Sand blaster

Domination on the race tracks with the fabulous supercharged Kompressor models was gratifying for BMW (and the Nazis) in the ‘thirties, but as the decade drew to a close, there were bigger and far more pressing issues than international sporting prestige to consider.

As the build up to WW2 intensified, both BMW and Zundapp were hard at work on designs for military use. The military contract called for motorcycles with capacities around 750cc, and Zundapp’s 751cc overhead valve KS750 filled the bill admirably. BMW’s R12, first produced in 1935, was a solid, side-valve 750 with a four-speed gearbox and shaft final drive, housed in a twin cradle, pressed steel frame. The front forks were oil-damped hydraulics with one-way damping, mated to a rigid rear end. The R12 was supplied for military use with a single carburettor replacing the original twin Amal carbs and from