BMW Mono (and the club)

BMW has exported its BMW Mono all over the world. But only in the Netherlands there is a club that unites enthusiasts of these motorcycles. The BMW Monoclub.

The BMW Mono: quiet civilization

Funny, where BMW drivers are generally quite tight and have a tendency towards perfectionism. There the Monoclub turns out to be a couple of relaxed bon vivants. And we saw at a meeting what we generally do not expect from BMW drivers m / f, despite the fact that the weather conditions certainly had to do with it. BMW drivers in shorts and in T-shirt. On the motorcycle. And somewhere in the course of the day, an uninhibited club member from Amsterdam told me that he had such a key on his key ring that he could use it to get Amsterdammertjes off the lock to park his sidecar properly. Much to the surprise of the local Parking Guards, who kept wondering how he got through the posts.

The BMW single-cylinder family comes from a time when owning a so-called 'automobile' had not yet become the scourge it was today. Many government officials, civil servants and the like did not have a service car, but a 'service bicycle'. The BMW Mono was therefore conceived for that target group: they were 'Behörden Kräder'. And 'Krad' is the friendly compact afko for 'Kraft Rad'. But people like veterinarians also drove proudly on a BMW Mono. And the clothes? It was then made of millimeter thick leather that had to be greased twice a year.

Another action that you expect within the Ural-Dnepr club rather than at a Real BMW club: to solve the consequences of a broken cardan, no claim is made on a Mobility Guarantee or a scoop wagon of the unsurpassed WegenWacht. With some phone calls, the replacement parts were located, picked up and mounted on the neat, tight lawn of the campsite.

So the BMW Monoclub

The reason for the founding of the club was mainly that at the end of the seventies, the provision of parts and the maintenance for classic BMW single-cylinders became more difficult. A way was sought to share knowledge and experience with each other. Furthermore, the founders wanted to bring people together with love and feeling for these simple motorcycles. The single-cylinder engine may be less technically impressive than the boxer or other engine versions, it is also cheaper and endearingly brave. Moreover, there are people who are simply charmed by soberly styled simple solidity.

The membership of the club is currently such an 400 man M / F. In which at least one man happily told me that it was because of his courtship at the time, that his current wife was because he had started motorcycling. They were both still shining. We did not quite dare, but believe that the youngest official club member is about 10 years younger than the club.

And those boldly brave BMW Mono engines? Those are just time machines

Like the Doctor Who Tardis, but slower. Blessed with perfect ergonomics, such a BMW roams at a gentle trot on the most beautiful roads. A BMW R27 drives at least 100, but actually prefers to run at 80 kilometers per hour. A BMW R26 runs better according to enthusiasts. While just as many other enthusiasts affirm that the block of a BMW R27 is rubber bearing, and therefore much more comfortable. The owner of an - East German reference BMW single-cylinder - an EMW with its red / white 'BMW' logo hears it all with a smile and knows that with his extra-marital single-cylinder he is also just welcome within the BMW monoclub.

The BMW single cylinders after WWII were the R24 (1948), the various R25s, the BMW R26 (1955-1960) and the R27 (1960-1966). The R26s and R27s have been standard classics until now. But their deployment is actually limited to secondary roads. An R26 has 15 horsepower and an R27 18.

The supply of parts is exemplary through the club and various specialists

The prices are still reasonable, but rising. The reliability is great. But old machines sometimes break down. The key friendliness is top! And that has been proven once again with the cardan transplantation on the grass of the campsite. So: BMW K 1600 drivers: “Eat your heart out! "