stoutgoose wrote: ↑Fri Dec 03, 2021 5:45 am
Thanks Rob. When I did the oil change and removed the old filter and had a good look inside, and found, as you said, the old rubber O-ring at the far end of the tube. I hooked it out. Fortunately the filter hadn't collapsed.
Are the German-made filters still marked 'West Germany' or have they unified now?
Kurt in S.A. wrote: ↑Fri Dec 03, 2021 6:41 am
The bendy filters I source at my BMW dealer say "Made in Austria".
Kurt in S.A.
Can't really answer that one. Mahle do have manufacturing facilities in a number of countries. If it says BMW on the box, it's probably Mahle. If it says 'Mahle' on the box, it's probably Mahle. If not, who knows? As airheads are no longer officially supported, I guess the dealer could source spares anywhere. Might be worth asking them.
The ones I get from Hansen's BMW are hinged, BMW labeled, and also made in Austria. I'd say it's all made by Mahle.
Call me Mel. Some years ago- never mind how long precisely- having little or no money in my purse, and nothing particular to interest me at home, I thought I would ride about a little and see the other parts of the world.
I thought that I read a long time ago that the silver/gold intake tubes were used on the swb and the black on the lwb . Could have been a bunch of BS IDK
When I removed the rocker covers I discovered a previous owner had etched their name and town on the inside of both in a lovely cursive script. This made me think that the owner clearly cared about the bike and I started an internet search, and found a name that matched, but unfortunately it was contained in an obituary from 2020 (the gent had passed away aged 79), but it did state that bikes were his passion. This was sufficient evidence for me to continue the search and I found an address for his widow and son, and I took a shot in the dark and wrote a letter and enclosed a couple of photos of the bike and rocker cover.
A week or so later I received an email from the son confirming that the bike had indeed belonged to his father with a photo of it as he had found it (wearing a Vetter Windjammer) in his father's barn after his death, and a photo of himself and his father. He told me that his father had purchased the bike in 1985 from a neighbour and had ridden it for less than 2000 miles before putting it into storage for the next 35 years. He informed me that the neighbour was still alive and wished to talk.
This led to a series of fascinating emails where the gent informed me that he had purchased the bike from a Michigan dealer in 1975 with 1700 miles on the clock, and then proceeded to have the saddle recovered and the Windjammer fitted (which helps to explain why the headlamp interior is like new). He provided a great insight into some of his journeys on the bike and coloured its history for me, and explained how he had come to sell it to the neighbour in 1985 with around 18,500 miles on it. He also confirmed that the bike had been meticulously maintained and had never been restored or dropped.
Following the father's death in 2020, the son sold the bike to a dealer in early 2021 and whose name was on the title, and who then shortly sold it on to the dealer from whom I purchased it in May.
So there you have it; an original barn-find R75/5 with under 21,000 miles on the clock and three previous owners in its 50 year history!
