my motorcycles

My first motorcycle in November 1971, about 50 years ago - when I was seventeen, a 1938 BMW R51, 494 ccm, 24 PS, 140 km/h. I bought it for Austrian Schilling 1.800, earned by working during summer holidays in a paper factory. The image has been taken with a Kodak Instamatic 100 camera and is a scanned slide. The 2nd PiP shows the bike after finishing the "restoration" in Oct. 1972, about 50 years ago by the way. The movie "Easy Rider" was not long ago at that time ;-))

Working on my 1st motorcycle in 1972, a 1938 BMW R51, just before finishing High School. The bottle contains engine oil, not Whiskey ;-) - scanned slide, camera: Kodak Instamatic 100

1st motorcycle, in 1972, not complete yet, "slithly" not original ;-) would now be 82 years old.

My first motorcycle, which I bought with 17 - my parents were not amused, a BMW R51 (1938). The photo was taken with my first camera, a Kodak Instamatic 100 (scanned slide). ► Kodak Instamatik ► Born to be wild

"The Wild Years 1973" - beer transport with a friend on my first motorcycle, a BMW R51 from 1938 (scanned)

BMW R51 (and my friend Werner), build year 1938, purchase price 1800 Schilling, taken with an Agfa Billy Record (9 x 6)

1973 with my first motorcycle, a BMW R 51 (1938), which I completly restored (not original unfortunately)......taken with a Kodak Instamatic camera

My 2nd bike. The photo was taken with a Kodak Instamatic 100 camera in April 1974. The BMW R68 was produced from 1951 to 1954, 594 ccm, 35 PS, 160 km/h. The machine was slightly modified (mudguards, mufflers, yellow painting, seat etc. - scanned slide, Kodak Instamatic

Berny on his BMW R68 ( both build year 1954)......the photo was taken 1973 by a friend with my first camera, a Kodak Instamatic ;-) Discover The Doors !

This photo is from 1975, 46 years ago. It's my 3rd bike (and my first almost new one), a Yamaha TX 750, 743 ccm, 51 PS, 186 km/h. Neighbor's son is watching. - scanned photo

scanned slide

The main image and the PiP were taken in 1975 and four years before in 1971, my friend is the same, our two bikes have changed ;-) - scanned slides, Minolta X700

In January 1985, after searching for years and negotiations for one year with the owner, I could buy over 20 old motorcycles, hidden in an old shed in my hometown Graz. After clearing away all kind of scrap above the bikes, this is the first view of the treasure I was hunting, a very rare Puch 800 4-cylinder, built in 1936 by Puch in Graz. Not very promising. In 1971 I bought my first motorcycle when I was seventeen, at a small dealer in Graz, a 1938 BMW R51. In his backyard I could see several wrecks, also this one. I didn't pay attention much, years later I remembered and identified the bike as a Puch 800. The shop had closed at that time, the owner had ceased to be and nobody knew anything about the wrecks. After years I found the son of the former owner in Vienna and after one year of negotiation and uncounted phone calls he told me, that the bikes still exist. But he was not willing to sell only the Puch 800, only all bikes together, back then for a price, which was rather high for me. Anyway, I made the deal. I never documented most of the bikes I found, which I will do now. - scanned slide, Minolta X700 - see PiP