Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance

As a young lad my father’s prize possession was a BMW R69S motorcycle (’67 or ’68 year). Years passed, I came on the scene, the bike became a thing which was polished rather than ridden, and then a thing in the drive shed that was ignored.

Somewhere between the pilot of Seinfeld and Friends, the bike was sent “to a guy named Ray” in Cornwall to see about some tuning and restoration steps. Something happened w/ “Ray” and it was handed to “Tom”. Some years ago Tom retired, and it was forgotten, lost, location unknown.

Recently my father passed away. His last request to me was to find it. And, well, mission progressed! It was slumbering away for the last 25+ years at Irwin Supply in Cornwall Ontario.

Below you can see the bike, sans wheels and handlebars, located, and now strapped to a skid to get it in my truck.

The wheels and handlebars were sent out to be rechromed sometime in the last few decades, and, well, lost. But, the rest is there and in good shape.

Below you can see it loaded in my truck, ready for the drive back to Waterloo.

What’s next? Well, a discussion at Air Support BMW in Kitchener


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7 Responses to “Zen and the Art of Motorcycle Maintenance”

  1. Jayme Snyder

    Wait… will I get the chance to make fun of /you/ wearing leather pants??

    1. db

      your mom is gonna lend me hers.

  2. I like the idea of you restoring it as a chandelier over your pool…with Bluetooth.

  3. Zac

    Sorry to hear about your father, Don! Maybe I can buy you some Wendy’s next time I’m in the area and you can tell me about him.

  4. William Natter

    Once you finish the restoration, let me know! We can go for a ride some time.

    1. db

      step 1 is in progress. … https://www.airsupportbmw.com/ is nearby, bike is now in his custody.

      the carbs seem to be the issue right now (they are missing). the rest is ok (missing handlebar, wheels + tires, exhaust pipes) but avail.

      but a pair of bing carbs in proper trim for this are not readily avail.

      1. William Natter

        Bummer! Are you getting them custom made or something?

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