1955 BMW R50 Restoration

After restoring bikes in the former Soviet Union this Melbourne enthusiast tacked an ambitious project to restore a classic 1955 BM R50, with no garage, that produced some fantastic results.

The Dnepr , before the Rebuild. Image: Andrew Rovenko

Andrew began his love affair with bikes in his native Ukraine 15 years ago where he and a bunch of friends tried to emulate American motorcycle culture they saw in movies. The motivation according to Andrew…”it was incredibly cool”.

“Western bikes were in very limited supply and extremely expensive for post USSR environment, so we resorted to rebuilding various local models, mostly into so desirable chopper or bobber styles.”

The Ukranian Dnepr after the project. Image: Andrew Rovenko

His first project was along the lines of a rebuild. In the late 90’s Andrew tackled an old Ukranian workhorse. A 650cc Dnepr. Which was quite a challenge given the scarcity of parts.

Fast Forward to 2015 and Andrew decided to pick up the tools again when he came across an old R50 at an online estate auction, ironicaly where he was searching for film cameras.

“The old Soviet bikes that we used to have were copies of the BMW design with top cam boxer engines, so when I saw this old R50 on the online estate auction – I had this massive nostalgic moment and immediately wanted it.”

The 1955 R50 BMW in its original state. Image: Andrew Rovenko

When we asked Andrew what condition the bike was in when he originally bought it. “Not very good. The bike was in a serious crash some 40 years ago and sat in the barn since then, so everything to the last bolt needed a complete overhaul.”

After a crash, the original R50 sat in a barn waiting for a rebirth. Image: Andrew Rovenko

Before we got into the details of his build we also asked Andrew why he chose to restore a bike rather than buy one new or complete. “Buying a bike isn’t much of a challenge, it’s just a money thing and it can’t give you the experience, learnings and sense of achievement that you get from going through the rebuild or restoration project.”

“Restoration is a proper journey where you get to meet new people, push yourself, go through ups and downs and finally (if you’re lucky) create something unique and more personal than any ‘stock purchase’ can ever be.”

The Build

The workshop. Image: Andrew Rovenko

We started by asking Andrew what his plan was in tackling the project. “There was no linear “step by step” plan – lots of things were happening in parallel as when you hit roadblock with one thing you continue on with another.” Andrew told us.

“After the disassembly I just ended up with a big pile of rusted parts, and every bit that could be salvaged needed a different kind of attention.”

“Things that couldn’t be saved had to be hunted online (some for months), as there isn’t that many of these machines left in the world even as ‘donor’ bikes, but you into trouble of restoring one – you want to make sure everything is as original as it can be.”

“So until all pieces of the puzzle were ready, the process involved many iterations of:

1) Research

2) Take apart

3) Evaluate

4) Fix or Find or Find and Fix

5) Repeat”

All this while tackling the build without a proper workshop. As Andrew tells it “Not having a proper workshop gave me the biggest challenge, as I live the apartment complex and don’t have a garage. All initial work had to be done in the parking lot and then when it was clean enough – bike moved into one of the bedrooms for re-assembly.”

Nearing the end of the build. Image: Andrew Rovenko

When we asked what he would do differently in hindsight. “Would definitely outsource soda blasting rather than do it myself on the balcony. I like the challenge, but doing this job this without a blasting cabinet on a hot summer day isn’t much fun at all.”

“There were heaps of learnings about specific things that could have been done more efficiently, but I’m just happy that I managed no to screw anything up dramatically and it all worked out in the end.”

“There would be no hindsight without going through the experience and making mistakes.”

After working for 9 months on the project Andrew was able to reflect on the satisfaction and joy this project brought him “Just knowing that I managed to return this beauty to its glory is already a good enough reward. “

Hearing it come alive on the first kick and being to “travel in time” while riding your own 1955 machine – priceless.

Now the project is complete we asked Andrew what advice would you give other amateur restorers “Get a repair manual for your project bike, it’ll be your best investment. Never rush anything, patience will save you time in the end. Always use the right tool for the job even if it means ordering one and waiting for weeks. “Quick workarounds” will lead to much bigger setbacks.”

Fine tuning the R50. Image: Andrew Rovenko

“Get in touch with the community of enthusiasts, which exist for any model worthy of restoration. They would have heaps of free knowledge that they’d be happy to share”

After this absolutely stunning result what other projects are on the horizon for Andrew? “I actually just got myself another bike two weeks ago as a project for winter. It’s not a vintage machine, as I need something that I don’t have to be so careful about (and it’s a bit faster, and has better brakes).”

“Should still be an interesting experience to work on something more contemporary.”

For a non professional, with no proper workshop and a long time between projects We think everyone would agree the result Andrew has achieved with his 1955 BMW R50 is nothing short of staggering.

The finished product in all its glory (click on the thumbnails for a larger version)