The 11th Kompanie also fields one ersatz BMW R71 motorcycle. This motorcycle was purchased from a former unit member who was retiring from the Galveston Police Department and moving to Illinois. When the future owners went to view the new purchase, a garage full of parts lying all over the place greeted them. Everything was basically there, but was either lying about or was in some sort of crate. The future owners brought a large trailer with them the next trip down and loaded every part they could find. Garage space in Houston was arranged and cleared for 11th Kompanie’s newest project.

Once in Houston the bike was laid out in a logical order and the restoration begun. First all metal parts were sanded and primed. Next they were painted Feldgrau by one of the current owners. After a week of touchup and drying, the real fun began. Since we were not the ones who originally disassembled this bike, the reassembly was twice as much fun. What we did was clear lots of floor space and began to lay the parts out where we think they went. Since we had no pictures or any information, it was all guesswork. The entire electrical system had to be redone, as well, so a handmade wiring diagram was made and the material gathered. A new battery was bought, along with electrical connectors, tape and new wire. While redoing the electrical, the remainder of the bike was also being assembled. Once the tires and kickstand were installed, then came the engine. Imagine two men wrestling a 500 lbs. greasy pig into a 400 lbs gunnysack. There were a few choice colorful metaphors being shouted about that day! Once the engine was secured, the remainder of the wiring on the bike itself was completed. After installing, drive shaft, new plugs, new plug wires, and all the lubes, we were ready to start the engine. It has to be a testimony to the designers, but with only minor adjustments, the engine fired right up the first day and all the gears and brakes worked as designed. It was noticed, however, that this particular engine likes hotter plugs, so some were obtained and installed. The engine has not had one major problem since we got it and aside from normal maintenance, we’ve had no breakdowns. All that was left was rewiring the sidecar lights and installing the sidecar onto the motorcycle. Now it was time for the field.

The new ersatz R-71 made its maiden voyage in December of 2000. Its performance was spectacular, but the big test was yet to come. The 11th Kompanie took its motorcycle to the driving event of all times, Operation Cobra. Operation Cobra took place in the heartland of Nebraska and was two days of endless cornfields and miles of dirt roads. Our poor little bike hauled three full sized grenadiers and all their gear for over 100 miles. Between the dust and rain, the R-71 chugged along without hesitation and was one of the few German machines running at the end of the event. We knew we had a winner. Since that time, our motorcycle has been to just about every event 11th Kompanie has attended and has even been used as a prop in a movie. We hope our R-71 will be running for a long time and if past performance is any indication, it will be around for a long time.

raw footage from "A Scoundrel's Wife" movie