BMW R 50/2

You waft across the sunny countryside with just a rustle of cleft air and, maybe, a faint whine from the tyres. Footrests, handlebar, kneegrips and luxurious seat fit you as unobtrusively as a Savile Row suit. Smooth controls lie close to your fingers and toes. Every muscle is relaxed as you lean imperceptibly on the wind.

As the road veers this way and that your bike curves round on invisible rails. You twist the grip. Silkily, almost apologetically, your bus flows up the speed scale. Caress the brakes and a giant magnet holds you back. When you want to overtake you choose between a horn that can really be heard and a button that flashes the 35-watt main beam. And there are grip-tip winkers.

Night falls and your lights flood the road with brilliant illumination. Halt and you have to lower your head to hear the slow chuff-chuff of the tickover.

What's this—a pedal for starting? Well, yes; but so gentle a prod is called for that a schoolgirl could give it. And the response is certain.

This is a bike for riding, not tinkering with. Just about all you do is tank-up every 200 miles. Cleaning is feather-duster stuff.

Ah, sweet dream. What a pity to wake to reality. But there is no need if you ride a BMW twin. All these joys are yours on an R50 five-hundred. And, since the compression ratio is low, they are yours on regular-grade petrol.

The R50 is the woolliest of the BMW twins. (Riders who want an out-and-out sports performance may prefer the R50S or R69S.) For all that the top speed of 90 mph was timed when the test machine was barely run-in.

On first acquaintance, acceleration seems gentle—a deception due partly to the machine's uncanny smoothness and quietness and partly to the progressive-rate twistgrip. This has a slow action at small openings, blending into a quick action at large openings.

In dense traffic the slow action is a boon. And when it's vivid acceleration you want, you have only to take a big-enough handful of grip and let the revs mount freely through the gears. Speedwise, the best results are obtained by holding each gear until the speedometer needle reaches the blue mark On the dial that corresponds to peak-power revs of 5,800 rpm. With this technique, third proved to be a very useful gear, especially when a passenger was carried.

Initially, if the engine was allowed to slog very hard in top, there was slight harshness (by BMW standards!) around 56 mph. This was completely eliminated by slightly tightening the rubber mounting at the top of the engine.

Once top gear was -- notched the R50 would cruise at any speed between 70 mph, against a stiff head wind, and 80 mph in fair conditions.

Of course, on a machine of the R50's calibre the speedometer was true. It was also very smooth in action.

The BMW kick-starter is on the left side of the machine and moves transversely. Yet it is quite easy to operate, either with the right foot before mounting or the left foot once astride.

For cold starting the choke on the air filter has to be closed. It can be part-opened as soon as the engine fires and is easily reached from the saddle for full opening.

When the throttle cables had settled down, it proved worth while to match their adjustments precisely. This eliminated a slight rock on idling.

The clutch is smooth in take-up, though quick because it runs at engine speed and the flywheel is heavy. This layout has never given the slick, knife-into-butter gear changes of the best conventional layouts but, provided the control movements are properly synchronized, it is not difficult to make reasonably fast and quiet changes—especially now the ratios are medium-close rather than uncommonly wide as they were some years ago.

RELENTLESS

In spite of the raising of the lower ratios, the R50 took a 1 in 3 restart in its stride.

Except that the first application of the front brake on a humid day called for a delicate touch if the result was not to be fierce, the brakes proved superb. Smooth and immensely powerful, they pinned the R50 down relentlessly regardless of load or speed.

The progressive-rate springing has the low-speed firmness associated with high-speed stability. Yet there was a remotefeel about shocks that got through —as if they were being funneled off to nearby vehicles. Pre-loading the rear springs for pillion work is a matter of seconds and calls for no tools. You just tweak two levers.

At first the steering had a disconcerting low-speed roll. But that disappeared immediately initial over-tightening of the head bearings was eased. From then on, straight-ahead stability was above average, yet the machine responded precisely to banking.

Nor was there any practical limit to the degree of banking that could be used. For, at 21 in, the R50 is unusually slim across the footrests.

CHILD'S PLAY

In dream-bus reveries, of course, the sun always shines. But rain bothers the BMW rider less than most. Waterproofing is extremely thorough, mud-guarding efficient and the cylinders shield the feet.

Maintenance is child's play, for the few routine adjustments are very accessible, as are the oil-level plugs.

What of the debit side? Well, let's be finicky. The R50 is no lightweight and a determined effort is needed to put it on the centre stand. Maybe the twist-grip and front-brake lever are a shade heavier to operate than some. But you can't tell the difference at the end of a day' in the saddle.

No, the R50 stands out from the ruck as a superb tourer for the connoisseur—a pride and joy to own. Its impeccable manners inevitably keep the rider always on his best and most courteous behaviour.