does not properly fit on the Clutch Lever Assembly with P/N 32 72 2 072 112 The cause of this problem is clarified in the photos below. The ends of the switch housing extend too far into the clutch lever assembly. As soon as both parts are mounted together on the handlebar, the switch housing is pushed outwards, so that the switch housing can no longer be hooked behind the cam.  

Based on a sample of 74 gear sets, this graph shows the frequency of the different gear sets and the spread around the target dimension of +0.

  Click thumbnail to open the list. R24 – R27           R51/3 – R68           R50 – R69S            

Some rubber parts are still provided with a (wax) layer when shipped: a mold release agent. A cleaning solution with hot dish soap and water is enough to remove this layer. Use rubbing alcohol for stubborn stickiness. Although alcohol is an effective cleaner for most kinds of stickiness, you should only use this cleaning agent on rubber occasionally. Dampen a clean rag with alcohol and wipe at sticky areas until they are removed. Rinse the rubber with water afterwards. Exposing rubber too often or too long to alcohol may cause it to break down more quickly than normal.

A “strenght & weakness” overview of the different seal materials available in the market.

Very informative video! https://fb.watch/gQycYmmz_h/    

The oil slinger screws are not available from BMW anymore. Most suppliers now offer a general purpose DIN 963 M6 x 10 screw. However, the head of this screw is higher than that of the original screw: the head of the screw protrudes above the oil slinger surface. This may be undesirable in some cases. We now supply oil slinger screws with the same dimensions as the original screw.

In the original R68 parts list (1953) the flywheel is shown in the exploded view of the same model as the R51/3 – R67/3 flywheels. (the ignition timing marks are different though) R68 flywheels also appear to have been made with the design of the later /2 models. I assume that these flywheels were a precursor in the transition to the R69.                    

The BMW specification for the radial clearance of the conrod big end & crankpin is based on the use of slightly spherical rollers in some of the crankshafts. The use of spherical rollers prevents the rollers from “biting” when the crankshaft flexes at high RPM. Today the new FAG Dürkopp conrod sets are equipped with cylindrical rollers. This requires a slightly larger radial clearance to prevent the rollers from getting stuck when the crankshaft flexes at high RPM. Spherical rollers (used) are identified by the wear track in the center of the roller:                
Read more »

These photos show the difference between the Noris keys and the replica keys. This can help to identify the cause of malfunctioning ignition switch.      

If the valve adjusting screws have reached their end and there is still insufficient valve clearance, the cause may be (a combination of): the valves sit too deep in the valve seats the cylinder head sleeves have sunk deeper into the cylinder head over time. In our experience, the sleeves at the exhaust side sit usually deeper than at the intake side. Below an example of 2 R27 cylinder heads. The RHS sleeve at the intake side of cylinder head 1 has a height of 88.47 mm The LHS sleeve at the exhaust side of cylinder head 2 has a
Read more »

Flow chart to identify a 2 cylinder crankshaft. Click on the flow chart and table for larger images, click <- arrow in your browser to return to this page.                                                            

This list shows the part numbers for all parts that need to be changed in case of a conversion to 12V  

Click image for table    

This video shows the repair of the idle mix thread: a thin alu-bronze bush of M8 / M7 x 0.75 is installed in the carburettor, realizing a very wear-resistant and strong thread Click this image to watch the video on Youtube:  

In this video a method is shown to remove the old and install new tappet guide bushings from a 2 cylinder engine. The new bushings with an outer diameter of 24.97 mm have an interference fit with the crankcase. After installation, the bushings ID needs to be reamed / honed to give a tappet clearance of 0.02 – 0.04 mm Click this image to watch the video on Youtube:                    

Staburag is a good alternative for “Prussian Blue” when determining the contact pattern between the crown and pinion gears. By adding a few lines, the contact pattern becomes even easier to read.                  

Contributed by Matthias and Erich Lemmerer Click here for PDF file: Stromlaufplan R51 R67 R68 1951_52 V01_21  

Contributed by Matthias and Erich Lemmerer Click for PDF file: Stromlaufplan R51 R67 R68 1953_54 V01_21

The drive shaft flange has a press fit with the shaft. A workshop press is needed to press the flange off and onto the shaft. When removing the flange, standard press plates can be used to support the flange. However, to press the flange back on, the drive shaft collar must be supported. There are several ways to do this, but this tool works best for us. The tapered shape of the 2 halves and the ring ensures that the shaft is increasingly clamped during pressing. The edge of the hole between the 2 halves follows the radius of the
Read more »

For unknown reasons, the supplier of the after-market throttle assemblies for the R51/3 – R68 models (pn 32722072350), has decided the modify the design of the sliding block. The old sliding block used to have recesses to hold the cable ends, the new version does not. While in the new version the cables cannot “escape” either, the cable ends can rub against the inside of the throttle body causing unwanted wear. We therefore remove the new sliding block from the throttle assembly and add the correctly designed older sliding block. This however increases the price of the throttle assembly.  
Read more »

Valve springs can lose a lot of their strength over the years, as seen with this R25/3 valve spring: a new spring measures 16.6 kg, the old spring 10.1 kg, almost 40% lower. Lower spring tension usually causes no or minor problems on low revving engines, but it can lead to loss of power / misfiring on higher revving engines as a result of valve float                 The test device:  

The number stamped in the crankcase (from -10 to +10) refers to the size of the crankshaft and camshaft gears installed by the BMW factory. After 60 – 70 years of service, the crankcase may have grown, which means that the original gear set may not be the optimal set anymore (0.01 to 0.02 mm play between the 2 gears). One way to determine the correct gear set number is to measure the c-t-c distance between the crankshaft and camshaft. This value must then be compared to the nominal c-t-c distance. This is impossible without very accurate measuring tools. The difference in
Read more »

Recommended press fitting for valve seat inserts in aluminum cylinder heads: OD insert 30 – 40 mm: 0.15 mm / 0.0059″ OD insert 40 – 50 mm: 0.18 mm / 0.0071″   Spindle speed for cutting a seat pocket in aluminum cylinder heads: 400 – 600 rpm It’s recommended NOT to freeze (f.i. with liquid nitrogen) the sintered valve seat inserts before installation. The valve seats are to be pressed in with a flat and square seat driver tool. The valve seat is inserted with the radius side down.   Source: DuraBond

Some statistics based on last 5 years (2013 – 2018)      

All Matra tools with spindles such as M355, M499 / 1/2, M422a, M501 and M282 work much better (more smoothly) if a small amount of lubricant (eg Molykote G-n Metal Assembly Paste) is applied to the thread. This prevents galling of the thread under heavy load and reduces, to a certain extent, unwanted rotation of the other part of the tool.

If you are working on the overhaul of a 2 cylinder engine block with the old 1 or 2 pin breather plate, it is advisable to replace it with the later version with cast-in pins The pins of the early 1 or 2 pin breather plates are known for loosening or breaking off, causing damage to gear case cover. However, this means that the complete set of gears must be replaced (from 20° to 30° gears) The breather plate of the newer version is also available with larger slots, reducing pressure in the engine block during the downward movement of
Read more »

The width of rims can be measured in 2 different ways: the inside or the outside. This means that one and the same rim can be indicated both in (for example) 2.15 “and 3.08″ WM2: inside 1.85″ (47 mm) outside 2.72″ (69 mm) WM3: inside 2.15″ (55 mm) outside 3.08” (78.2 mm)      

For the correct set, check the number marked in the crankcase. The number is found near the upper engine mount, see following examples: In some cases, when the engine has had a long service life, it may need a different gear set number to get the required 0.02 mm clearance. However, this can only be determined through an accurate measurement.   The 30° gear set can be used to replace the 20° gear set on all 1950 to 1963 models. This requires following additional parts: › part nr. 11410052156 – oilpump gear 30° Only for crankshaft with 17 mm taper: › part nr. 11310016400 – 1.5
Read more »

These posters are only shown for information. We do not sell these posters. We welcome BMW posters from the pre-69 era.  Mail us at  info@salisparts.com    

A frequently asked question is how to fix a leakage of the idle mixing screw. Further tightening the nut of the idle mix screw is certainly not the solution: holes have been drilled in the idle mix screw which connects the idle mix chamber to the the outside air. If fuel leaks out through the same bore, it simply means that the fuel level in the float bowl is too high. (assuming that the bike is on the center stand, if the motorcycle is placed on the side stand, there is a greater risk of leakage) If the carbs keep leaking, it’s
Read more »

By Michel Loos, The Netherlands The photos are self-explanatory. Steps:  filing  – sanding – pneumatic hammer – aluminum oxide blasting (Edelkorund) – glass bead blasting  

Cylinder black with part nr. 09122 For temperatures up to 500 °C continuous use and up to 700 °C with impact load 200 ml is sufficient for 2 to 3 large cylinders. Ideal for spraying and painting engine cylinders, exhaust systems and other metal objects subject to high heat. Classic cylinder lacquer is initially thermoplastic; in other words although it is air-drying, it becomes sticky even with moderate heat, expands and hardens again when it cools down. This process is repeated as long as the polymerization temperature is not reached. The lacquer must be heated at least once to 150-180 °C to finally cure. After
Read more »

  Click this link: http://www.benchmarkworks.com/articles/tech/hardstart.html   In addition: The resistance across the two spark plug leads on the ignition coil is usually 11 – 12 K Ohm (original coils and new “made in Germany” coils). Some after-market coils have a resistance up to 20 K Ohm. When the magnetic field of the rotor is still OK, this higher resistance will not necessarily cause a problem. A weak spark at the spark plug can have different causes: a broken or poor quality ignition coil is one of them. When the insulation (schellac) within the coil is damaged (crazing), the internal windings will short circuit,
Read more »

We now offer a top quality wheel hub repair part (PN 36312030026.7) for the R51/3 to R68 half hub wheels – splines have a perfect slide fit with the original BMW driving dog (PN 33120026232) – the HRC value of the repair part is between 30 to 34, measured at the splines. An original wheel hub measured 29 HRC – the repair part has the appropriate alternating recesses for the spokes, both on the front and back side of the flange:    the recess for the spoke head is deeper and has a concave shape, whereas the recess for the spoke bend
Read more »

BING jets are stamped with numbers, such as 35, 40 (idle jets) and 110, 115, 120 etc (main jets). One would expect that these numbers refer to the diameter of the jet bore, however this is not the case. This is confimed by the company BING in Germany. A few examples of main jets measured with a wire / jet gauge: BING 44-051 main jet 130 = gauge 120 (= 1.2 mm) main jet 125 = gauge 110 (= 1.1 mm) main jet 120 = gauge 105 (= 1.05 mm) main jet 110 = gauge 95 (=0.95 mm)            
Read more »

The Bing carburetors used on the R51/3 to R69S models came with 3 different flanges. We sometimes get the question: can I put carburetor X on BMW model Y? In theory you can put an R51/3 carburetor on a R69 engine and even get the engine running, but you will quickly discover that the air pipes won’t fit. These images are self explanatory   Modified carburetors can be found in the market that fit the R68, R69 and R69S cylinder heads. However, there are some differences from the original models, most notably the carburetor flange:              
Read more »

We mill 2 planes on the threaded bushing so that it is possible to use a 22 mm wrench on the threaded bushing. This is necessary in cases where (for instance) the crankshaft bearing is glued to the bearing journal, to prevent the threaded bushing from rotating while tightening the central bolt

We offer the restorations manuals from Barrington Motor Works for following models (click the link): R26 – R27 R51/3 – R68  R50 – R69S   A copy of the original BMW Repair Manual R50, R60 and R69S can be downloaded here: Download            

3 different breather plates have been used on the boxer engines:

Different exhaust pipes are available in the market, unfortunately not always an exact replica of the original pipes: the shape of the bends does not correspond with the original BMW exhaust pipes as can be seen on this picture. The 2 lower exhaust pipes are identical to the original pipes.   Next to that, these pipes follow a slightly different path than the original exhaust pipes. This causes a problem for the R67 – R67/3 models: in the horizontal section, they’re not running close enough to the frame, causing too little clearance between the brake pedal and the right-hand exhaust pipe,
Read more »

Overview of the different crankshaft shims used in the boxer engines

With hardly any new carburetors being produced by BING for the < 1969 BMW mono and twin motorcycles, it’s getting increasingly important to be able to repair and recondition the used original carburetors. Luckily, special parts and tools are available nowadays to restore the carburetors to a good working condition. A. Idle mix screw: very often, the M7 x 0.75 mm screw thread in the carburetor housing is worn out. There are 2 good solutions to this problem. 1. drill the threaded hole to 7.2 mm – cut M8 x 0.75 mm screw thread – install the idle mix screw with
Read more »

Part nr: 33120026232 Next to the original BMW driving dog, an after-market version is available in the market. At first view, the after-market product gives the impression of high quality machining. However, there are at least 2 flaws: 1. the geometry of the splines:the splines of the after-market part almost have a V shape instead of the trapezium shape on the original part. This V-shape is normally seen on worn splines 2. The diameter of the needle bearing seat measures 39.94 mm whereas the original parts measures 39.97 mm. This will result in too much play on the needle bearing The
Read more »

By MS Motor Service (Kolbenschmidt) Click here to open as PDF: KS Installation of piston rings

Fair calender Oldtimer & Youngtimer: https://www.messen.de/de/1278/branche/oldtimer-und-youngtimer (mainly Germany) BMW forum: http://2-ventiler.de/  (Deutsch) http://www.flat-twin-bmw.com/  (French)   BMW clubs Germany: http://bmw-einzylinder.de/   BMW clubs United States: http://vintagebmw.org/v7/ http://www.bmwmoa.org/ http://5united.org/   BMW clubs United Kingdom: http://www.thebmwclubs.org.uk/ http://www.theairhead.co.uk/   BMW clubs The Netherlands: http://www.bmwclubnederland.nl/ http://www.bmwcluboirschot.nl/ https://bmwmcnnl.nl/ https://www.bmwboxerclub.nl/v2/   BMW clubs Denmark: http://www.bmw-veteran.dk/   BMW clubs Indonesia: http://bmwclubjakarta.blogspot.nl/   Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/Bmwclassicmotorcycles/ (that’s us) https://www.facebook.com/groups/bmwold/   (Vintage & Classic BMW Motorcycles USA) https://www.facebook.com/groups/AirheadsAustralia/ https://www.facebook.com/profile.php?id=100001965546450  (Richard Sheckler) https://www.facebook.com/scottiesworkshop/ (Scottie Sharpe)   Information sites: http://w6rec.com/general-bmw-motorcycle-information/ http://bmwdean.com/ http://vintagebmw.org/v7/ http://www.beemergarage.com/ http://www.bmbikes.co.uk/information.htm https://bmwr12.net/ http://www.wildstar-fan.de/BMW/home.html (R25/2 restoration- Deutsch) http://labeheme.jimdo.com/ (/5 info – French) http://www.ibmwr.org/otech/chassis.html  (Survey of Chassis Numbers) http://weissundblau.blogspot.nl/2011_05_01_archive.html (after-market hubs) http://www.earlesfork.com/ http://www.trixondrums.de/glaeser/glaeser.htm (Gläser fairing – Deutsch) https://www.shannons.com.au/club/bike-news/old-bike-australasia-1937-bmw-r5-ss/ 
Read more »

Source: Wikipedia https://www.batterystuff.com/kb/ The Lead Acid battery is made up of plates, lead, and lead oxide (various other elements are used to change density, hardness, porosity, etc.) with a 35% sulfuric acid and 65% water solution. This solution is called electrolyte, which causes a chemical reaction that produce electrons. When you test a battery with a hydrometer, you are measuring the amount of sulfuric acid in the electrolyte. If your reading is low, that means the chemistry that makes electrons is lacking. So where did the sulfur go? It is resting on the battery plates and when you recharge the
Read more »

By Richard Sheckler, Wayne, Ohio. Spot welding of panels inside the tank for strength and to plug the rust holes. The tunnel is removed to get inside. The last step before reinstalling the tunnel is to weld the knee pad brackets in place. When the tunnel is TIG welded in place, the inside is sealed with fuel resistant epoxy.  

By Richard Sheckler –  Wayne, Ohio. Crank case repair. I was for the most part unemployed for about two years in the mid-1990’s. I had an ‘under the table’ job working on motorcycles for a friend and fellow collector. One time after some persuasive negotiating, I received payment in trade. That was a partial basket case 1953 BMW R68. The bike had matching serial numbers, to whom, if you are a collector, is regarded as significant. Karl B. a long time M/C race enthusiast and rider acquired the R68 from a family near White lake, Michigan. The bike had been
Read more »

Wiring diagram BMW R51/3 – R68 (1953 – 1955) with brake light          

Wheel offset for R51/2 – R68, R50 – R69S models (from “1000 Tricks für Schnelle BMW’s”)                

Overview of  BMW motorcycle models produced from 1948 to 1969 (specials not included) Click for larger image: Models & Production Numbers  

Overview of the different valve types and related components, used in the BMW 1 and 2-cylinder motorcycles 1948 – 1969

Overview of fuel cock types for 1 and 2-cylinders

Overview of ISO metric screw threads M3 – M30. Commonly used screw threads on 1948 – 1969 BMW models are M6x1 coarse, M8x1.25 coarse and M8x1.0 fine.   The length of bolts and screws is measured like this:                

Overview of carburetor nr’s and settings  

A visual inspection of the spark plugs can serve as a good indicator of the condition and tuning of the engine. This Bosch sheet may help to identify the possible cause in case of trouble. (click to enlarge)

Guidelines for correct installation of (Bosch) spark plugs  

The photos are a compilation of the work done on different crankshafts: R67/2, R60/2 and R69S.                                                                    

No. 1/57, 1957