I Restored a 1980 BMW R45 on My Balcony — 8 Months, Start to Finish
It took eight months, thirteen episodes, a lot of very patient neighbors, and more stubborn 1980s German bolts than I can count — but this BMW R45 is finally back on the road. This is the full story of the restoration, start to finish, in one video.
I did this entire build on my apartment balcony — no garage, no lift, no proper workshop. Just a 1980 BMW R45 with 28,000 km on the clock and eight months of after-work sessions. Along the way: an aluminum oxidation battle I never fully won, a father-son paint trip to my family's garage in Bosnia, a seat restoration that spiraled into its own multi-week saga, a flywheel I had to build my own puller for, a swingarm washer that only existed at one dealer in all of Germany, and a front fork rebuild that nearly ended the whole project.
If you want the full blow-by-blow with every mistake happening in real time, the original 13-part series is linked below. If you just want the whole story in one sitting, you're in the right place.
Timestamps:
0:00 Intro
0:17 The find — how I ended up with a BMW
1:00 Teardown begins
3:11 Gearbox
3:54 Engine
11:21 Carburetors
13:01 The frame
14:03 Engine goes in and assembly starts
15:35 Rear part
20:47 Final touches on the engine
22:01 Front part
29:22 Painting
30:46 Seat
34:01 Electrical harness
35:10 Leaving the balcony and final assembly
36:43 First start
38:35 First ride
Watch the full 13-part restoration series: • BMW R45 Restoration Episodes
Next up: what this whole build actually cost, part by part.
If you're into old BMW airheads, balcony-scale builds, or just enjoy watching someone slowly lose and regain their sanity over 8 months — subscribe, there's more of this coming.
#BMWR45 #BMWAirhead #MotorcycleRestoration