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Difference between revisions of "BMW R4"
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[[Image:1933 BMW R4.jpg|right|thumb|1933 BMW R4]] | [[Image:1933 BMW R4.jpg|right|thumb|1933 BMW R4]] | ||
[[Image:R4.jpg|thumb|350px|BMW R4]] | |||
[[BMW]] produced 15,200 '''R4''' [[motorcycles]] using innovative mass production techniques, setting new standards of design and quality. Pressed steel frame and components were quick and easy to stamp out and assemble, reducing manufacturing costs. | [[BMW]] produced 15,200 '''R4''' [[motorcycles]] using innovative mass production techniques, setting new standards of design and quality. Pressed steel frame and components were quick and easy to stamp out and assemble, reducing manufacturing costs. | ||
Introduced in 1932 and intended to bridge the gap between the 'budget' [[BMW R2|BMW R2]] 198cc single and the expensive twins, the R4 looked much like the former, whose channel-section steel frame and running gear it used almost unaltered. The 398cc overhead-valve engine featured enclosed valve gear and produced 12bhp, gaining an extra two horsepower in 1933 when the [[BMW|BMW]] R4 was updated to Series 2 specification with revised styling and a four-speed gearbox. A new cylinder head, tidier engine casings and changes to the toolbox and generator locations were introduced as the rugged R4 - a favourite with police forces and the German Army - progressed through to Series 5 before production ceased in 1936. | |||
{{BMW}} | {{BMW}} | ||