Riding 1965 BMW R60/2 can make the rider feel like he’s floating, which is a rare sensation among motorcycles of the period. You tickle the two 24 mm Bing carburetors, stomp on the kickstarter, and hear the gleaming chrome-plated pipes give their mellow report. Soon you’re gliding down the road, monitoring the speedometer in the headlamp nacelle until you reached the top speed of 90 mph (or 69 mph with sidecar). Back in 1960, the air-cooled, overhead-valve horizontally opposed 594cc twin had been improved with strengthening of key components such as the crankshaft and camshaft, hardened chrome piston rings, and improved ventilation of the crankcase and transmission.

With bore and stroke of 72 x 73mm and a low 7.5:1 compression ratio, output was 30hp at 5,800 rpm, and unitized construction mated the engine to the four-speed gearbox. With sidecar, the R60/2 reached 60 mph in 16.5 seconds. Like its R50/2 and R69S siblings, it had a six-volt, 60-watt Bosch electrical system with magneto. Tank capacity was 4.5 gallons but an oversize 6.5-gallon tank was available. The bike weighed 436 lb (705 lb with sidecar), and fuel consumption was 47 mpg (36 mpg with sidecar). The R60/2 had all the brand’s characteristic attributes: twin-loop steel frame, cylinder heads poking out into the wind, shaft drive, link-type front and rear suspensions with hydraulic dampers, and a conservative stateliness of appearance. Black with white stripes prevailed as the standard paint scheme, but buyers could be special-order any color used for BMW automobiles.