Designed to be a tourer, the BMW R52 featured a 486cc boxer twin that generated 12 horsepower. The three-speed transmission had just been redesigned for this model, during a time frame when BMW was constantly making changes. Due to this, BMW switched to pressed-steel frames by the end of 1929, meaning the rare R52 was produced for just two years.
I love old motorcycle literature, so I was pleased to discover this scan of a BMW owners manual for the R52 with a foreword from BMW dated May 1929. It begins: “We have always endeavoured to obtain not only efficiency and reliability for our machines, but also absolutely simplicity, and the result is that any child can learn to ride a BMW.”
The seller of this example says that it was restored 15 years ago in Europe and that everything works as it should. With that said, there are “several minor dings”, a replacement carb, and the “wiring could be freshened up”. Find this R52 for sale in Mathews, Virginia for $45,000 here on Craigslist.
This bike-uriousity brought to you by Dan D!