History
For the 1970 model year, BMW launched three new models having engine capacities of 500 cc (R50/5), 600 cc (R60/5), and 750 cc (R75/5). The R75/5 could reach 110 mph (177 km/h). The "slash-5" series came out just in time to meet the rising demand for sport bikes. All so-called "/5" models were manufactured at BMW's factory in the Spandau suburb of Berlin, BMW having transferred all motorcycle production there from Munich in the late 1960s. BMW had stopped production in Munich of the last “Slash-2” models, with their Earles forks, kick starters, 6 volt electrical systems, antiquated brakes, and frames descended from pre-war BMWs for use with sidecars.
The new, “/5” series of BMWs offered a 12 volt electrical system, electric starters as well as the retained kick starter, telescopic forks, and improved brakes. The sidecar was no longer factored into the design, allowing for better handling. BMW also introduced with this model non-metallic fenders and tail light housings for the first time. The use of plastic and other non-metallic materials resulted in a motorcycle weighing only 463 lb (210 kg).
Model year 1972 saw the introduction of the 15 L (3.3 imp gal; 4.0 US gal) “toaster” tank with chrome side panels, so named because of its resemblance to a kitchen toaster. For the second half of the 1973 model year, BMW lengthened the rear swingarm 2.5 inch (6.4 cm), resulting in that is known now as the “long-wheelbase” 1973½ “LWB” models. This improved handling and enabled a larger battery to be installed behind the engine while retaining the kick starter.
The /5 series was the first series to be manufactured completely in Berlin, as by 1969 all of Munich's production capacity was needed for automobiles. "Berlin with its well-trained workforce was an obvious choice. So in 1969 the Berlin Plant started production of the all-new BMW /5 Series, a completely new design and construction following a modular principle all the way from the suspension to the flat-twin power unit."
"With the motorcycle — which, in the 1960s, had been almost forced out of the market by the automobile — starting to re-gain popularity in the early 1970s, production figures at BMW Plant Berlin began to increase rapidly. In 1970 no less than 12,287 units came off the production line and by July 1973, when the /5 model series reached the end production, a significant volume of 68,956 motorcycles had left the Berlin Plant, production increasing five-fold within just three years. Another highlight celebrated at the time was the completion of the 500,000th BMW motorcycle in the history of the Company."
In 1974, BMW introduced the “/6” models, which offered numerous improvements, most notably disk front brakes, more and better instrumentation, and a five-speed transmission. The “toaster” tank, however, was dropped. The front single disk brake was a hybrid cable/hydraulic system. The master cylinder underneath the fuel tank was actuated by a cable from the handlebar lever.
Read more about this topic: BMW /5 Motorcycles
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