BMW 1928 R63 734cc 2 cyl OHV 3501

BMW 1928 R63 734cc OHV transverse twin frame # 21327 engine # 75357

In 1928 BMW presented two new 500s, the side valve R52 and the overhead valve R57. The company also provided engines in the 750 cc class with the same cycle parts: the 745 cc side valve model R 62 with bore x stroke of 78 mm and the 734cc ohv R 63 with bore x stroke of 83×68 mm. The R63 was with its 24 hp a spirited performer on the road but it was also raced by the works alongside its 500 cc stablemates. Like the latter, it pioneered the factory’s use of supercharging. For the standard R63 a relatively modest 120 km maximum was claimed. But a modified version provided BMW with the means of securing its first motorcycle land speed record; Ernst Henne achieved a maximum of 216,8 km on a ‘blown’ example in 1929. The R63 had a bore/stroke ratio of 1.22:1 and the relatively large piston area was an excellent basis for further development: in 1935 Henne reached 256.1 km on the blown 750 cc record-breaker in its final highly tuned and elegantly streamlined form.
The arrival of the fashionable ‘saddle’ fuel tank at the end of the 1920s meant that BMW’s distinctive wedge-shaped tank had to go. The resulting wholesale revision of the design undertaken for 1929 would later confer iconic status on these early BMWs. The R63 is highly sought after as the first ohv BMW in the 750 cc class. Its high price meant that only the happy few could afford such a machine; no more than 794 were made in 1928-1929.

The excellently restored machine we offer comes with optional extra fuel tank used for long distance racing, comfortable Wittkop saddle and Veigel 120 km/h speedometer. She has been part of a extensive private BMW collection. She is in running condition but hasn’t been used for quite some time, so she will benefit from a light check-over.