Bens BMW R25/3 Restoration
Last Updated: 13/05/06
#Added Drive shaft page to the Final drive chapter#
#Added Carby reconditioning page#
Final drive, wheels, Rear suspension.
Transistor ignition module (TIM) for your R25/3
LED Bar end indicators and electronic flasher
Hi my name is Ben,
I live on the island of
Santorini in Greece. It's a small volcanic and one of the most southern islands of the Cycladic area in the Aegean Sea. Although during the summer months it becomes rather hectic, the winters are quiet and relaxed. There isn't a lot to do on Santorini during the winter, hence my BMW R25/3 restoration.I never really had any interest in motorbikes. My initial enthusiasm was with sports cars, especially British of the 50s and 60s. Because of space constraints it was impractical for me to consider starting any kind of motor car restoration. Not only the space required but also everything on a motorcar is just physically bigger. More cylinders to restore, more panels to paint, more manpower needed and so on. I really needed something smaller that I could handle by myself.
A friend once said to me "you pick a marque and fall in love with it". So there just happened to be a BMW R25/3 on the island that was for sale; so I bought it simple-as-that. I committed all the sins of classic vehicle acquisition, I didn't check anything out, I didn't do any research on parts availability or cost, I didn't check to see if all the parts were original or missing. In fact I didn't even take it for a test ride. At least I heeded one piece of advice; I bought my BMW and fell in love with it.
I probably paid too much for what it was and it certainly will cost me more than what it is finally worth. But hey, don't all those cost effective equations get thrown out the window when your restoring a motor vehicle, they probably shouldn't but I believe most of us have fallen into that trap.
As Dave Barry once said: "There's a fine line between a hobby and mental illness"
So this is my contribution to the preservation of the BMW marque. I hope that any past, present or future restorer gets something from these pages.
Feedback ben@otenet.gr
