BMW R2

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The BMW R2 was a 198 cc overhead valve single-cylinder motorcycle produced by BMW between 1931 and 1936, the smallest motorcycle ever to enter series production with the firm (In 1948, a 125cc 2 stroke flat twin, designated R10, was developed but did not enter production). Despite its much smaller design and engine capacity, the R2 retained many features of the larger boxer twin motorcycles in the range, such as cardan shaft drive and a pressed-steel duplex frame. The R2 was the smallest in the range of singles produced during the 1930s by BMW, with its big brothers being the 305 cc R3 and the 400 cc R4. In 1925, BMW introduced the 247 cc R39, their first single-cylinder motorcycle. The R39 did not sell well and was discontinued in 1927. Following the collapse of the Weimar Republic economy during the Wall Street crash of 1929, BMW's premier large capacity, expensive motorcycle range was hard hit, with fewer customers able to afford their premium purchase costs. BMW therefore felt the need to introduce a smaller bike into their range, which offered both cheaper purchase costs and less expensive running costs. The firm also wished to expand their range by making a bike available to riders without a motorcycle licence, which was not required for bikes under 200 cc. This led to the R2's introduction in 1931 in the form of the Series 1, of which 4,161 units were sold during its one-year production run until the introduction of the improved Series 2A the following year. It was known as the "people's bike", and was priced at 975 RM, compared to 1,750 RM for the 750 cc flat-twin R11 Series 2 of the same year.