"Vaughn Simon" wrote in message
news:cFZoj.190842
The wonderful irony is that the original BMW twin was built as an
airplane engine, and then someone thought of trying one in a motorcycle.

Vaughn ('65 BMW R60)

It would be fun if that were true but I have an extensive library of BMW
motorcycle books and I think that's another story that has been repeated so
many times it's become accepted but isn't based in fact. Sort of like the
notion that the blue and white roundel is supposed to represent a spinning
propeller. It's just not based in fact. the first BMW twin was designed by
an aircraft engineer Max Friz but was inspired by an earlier British design,
the Douglas twin. The roundel design came from 1917 and was based on the
Rapp Motorwerken logo using the colors and basic design from the Bavarian
free state flag in the center. The notion of the spinning propeller came
from a much later advertisement when BMW started builting radial engines
under license from Pratt &Whitney.

I like your bike, I let my older R50/2 go when I upgraded to an R60/6. No
regrets but the /2 always seemed more solid somehow.