This beautiful example was spotted at the Powerama show in Edmonton this weekend. A wartime BMW is rare enough, but one with the upgraded 750cc, 37hp engine? Well that’s something special!

But hold on there bucko. Something doesn’t seem quite right. What’s with all the Chinese labels and markings mixed in with the German? Lo and behold it’s not, in fact, a BMW at all. When the Russians took Austria during the closing days of World War II, they also occupied a BMW aircraft factory. This particular factory not only produced warplanes, but also military motorcycles. In true fashion, they packed up the entire assembly, including blueprints, dies, castings and machinery, and shipped it back to Russia. There they duplicated it exactly, and continued producing the BMW motorcycles for many more years. Years later, when communist China decided they needed a military motorcycle, they approached the Soviet Union for help. Once again, the entire manufacturing process was packed up and shipped off, where once again it was copied exactly. How exactly? This particular bike is one of the Chinese versions, but the owner informs me he has been able to track down replacement parts for the original BMW motorcycles — entirely labeled in German, with German packaging — and the replacement parts fit perfectly, even though they were designed for a bike from the 1940s, and his was produced in the 1970s. This particular example now appears to be a fascinating mix of Russian, German and Chinese motorcycles, but it is immaculately restored and cared for and is in perfect running order. The owner informs me it starts on the first or second try every time, in any weather. Oh, and he drives it all the time. It’s used for road trips, rallies, vacations or just day-to-day driving. Now that’s the way a classic is supposed to be used. It should be noted that the owner is also a mechanic in the Canadian Armed Forces, so this project has been built on his own, whenever he could find the spare funds and the time to do it. We here at Hooniverse salute a soldier and one of our own. This is a fine example of “doing it right”.