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Steve Jobs Was a Risk Taker

In reading several stories about the passing of Apple’s Steve Jobs, I came across this photo of him riding a BMW in his youth (he appears to be in his 20s). It looks like a BMW Boxer from the early 1980s, but frankly I am not sure about the model year or the model.  It would be nice if a reader could recognize this model and post the information below.  By the way, it was legal to ride in California without a helmet during this era.

21 Comments

  1. aspire61 says:

    heh guys:

    i noticed there is a bike much like this one for sale on kijiji located in british columbia, canada. it is listed as a ural, is this possible? mat

    • Denny says:

      Ural is different motorcycle although originally based on war time issue BMW and posibly influenced by Zundapp. Russians had lots to do with German troops equipped with these bikes during WWII and it apparently worn on them.

      Actually, Ural is something to be admired – they look crude, but they sell surprisingly well. Since Russians took on this venture ,they departed from original German bikes significantly and they keep on doing partial and gradual improvements on them since. So it is quite separate line by now. http://www.imz-ural.com/

  2. Denny says:

    Oh my goodness… the guy was biker! So, he must have been good guy by default. Yes, I also as Brian V.Z. believe it is R69. I met a guy on this machine once at Blueridge Trail and he had his full trust to it.

  3. Matt says:

    I think Patton Oswalt put it best when he said Steve Jobs was the closest thing we had to Tony Stark =).

  4. MGNorge says:

    Same Illness

  5. joe b says:

    from the “Eighties”? who won the first AMA superbike championship? that would make this bike later than that! everybody is all about the bike not having a disc brake, so all of you think BMW was still using plunger rear suspension in the eighties? I’m going to quit looking at this site if you guys dont do your homework. golly gee, pass the beer.

    • Jack says:

      how ’bout it. A brief Google image search wouldn’t take long to get in the right decade. pass the doobie

  6. gary ammarell says:

    It is no newer than a 68. That year it was offered with either Earles or Telescopic forks. I owned a new telescopic “68. The engine size could be either 500 or 600 cc.

  7. MGNorge says:

    My guess is an R60/2 (600cc)

    A very visionary man who will be missed, R.I.P. But yes, some of his very faithful, and there are many, need to get a life. It’s sad he left a family behind, but so too do many of our men and woman of the armed forces when they go to war. It’s doubly sad to see followers acting like there’s no reason to go on living! Such was his charisma.

  8. lynchenstein says:

    I hope the global mourning for this admittedly incredible man cools down soon. Even my favourite motorcycle site couldn’t resist posting about him…

    • brinskee says:

      Well, think about it for a minute… let’s look at the details. We’ll probably never see another person with this his mix of charisma, charm, business savvy, and brilliance in user experience, design, engineering, and inventiveness in our lifetime. He was absolutely unique and truly one of a kind, and an American to boot. So it’s appropriate for people to mourn his passing from many social aspects. For instance, most of us motorcycle owners come to this site to see the latest bikes with that hope that the designers touch upon the thing that set Jobs apart – the riding experience, the engineering, the design, etc.

      And it seems okay to talk about him on our beloved motorcycledaile,com because he’s pictured on a bike. So, I have to disagree here – and I’m not an Apple fan – at all. Gave away my last and only iPod, never had an iPhone (Android baby!) and have not had a Mac since about 1995. It kind of saddens me to see a backlash against people speaking out about how amazing he was, especially now. Live and let live.

  9. Kit Halsted says:

    As a Mac geek and a motorcyclist, I’ve seen this photo all over the place lately. The photo was taken for the October ’82 issue of National Geographic; the bike is identified as a ’66 R60/2.

  10. rocky says:

    It looks like an R60/2. These were made from the mid ’50s to the late ’60s

  11. TunaPete says:

    Good grief. Earles forks and pushrod tubes above the cylinders? The bike is a /2 from the 1960s. If you want more detail than that, you’ll have to find someone who knows the subtleties of BMWs from that era.

  12. Mickey says:

    Judging by the drum front brake and fender styling I’m guessing this was a 1970 era 500 cc Beemer.

  13. Brian Van Zandt says:

    The drum brakes the Earles forks the clothes I’d say 1969 /2 R 69

  14. mthomp15 says:

    No I think it’s earlier than the 80’s due to the fact it has an Earls fork. Probably from the 60’s actually. Not sure of the exact model or year though. Check out the site http://bmwdean.com/earles-fork.htm for more info.

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