In 1955, BMW presented a new motorcycle generation. The BMW R 50 and BMW R 69 were the first models with a full swing chassis. Instead of the plunger telescopic suspension, the rear wheel was now mounted in a long swing arm and the cardan shaft was neatly encapsulated in the right-hand swing arm. The telescopic fork at the front was replaced by a shifted swing arm. The 35 hp BMW R 69 was regarded as a top sports model and was also very popular with police forces. Today, the full-swing models are still regarded as classic German motorcycles from the 1950s and 1960s.