1936 BMW R12 – Bike Find of the Day
This is the pre-war BMW model you generally see in the old WWII newsreels, and it was a seriously advanced piece of iron for it’s time.
Both beautiful and featuring and engine as solid as an anvil, this BMW represented the state-of-the-art for its era.
Due to the reliability of its design, the US Army had Harley Davidson make copies. Not many still exist because the initial run of the design wasn’t finished until after the war.
Some people believe this model was the first bike to feature telescopic front forks, but Nimbus rolled out their version of that front end a year earlier.
| Start of Production | 1936 | |
| End of Production | 1942 | |
| Number Produced: | 36,000 (single and twin carb versions) | |
Engine | ||
| Internal Designation | M 56 S 6 or 212 | |
| Motor Type | Four Stroke two cylinder flat twin | |
| Bore x Stroke | 78 x 78 mm (3.07 x 3.07 in) | |
| Displacement | 745 cc | |
| Maximum Power | 20hp at 4,000 rpm | |
| Compression Ratio | 5.2 :1 | |
| Valves | SV | |
| Carburetor System | 2 x Amal 6/406/407 | |
| Engine Lubricating System | Forced Feed Lubrication | |
| Oil Pump | Gear Pump | |
| Power Transmission | ||
| Clutch | Double plate dry clutch | |
| Number of Gears | 4 | |
| Gear Shift | Manual | |
| Gearbox Ratios | 3.18/ 2.06 / 1.42 / 1.09 | |
| Rear Wheel Ratio | 1 :4.07 (1 : 4.75 with sidecar) | |
| Bevel/ Crownwheel | 14 /57 teeth (12 / 57 with sidecar) | |
| Electrical System | ||
| Ignition System | Magneto or battery ignition | |
| Generator | Bosch D 245 RS 108 | |
| Spark Plugs | Bosch M 175 T1 or Bosch W 175 T1 | |
| Chassis | ||
| Designation | F66 | |
| Frame | Pressed steel twin loop frame | |
| Front Suspension | Telescopic fork | |
| Rear Suspension | Rigid | |
| Wheel Rims | 3 x 19 | |
| Front Tire | 3.5 x 19 | |
| Rear Tire | 3.5 x 19 | |
| Front Brakes | Drum brake 200 mm / 7.87 in diameter | |
| Rear Brake | Drum brake 200 mm / 7.87 in diameter | |
| Dimensions/Weights | ||
| Length x Width x Height | 2100x 900 x 940 mm (82.67 x 35.43 x 37.00 in) | |
| Wheel Base | 1380mm / 54.33 in | |
| Fuel Tank Capacity | 14 litres / 3.07 gal / 3.69 gal US | |
| Weight with full tank | 185 kg approx / 407 lb | |
| Permitted Weight Limit | 300 kg / 660 lb | |
| Fuel Consumption | 4 – 4.5 litres per 100 kilometres approx / 70 – 62 mpg / 58 – 52 mpg US | |
| Oil Consumption | 1 – 2 litres per 1,000 kilometres | |
| Top Speed | 120 kph / 74 mph | |
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