Toaster Tank trivia

[wirewrkr]

Ian Falloon says the toaster tanks weren't offered for the 1973 models. He lists the VIN numbers in his book.

Kurt in S.A.

Just because a guy writes a book, doesn't automatically mean he know what the hell he's talking about.
It just means the publisher is dumber than he is.

[wirewrkr]

I had bought a bike for parts back in the days when i was at BOBs , it was an early 74 R60/6.
Small 18 liter tank, Screw on emblems, and under the knee pads were the clips for attaching the "toaster" panels.
Red paint with White stripes.
Previous owners father bought it brand new in the fall of 73.
Unfortunately, the bike had been stored outside in Maryland for many years. Not a good recipe.

[Kurt in S.A.]

Just because a guy writes a book, doesn't automatically mean he know what the hell he's talking about. It just means the publisher is dumber than he is.

I would imagine that Ian did quite a bit of research for his book. I'd bet he had input from BMW to write the book. Another writer, Mick Walker, in his book BMW Twins The Complete Story states "Neither the smaller tank nor, to a lesser extent, the garish side panels, were popular, and for the 1973 BMW was forced to return to the original 4.85-gallon tank (without the chrome panels) for models sold, at least in Britain."

Many other people have indicated that the toaster tank was only for 1972, not just Ian or Mick. It's impossible to know why a '73 road test would have a toaster tank on it. We do know that US customers didn't like the toaster tank and the dealer would do anything to sell the bike including replace the toaster tank with a different one, piling up toaster tanks in the back or in the trash bin. Who's to say that other customers didn't like the plain jane tank and ask for a toaster tank for his '73 model?

To me, it seems clear that BMW made some kind of decision for 1973, at least for Europe. The US being different might still have had toaster tanks come out, or maybe it was just the use of on-hand spares that they proliferated into 1973. If there are any one-owners with '73 models and toaster tanks that step forward, then we might have a different picture.

Kurt in S.A.

[Duane Ausherman]

The only year that the chrome panels were supplied by B&S bikes was 1972. Maybe a very few in early 73 got through.

I remember one customer who had a 71 and claimed to love the chrome panel tank. He even asked how much they cost. I offered to trade him even up and even through in the labor. He was so excited to get this deal. My employees that I should have been jailed for ripping him off.

My shop had at least 30 new toaster tanks in storage. We also had two piles (right and left) of chrome panels, mostly new ones. Since I was the only shop in the country with the rubber knee pads, we colleced a lot of those panels. These piles were about 8 inches high. When I sold the shop I only took two sets of panels. What an idiot I am, I should have taken both piles.

I also left the 3 ft high pile of new or nearly new center stands. We replaced them with the Reynolds Ride Off stands.

I could retire on those two items alone. Lots of mistakes made back then. Not that it is different today.