Buco saddlebags for BMW motorcycles

by Duane Ausherman

This is a collection of photos and information from BMW riders and collectors. I include photos of similar perspective in case one shows some aspect that another does not. Please feel free to add information and photos. Scans of original mounting instructions would be great.

A typical slash 2 BMW motorcycle with Buco saddlebags

/2 with typical Buco bags

Duane,

I was lurking on your site and thought maybe I would see if my Buco Twinmaster's might be of use in the saddlebag section. I assume you may know a lot more, but I am going to send what I think I know and you may digest at will! I don't know a lot on "JB" but here is what I have.

His name was Joseph Buegeleisen and owned "Buco Joseph Buegeleisen Co. Detroit" you can Google for yourself if you like more. The bike pics I am sending are for the Twinmasters and they are on my 1966 R60. The bags are fiberglass. I am not sure, but it appears they were only sold in white fiberglass and everyone painted them to match their bike? It appears JB wanted his logo on everything produced. The rivets that hold the bag support plate have the logo on them, even under the hardware of the latches on the fiberglass lids his logo is there. The Buco mounts on this bike are a 4 point system. Mount points are; Rear fender pivot bolt, bottom of shock cover bolt, muffler mounting point and outside edge of fender at top center.

On the Twinmasters he used a push pin system at the top with a roll pin to twist and lock the bag on. On the bottom he used a spring clip that would grasp the bottom support bar when pushed down to hold into place. Not sure if common for the time as my outside lights act as blinkers. Don't know if that was a common wiring, but assume not? Only seen a few wired that way. OK, Hope that helps?? By the way I will send a follow up email with pics of some Bucos that are all in original fiberglass white and some other mounting bracket systems of which I don't know who made them but seen them used a lot with a three point system (that have a striking resemblance to the Wixom mounts) that eliminates the top fender mounting point of the Bucos. Look a ton better in my opinion not a bunch of bolted together pieces.

Doug