bmwr75withsidecarandammunitiontrailerissuedin1940ther75

The BMW R75 is a World War II-era motorcycle and sidecar mixture made by the German company BMW.

In the 1930s BMW were creating a range of popular and impressive motorcycles. In 1938 development of the R75 started in reaction to a get from the German Army.

Preproduction models of the R75 were powered by the 750 cc aspect valve engine, that was based on the R71 engine motor. However it was quickly found necessary to design an all-new OHV 750 cc engine for the R75 product. This OHV engine motor later became the foundation for following post-war twin BMW engines like the R51/3, R67 and R68.

The 3rd side-car wheel was powered with an axle linked to the rear wheel of the motorcycle. They were equipped with a locking differential and selectable road and off-road gear ratios by which all and reverse gears worked well. This made the R75 highly manoeuvrable and capable of negotiating most floors. Additional motorcycle manufactures, like FN and Norton, provided an optional drive to sidecars.

The BMW R75 and its competitor the Z?ndapp KS 750 were both extensively used by the Wehrmacht in Russia and North Africa, though after a period of evaluation it became clear that the Z?ndapp was the superior machine. In August 1942 Z?ndapp and BMW, on the urging of the Military, agreed upon standardization of parts for both machines, with a view of eventually creating a Z?ndapp-BMW hybrid (selected the BW 43), in which a BMW 286/1 side-car would be grafted onto a Z?ndapp KS 750 motorcycle. They also arranged that the manufacture of the R75 would cease once production reached 20,200 models, and after that point BMW and Z?ndapp would only produce the Z?ndapp-BMW machine, making 20,000 every year.

Since the goal of 20,200 BMW R75's had not been reached, it continued to be in production until the Eisenach stock was so badly damaged by Allied bombing that development ceased in 1944. A further 98 products were assembled by the Soviets in 1946 as reparations.

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