In 1969, BMW motorcycle production relocated from Munich to Berlin. Production of the new /5 Series started there with the BMW R 60/5 in September 1969. It was soon obvious that demand for the bigger models BMW R 60/5 and R 75/5 was exceeding all expectations. In the context of the series, the BMW R 60/5 took on the role of a happy medium where performance and sales price were combined in a particularly favourable relationship. These attributes enabled the motorcycle to win over the government agencies, who were tough customers, and the Police Service soon dubbed this machine "Weiße Maus" (White Mouse) owing to its basic colour.