The R 75 was designed by Alex von Falkenhausen exclusively for military use, with a hardtail frame that used a bolt-on rear section for easy engine removal. The low-compression engine had reinforced rocker covers, and an air cleaner mounted above the fuel tank. The four-speed transmission drove the rear motorcycle and sidecar wheels, with high and low ratios. Many R 75s were abandoned during Germany’s retreat; the bike seen here was driving a plow in Czechoslovakia when it was found in 1989 by BMW’s Helmut Bauer. Bauer restored it for Lothar Schuettler in the tan paint of Erwin Rommel’s Afrika Korps.

For more pictures and information on this or any other vehicle in the Motorcycles exhibit, check out the exhibition book in our store!