Vintage BMWs in good condition sell for exorbitant amounts on auction. Having developed a cult following over the years, it’s not uncommon to see such examples sell for five-figure prices at auction.
This, however, is a pretty rare sight. If you win this unit's auction, not only will you get two wheels and an engine, you’ll also get a sidecar to boot. Steib sidecars are expensive, with some examples selling for thousands of dollars.
Hailing from 1958, a seller lists his refurbished BMW R65 with a Steib sidecar on Bring a Trailer. Overhauled and refurbished, this period-correct bike fetches a hefty price at auction. The current owner rode the trike about 250 miles (400 kilometers) since he got it. On its odometer, it shows a 26,000-kilometer reading or about 16,000 miles, but according to the listing, the total mileage is unknown.
The owner acquired the bike in 1991 and was left in storage all the way to 2016. After the bike was brought out of its twenty-five-year hibernation, the owner went to work refurbishing and breathing new life into it. The sidecar was fitted in 2016 during the refurbishment process.
Engine-wise, the trike is motivated by a 648cc horizontally opposed twin-cylinder engine mated to a five-speed manual transmission. The owner states in the listing that the engine was overhauled in 2016 which includes piston, bearing, and seal replacement.
Other work to the motor includes a crankshaft balancing job, valve adjustment, as well as a relocated battery that can be found in the trunk of the sidecar. Also, the transmission was overhauled with a replacement input and driveshaft. New bearings and seals have also been fitted.
The bike is currently available for bidding on Bring a Trailer, and the current bid at the time of this article’s writing stands at $14,000 USD. The auction ends on Thursday, September 9, 2021.
Vying For Vintage:
Source: Bring a Trailer