'59 R60 Carburettor

Single & twin cylinder model BMW Airhead specific discussions
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jordanvzyl
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Aug 20, 2023 6:50 am

'59 R60 Carburettor

Post by jordanvzyl »

Hi everyone,

I've recently picked up a '59 R60 that probably hasn't run in the last 30+ years. The gentleman I bought it from says he purchased it as a non-runner back in '94. The only parts that were missing were the slides in the carburettors. I looked up the numbers on the old Bing carburettors (1/24/45, 1/24/46) and after some research, discovered that they might not be original to the bike. The following site lists them as the ones found on the R50: http://www.benchmarkworks.com/articles/tech/carb2.html

Is this true? And if so, is the only difference the needle jet? I'm considering selling the ones I currently have and getting the original model if they won't work.

Kind regards,
Jordan
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Rob Frankham
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Joined: Thu Aug 26, 2010 2:11 pm
Location: Scotland UK, 20 miles from civilisation up a dead end road!
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Re: '59 R60 Carburettor

Post by Rob Frankham »

Not sure if this helps but the BMW tear manuals give the bing types as:

1) 1958 Manual - R60 = 1/24/95 and 1/24/96
2) 1958 Manual - R50 = 1/24/45 and 1/24/46
3) 1968 Manual - R60/2 = 1/24/133 and 1/24/134
4) 1968 Manual = R50 = 1/24/131 and 1/24/132

I think I would want to check that the engine matches the frame before going too much further. the engines are pretty much intechangeable so who knows if it was the carbs or the whole engine that was swapped.

You can download the original repair manual at https://www.bmwgroup-classic.com/en/his ... rview.html

Rob
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Kurt in S.A.
Posts: 1583
Joined: Tue Aug 03, 2010 12:08 pm

Re: '59 R60 Carburettor

Post by Kurt in S.A. »

Another site showing the carb specs:

https://w6rec.com/wp-content/uploads/20 ... age1-3.jpg

It does seem like the carbs are not original, but Rob's idea of checking the VIN to be sure you're dealing with the right bike. But given that, it does seem like you could change the one jet and see how the bike performs. If the performance and gas mileage is acceptable, continue using the carbs and possibly be on the look out for replacements.

Kurt
jordanvzyl
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Aug 20, 2023 6:50 am

Re: '59 R60 Carburettor

Post by jordanvzyl »

Rob Frankham wrote: Mon Aug 21, 2023 5:43 am Not sure if this helps but the BMW tear manuals give the bing types as:

1) 1958 Manual - R60 = 1/24/95 and 1/24/96
2) 1958 Manual - R50 = 1/24/45 and 1/24/46
3) 1968 Manual - R60/2 = 1/24/133 and 1/24/134
4) 1968 Manual = R50 = 1/24/131 and 1/24/132

I think I would want to check that the engine matches the frame before going too much further. the engines are pretty much intechangeable so who knows if it was the carbs or the whole engine that was swapped.

You can download the original repair manual at https://www.bmwgroup-classic.com/en/his ... rview.html

Rob
Thanks for the heads up Rob. The first thing I did when I purchased the bike was confirm the model from the vin and engine number. It is a numbers matching bike, so I suspect the carbs were replaced at some point in time.
jordanvzyl
Posts: 3
Joined: Sun Aug 20, 2023 6:50 am

Re: '59 R60 Carburettor

Post by jordanvzyl »

Kurt in S.A. wrote: Mon Aug 21, 2023 7:04 am Another site showing the carb specs:

https://w6rec.com/wp-content/uploads/20 ... age1-3.jpg

It does seem like the carbs are not original, but Rob's idea of checking the VIN to be sure you're dealing with the right bike. But given that, it does seem like you could change the one jet and see how the bike performs. If the performance and gas mileage is acceptable, continue using the carbs and possibly be on the look out for replacements.

Kurt
Thanks Kurt, as I said the bike is numbers matching and I did confirm the model to be an R60. More than likely the carbs were replaced. I'll try keep an eye out for the original carbs, but will try get these ones working if I don't manage to find the original models. Are you based in South Africa?
Kurt in S.A.
Posts: 1583
Joined: Tue Aug 03, 2010 12:08 pm

Re: '59 R60 Carburettor

Post by Kurt in S.A. »

Not South Africa...San Antonio!!
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