I've owned my R50/5 toaster tank Airhead BMW Motorcycle for nearly 8 years now. It has never left me stranded, and quite possibly be the best all around vintage motorcycle to own. Here is an honest review. 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).[1][failed verification] Model year 1972 saw the introduction of the 15 L (3.3 imp gal; 4.0 US gal) rectangular tank with chrome side panels. For the second half of the 1973 model year, BMW lengthened the rear swingarm 2.5 inch (6.4 cm), resulting in the “long-wheelbase” (LWB) models. This enabled a larger battery, while retaining the kick starter.
The /5 series was the first series to be manufactured completely in Berlin,[citation needed] 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.[2]
In 1970, 12,287 units were manufactured 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 three years. During this period, BMW manufactured its 500,000th.[2]
In 1974, BMW introduced the “/6” models, which offered front disc brake, revised instrumentation, and a five-speed transmission. The single disc brake was a hybrid cable/hydraulic system, whereby a cable from the handlebar lever actuated the master cylinder underneath the fuel tank. The rectangular tank was dropped.
All /5 models featured both electric starter and kickstarter,[3] with kickstarters remaining available on some BMW motorcycles up to model year 1980.
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