The Most Original Black Lightning on the Planet?

Somer

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
Harry Belville use to have a row of NOS Lightning wheels. They were Borrani as I remember. I have also seen steel 20/21 inch wheels on Lightnings.
 

Little Honda

Well Known and Active Forum User
Non-VOC Member
Pre 69 BMWs has 24MM at biggest.
Not correct: 500cc flat twins had 2 carb variants: 24mm and 26mm. The 26mm variant of BING carb was fitted
to the later models with rear swinging arm suspension. 28mm were 600cc. The early variant (R51/3) had 2 hp
less, than the later one, which had 26hp.
 

bmetcalf

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
I was lucky enough to be in a line with Don Vesco* at Daytona in 1982 or so and he told me that he rode the Free Lightning in road races several times at Riverside Raceway near Los Angeles in the early '60's.

* Don, not as lucky!
 

oexing

Well Known and Active Forum User
VOC Member
As to BMW Bing carbs, there are NO 28 mm carbs, never were on classic fifties or sixties types, Earles or plunger rear end, non concentric floats. The touring types had 24mm max. and the sports types like R 50 S , R 68 and R 69 +S had 26 mm . The maximum Bing got out of the small cases was 27.5 mm. Otherwise you´d need a bigger case and bigger slides so there will be some good fit and no air leaking past the slide. There is a bigger type of 28, 30 and 32 mm Bings, non concentric, like in my photo below on a 460cc Horex, but this series was never sold on production bikes.
The /5 series had a new type of Bings, concentric with rubber membrane slide and 32mm on the 750 and simple Bowden operated slide on the 500 and 600 types, 26mm I think.

Vic
R 69 S with Kayser alu cylinders 734 cc:
P1040059.JPG


32mm big Bing on Horex 460cc:
Horex Regina 460, 1954.JPG
 
Top