BMW R27 "Thumper" this model is getting constantly rare and is believed to be one of the best

BMW R27 "Thumper" this model is getting constantly rare and is believed to be one of the best vintage single cylinder machine produced by the BMW.

This numbers matching, cosmetically original, totally mechanically serviced, updated and sound BMW R27 clocks only 22K original miles. This cycle has been garaged kept and cared for its whole life. Motorcycle is in fair cosmetically condition as the owner has primarily focused on mechanical rebuilds and left untouched except for having the rims professionally re-chromed and re-laced. Matching serial numbers, Original paint, Complete engine rebuild including lower end and transmission, heads blasted, valves lapped etc, all by WUMA Inc. "By Guenther". Guenther Wuest, a BMW restorer in Fredericksburg IN is a native of Germany and has over 25 years experience with vintage BMWs.

This sale includes:

* New Denfeld Solo Seat,
* Owner's Manual,
* BMW R26/27 Parts Catalogue,
* Floyd Clymer Workshop Manual,
* Bing Carb Manuals,
* Butler and Smith R27 Colored Advertising Brochure,

Starting out as a builder of aircraft during World War I, Bayerische Motoren Werke turned to motorcycles after the hostilities ceased. Despite the change in products, the company's circular blue-and-white logo -- which depicts spinning propeller blades -- was retained, and remains to this day.

BMW motorcycles have long been synonymous with horizontal twins and shaft drive, which were used on the very first examples. However, the company also produced smaller single-cylinder machines for many years and added inline threes and fours in the 1980s.

Early BMWs had stamped-steel frames, and the company was among the first to use telescopic forks starting in 1935.

During World War II, Germany purchased thousands of V-twin sidecar-equipped outfits from BMW, and the motorcycle's design prompted the U.S. to commission Harley-Davidson and Indian to build near copies, though only a couple thousand were produced and only a handful saw service.

BMW's first shaft-drive singles arrived in 1925 to satisfy the demand for smaller bikes. Like other BMWs of the day, they used a trailing-link front suspension and rigid frame, switching to telescopic forks in 1935 and a plunger rear suspension in 1938.

In 1955, BMW replaced its telescopic front end with an Earles
fork, which resembles a swingarm rear suspension in design. In single-cylinder 250-cc form, this model was designated the R-26.

Most mechanical components were carried over from the BMW R-26 to the R-27 shown here. This example has individual "swinging saddles" in lieu of the standard two-up seat, the former supposedly providing more rider and passenger comfort.

Though it grew in popularity throughout its seven-year production run, the R-27 would be dropped after 1967. BMW would not offer another single until the early 1990s, when an Italian-built on/off-road model powered by a Rotax engine was introduced.

Go to the next page to see more pictures of the 1965 BMW R-27 motorcycle.

Sme history of the above mentioned motorcycle:

The BMW R 27 VIN 38XXX2 was manufactured on June 3rd, 1964 and delivered the same day to the BMW importer Butler & Smith in New York City. The bike was equipped with a bench seat.

Based largely on the R26, in 1960 the R27 added rubber mounts for the engine and boosted power to 18 hp (13 kW). The R27's 250 cc OHV vertical single was the only rubber-mounted thumper engine BMW ever produced, and was their last shaft drive single-cylinder motorcycle. The engine pumped out 18 hp (13 kW), the highest ever for a shaft-drive BMW single. BMW manufactured 15,364 R27 models (engine numbers 372 001 – 387 566 ) over the production years of 1960 to 1966. Some of the 1966 R27 models were sold as 1967 models because dealers in those years often would assign dates to BMW motorcycles when they sold them, and not necessarily when they were manufactured.

The vast majority of R27 motorcycles exported to the United States by BMW were black with white pinstriping. A few, however, were brought in by importer Butler & Smith in a color called Dover white, with black pinstriping. Why "Dover white?" Butler & Smith head honcho, Michael Bondy, had a 1942 Packard automobile in an off-white color called dover white. Bondy sent a sample of this color to BMW AG in Munich and asked that it be duplicated. BMW did copy the color, and Bondy ordered fifty motorcycles in that color. Today, BMW motorcycles in original dover white are a sought-after rarity.

BMW did things differently from other manufacturers. This is evident in the R27. Its enclosed shaft final drive is rare for a single cylinder motorcycle. But it also had a triangulated Earles front fork (named after English designer Ernest Earles); so the motorcycle had a front swingarm as well as a rear swingarm. When you squeezed the front brake lever hard not only did the front end not dive, it actually rose slightly. Thus, braking was a very steady activity, though the brakes were weak by today's standards. The engines crankshaft was laid out fore-to-aft, not side- to-side; also a rare feature. This way, the crank and the final shaft were in line, and drive forces did not have to be run through a set of 90-degree gears. Also, the kick starter swung out sideways instead of parallel to the frame, so kick starting an R27 is a rather easy and danger-free affair.