[WIP] BMW R-12 motorbike with sidecar

[miguev]

Hi,

I'm new here, 33yo AFOL and looking for feedback on my very first MOC. It's finally at the point where I'm not considering adding much more :)

The motorbike has

• hopefully realistic frame
  
• no rear suspension, straight drive shaft (no chain)
  
• instead, the seat is suspended (I'm looking for smaller springs)
  
• PF lights only work with the battery pack in the side car
  
• front mudguard allows wheel to rotate with shock absorbers fully compressed
  
• 2 pistons per side to mimic R12's really big pistons, couldn't find a way to make a single piston the right size (~3x3.5 studs)
  
• hopefully discrete knob wheel you haven't yet noticed, for the motorized sidecar to input drive
  
• kickstarter lever and some stuff to fill in the
  

and lacks

• speed-o-meter, couldn't find a way to fit it in, even without the PF light
  
• license plates
  
• what else?
  

The sidecar has

• 2 PF XL motors for drive
  
• 1 servo motor for steering
  
• 1 IR receiver
  
• AAA battery box
  
• openable trunk with spare wheel
  
• several pieces in the wrong color (i.e. not black) or with stickers (I'll get clean ones from BL or just remove the stickers)
  
• several pins that go into the motorbike frame, plus the steering link and a couple more points to secure it, all easy to detach
  

and lacks

• mudguard, I'm not sure it'd improve appearance enough to be worth the extra weight
  
• (already funded 1) SBrick so that the spare wheel doesn't make me lose control of the thing so easily
  

More photos in BS. Apologies for their poor quality, I only get to my MOC/s late in the night and don't even have a proper white backdrop yet.

Thanks!

[Alasdair Ryan]

Great bike and side car,do you have a picture of the real-life counterpart?

Welcome to Eurobricks.

[miguev]

Thanks! I do have several pics of real R12s in a folder, but rather than re-uploading them let me just suggest a Google Image Search for BMW R12

[TinkerBrick]

Not bad at all for a first MOC. The steering mechanism is brilliant-almost overlooked the link going the the front fork.

I found two images:

http://www.fahrzeugbilder.de/1024/bmw-r12-mit-beiwagen-bj1938750ccm-33542.jpg

And

http://www.breindl-grope.de/images/OMEGAPROJEKTE/BMR12ROYAL04.JPG

Sorry for not deep linking, couldn't figure how to do it on an iPad.

[Bzroom]

Very cool. I like the attachable power functions!

[piterx]

awesome bike dude! i love it :)

[miguev]

Thanks! I reckon I should've deep-linked a few pics of real R12s, so here are some:

Source (and more pics): http://allbikesnz.blogspot.ch/2013/05/1935-bmw-r12.html

Source (and more pics): http://www.motomaniastore.com/motors/details/bmw-r12-sold-to-usa--127

Source (and more pics): http://www.carpictures.com/vehicle/07LSC503022043/BMW-R12-1938

And this is the blueprint I used as a reference: http://www.the-blueprints.com/blueprints/motorcycles/bmwmotor/41843/view/bmw_r12_(1939)/

@piterx: I'd like to try replace the gray shock absorbers with the springs you used in your Ford Fiesta WRC but couldn't find them, could you please point me to their BL catalog entry? (or add the link in your blog post)

[legomuppet9]

The springs piterx uses are custom, they use the spring part from the normal shock absorbers, a 4 stud axle and stud and other attachments to it

[miguev]

Yeah, I imagined the spring is the same as in the gray shock absorbers, I was just hoping I could find the springs by themselves in BL so that I wouldn't have to take shock absorbers apart -- ah well, I just did :D

[grum64]

Brilliant!

I forwarded this to my Uncle as he had one of these for years. His reply was short and a tad primative... 'it's bloody fantastic!'

I think that sums it up perfectly.

[miguev]

Thanks! Maybe I should ask a biker friend share this among older bikers... BTW the seat suspensions looks better now :)

[Kierna]

Wow, great job for your first MOC!

I'm happy to see someone else making motorcycles.

Welcome to the very small Club of Lego Motorcycle MOC'cers

It's a nice model, instantly recognisible.

I have one suggestion: Make the cylinder heads 2x3 or 2x2, instead of 2x4. They look a bit too tall next to the real one.

I am perhaps the most... "obsessed" motorcycle Moc'cer in the world... check out the Harley I'm building soon.

Also, check out http://legotechnicmotorcycles.blogspot.com.au/ run by Eurobricks member Kurtsoares. Some really good motorcycle MOC's there.

[neoconagenda]

Very nice MOC!

[Rishab N]

Nice work. Looks realistic

[CADScott]

Very nice, instantly recognisable with lovely details.

[miguev]

I have one suggestion: Make the cylinder heads 2x3 or 2x2, instead of 2x4. They look a bit too tall next to the real one.

I'm unsure I'll get around to modify the engine now, I tried to make just 1 piston 2x3 on each side, couldn't find a way to make it "work" as a piston and it'd looks a bit too small according to ruler-on-paper measurements I took on the blueprint. Also, I took Sariel's advice of making characteristic features rather bigger than smaller

[miguev]

Brickshelf is down for maintenance... let me compensate with a couple of new photos (more to come).

[lgerard31]

I am perhaps the most... "obsessed" motorcycle Moc'cer in the world...

no no , me too

i only works on motorbikes with LDD ( for exemple http://www.eurobrick...howtopic=126445 )

and i really like your MOCs

//////////////

really beautiful R-12