BMW R 20

The BMW R 20 appeared in 1937 as the successor to the R 2 and, as a 200 cc machine, could likewise be ridden without paying vehicle tax or holding a full licence. Series building began in March 1937 and the price at launch in April was 725 Reichsmark, raised to 750 in February 1938. BMW advertised it as an economical everyday machine with simple controls. The generator rotor sat directly on the front crankshaft end, the ignition breaker was driven from the crankshaft, a dry clutch and a three-speed gearbox that could now be shifted by foot as well as by hand drove the rear wheel by shaft, and the front wheel ran in a telescopic fork on a bolted tubular frame without rear suspension.