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Shortly after venturing into car manufacture for the first time by acquiring the Dixi works at Eisenach, BMW introduced a major innovation to its motorcycle range in 1929. The transversely mounted 'flat-twin' engine was already a BMW trademark but for the first time it was installed in a pressed-steel frame, the first model to incorporate this landmark of motorcycle design being the 740cc R11. BMW's relatively vibration-free engine was already a byword for smoothness and refinement, and this, coupled to a three-speed shaft-drive transmission, made the R11 sidevalve one of the finest touring motorcycles of its day. Progressively improved, the R11 was built in five series up to 1934. This R11 displays a total of only 4 kilometres on the odometer, which, presumably, is the distance covered since restoration.
