BMW R12/R75

Before the festivities began I bought myself a present, a book on the BMW R12/ R75
(BMW Motorcycles in World War 11 R12/R75 by Janusz Piekalkiewicz)

An interesting book, not much reading but a lot of pics, Although I'm not looking at buying one it was more out of general interest, although I generally think of Dispatch riders when it comes to Military Motorcycles but I didn't realise how many or how much the R12 and R75 were used by German rifle units........

A lot of Motorcycles used by Re enactors these days are the Russian Ural, Denper etc, some have gone through some cosmetic changes and really look the part and are a very cheap alternative to a R75.........I was convinced a R75 at the War and Peace show last year was the real deal, it just had that look of original paint etc and nothing stood out, a bit like when you see a rifle that hasn't been touched and has years of linseed oil applied to the woodwork it was only when I overheard a conversation of a few anoraks saying it was a very good replica........