6/8/2011 Update: This seller ended the auction early stating that the bike was sold. At that point the bidding was at $16,100.

From 6/6/2011:

The seller of this beautiful 1969 BMW R69US claims that it is one of only 20 imported to the US in that year.  Whatever the numbers, we are sure that the BMW’s of this era were almost all black, and one still in its original Granada Red livery is a rare bird indeed.  The fact that it is a top of the line R69 makes it even more tempting.  Find it here on eBay in Brownwood, Texas.

1969 was an odd year for these bikes.  The venerable /2 range was looking very dated next to the onslaught of Japanese bikes that could match BMW’s reliability, but performed much better.  While BMW worked on a replacement bike, they made one last major change to the /2 lineup by replacing the old Earls forks with lighter telescopic units, as seen on this bike.  Also notable, in 1969, US DOT required side reflectors, which are also clearly evident on the headlight ears and the rear fender.

This bike certainly has the look of a low-mileage survivor.  The original owner opted for the optional larger fuel tank with integrated top tool box.  We love that what looks to be the original tool kit is included with the bike. The optional Hella turn signals are also very nice to have, and we assume are original.

There were several possible seat configurations available for this motorcycle.  It isn’t clear from the auction description whether this bike originally came with the two single saddle seats that are currently fitted, but we would guess not.  However, they sure give it a striking look, and we’d probably remove the rear seat to make the bike more sporting unless we had a passenger in mind.  Otherwise, we wouldn’t touch a thing.

We aren’t surprised at the very active bidding on this one given that it is a desireable model with interesting options. It is a bike with strong value worldwide.

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