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Freedle Flyer
A bit of history
BMW’s plants were badly damaged by the end of WWII. The allies planned to break up the company, but needed a vehicle maintenance base. Since BMW had the trained workers, buildings and equipment, they got the contract.
They began the work to re-establish themselves as a viable company. And they started with pots and pans. In order to get a manufacturing license, Director Kurt Donath had to work around punitive restrictions placed on the company. Pots and pans were okay, manufacturing motorcycles was not. Finally in 1946, restrictions on motorcycle production were lifted, at first for 125cc and later for 250cc. By 1950, BMW was rolling out the first R24s, and here is where our story starts.
Here comes the Freedle FLyer
Our R25 rolled out of the factory in 1952 as a lovely green police bike. It was equipped with a special rear rack to hold gear, radio, and other police equipment. One can see traces of the original manufacturer’s paint on the kickstarter mount, which we left untouched during the restoration just for acknowledgement.
This Getty image shows some of the area that the R25 rode around in the 1950s.
Retiring from the force
After spending some time serving the police force, the bike retired out of service. The usual route when decommissioning was to turn the vehicle over to a firm specializing in converting the bike to civilian specifoications. There it would have all the special police equipment and badges removed and these would be returned to the police to be installed on the next vehicle. Some minor mechanical refurbishing might also be done if needed. Then it would be repainted, black of course, and offered for sale.
Sold to the highest bidder
As Germany had its share of G.I.s, presumably this bike was purchased by one, and then imported to the States. Where then it vanished into the wilds. And later resurfaces in Spanaway, WA sometime in the 1980s at the Burgin Motorcycle Museum.
Becoming part of local history
By this time, the little bike had picked up a traveling companion. Another R25 frame, with most of an engine and a few random chassis pieces tagged along. Our buddy Dave went to the museum, and you can see the Freedle Flyer in his photo. Jim Knauff also visited the museum, later in the 1990s, and managed to leave with both Freedle and companion. His purchases ended up in storage, where bike and partial bike rested until 2009. Jim sold the R25 and partial R25 to Rob Billington, who decided to get it running again.
Enter Kevin Brooks
Rob brought it to Kevin Brooks, and Rob explained that he wanted to restore it. Kevin said "well if we have to tear it down to do all that work, how about we race it first, at the Bonneville Salt Flats". Rob didn’t take much persuading. And their friend Ron had a well-worn set of red racing leathers ready. Rob named the bike after a close friend he lost in the Viet Nam war and thus it became the Freedle Flyer. (Image of Rob and Ron praying with the bike).
Let's race the lilttle pup
We took the Flyer to Bonneville with little more than a tune-up and a carb rebuild. With Ron Brown in the saddle, the little 250 set the first ever P-PV Record in the 250cc class at 61.968 mph. And then, just because it could, upped its own to 69.224, a record which is stands to this day. And through it all the “Freedle Flyer” ran like a champ, never so much as leaking a drop of oil!
As Dave said, "My fondest memories are of watching Ron Brown fly down the salt at Bonneville and the ear to ear grin on his face before and after the runs. Especially after the record setting run, that look of pure exitement and exhiliration that can only be experience on the bike, at speed, on the vast expanse of salt race track we call the Bonneville Salt Flats."
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