The New And Improved Unofficial R65 Forum V2
General Category => Chit-Chat => Topic started by: Altritter on May 10, 2008, 05:01:29 PM
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Does anyone know if there was a "standard" color of the battery-cover R65 emblem for a given color & model year of the bike itself? I was at Morton's in Fredericksburg (VA) yesterday, and the parts expert gave me a rundown on the numerous emblem colors available. Neither he nor the general manager had any idea as to what might have been "standard" on a 1981 Avus Black R65. The GM could not find a photo on the Web of an '81 Avus with the emblem.
I recall seeing some samples once, and it appears that there were not only different colors, but also different designs available.
Anyone have a recollection?
TIA,
John
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The few pictures that I have seen, is the emblem on the side cover matched the color of the pinstriping on the tank.
The only colors that I have seen are gold, and white.
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Max' BMW's parts fiche shows the emblems/decals available in white, silver, gold & blue.
I have no idea which is correct for what color scheme, but I'd think that gold with black would look the best unless there were pinstripe issues as Bob said. Silver would probably work well too.
http://www.maxbmwmotorcycles.com/fiche/MainDiagrams.asp?mospid=47851, you'll need to page down about 2/3rds of the way...
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Yeah, I have been considering some decals for my blank side covers.
If anyone reading this has a Bronco Brown that still has the decals, let me know what color, please!
I need to start digging through my boxes (and boxes) of crap.
Somewhere there are some pictures I took of my bike when it was brand new. I am sure I shot a whole 36 exposure roll.
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I'd like to get those for my bike too! Since mine's black I'd just go for the white ones. How much are they going for now?
Speaking of the battery side covers, what are people using to keep them attached? I had the plastic zip ties on there, but I needed to take them off. The zip ties are a pain to deal with to get at the battery. I know there was a thread on this at one time, but it seems like that might have been on the original forum many years ago.
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I need decals too. I keep my side covers on with a cute little bungee cord; you have to look close to see the hooks going through the slots on each side.
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I was told that the blue decals for my silver mono were no longer available. I'd love to add them.
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I need decals too. I keep my side covers on with a cute little bungee cord; you have to look close to see the hooks going through the slots on each side.
I have a couple of cute kittle bungie cords. But the hooks on the ends seem too weak. I'm sure I can find something better somewhere. but that seems like a very good idea, I'll have to go look for something when I can get out and about again.
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Thanks, folks. I feel a bit better knowing that others are pondering the question, also.
Bob, the '81 Avus has red & white pinstripes. I am inclined to go with white as a coordinating color and perhaps closer to the "original" look. I gave some thought to silver also because of the amount of chrome visible in a side view of the bike.
What bothers me is a vague memory of seeing an illustration of a two-color emblem (red & gold or red & silver, maybe) on a dealer's web page (A&S Cycles?). Naturally, I can't find it now. I doubt that I would choose a multicolor emblem because I'm suspicious that it might be a third-party aftermarket item & thus not OEM.
Melena, re your question about materials used to secure the battery covers, I try to scrounge black twist ties and keep spares on hand for that purpose. I've found that the best source of black TTs is the packaging of electronics gear, particularly the power cords. The ties in electronics packing materials are longer and, IMHO, sturdier than the retail ties. (Also, black ties are more rare in the retail sector.) I learned this idea from Noemi Berry's R65 web site. Twist ties have worked for me since I discovered that one of the three omega-shaped fasteners on my left battery cover has a broken prong & is hanging on by a prayer.
Note: Bob's BMW sells a small bungee that supposedly solves the problem of lost battery covers on R65s and other airheads. Purportedly, only one is needed to fasten both sides. Problem is, the bungee has a loop on each end (no hooks), and there doesn't appear to be an attachment point for the loops on either the battery covers themselves or the rubber grommets & their spindles on the frame. I haven't been able yet to observe an airhead equipped with the bungee, and I admit that I'm stumped and frustrated by my inability to figure out the answer.
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I was told that the blue decals for my silver mono were no longer available. I'd love to add them.
Hi Ed,
I saw the blue cover emblems listed on MaxBMW and they were shown as available:
51141452668 sticker (BLUE) 2 $18.70
Here are the correct blue decals from my brothers 87 R65
http://picasaweb.google.com/bill.cochran/IndianWells/photo#5191204378862432226
Hope you find them!
Bill
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Motorworks look like they stock them.
http://www.bmwandguzzispares.co.uk/bmw/products/product.php?f=h&code=WA&shnew=New&model=R45%2F50%2F60%2F65%2F75%2F80%2F90%2F100+%282+valve%29&shnewcode=15&part=Stickers%2C+badges+and+emblems&modelcode=20&partcode=WA
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Yay!! Thrang came through with the key to the answer to the original question, to wit: Were the different colors & styles related to different production years or different bike colors?
The Motorworks link depicts 5 different emblems: 2 different Silver, Gold, White, and Blue. One of the silvers (the first one) supposedly is for 1985 and later. It is distinguishable by the upper-case R being the same size as the numerals (65).
The other four are described as "pre-1984". (What about 1984 itself? I suspect it's included with the earlier years, but I'm not certain.) The non-silver colors are obviously in the 1979-84 category. In the case of the silver emblems, the version for the earlier years differs from the later version by the upper-case letter R for 1979-84 emblems being only 1/2 the size of the numerals.
Unfortunately, the photo illustrations aren't much help. Motorworks attempted to photograph the unmounted decals through the transfer backing paper, and the images didn't work out well. (The white emblem is totally illegible.) Also, Motorworks lists its own stock numbers, which do not correlate with BMW's part numbers. Still, we know more now than we did a few days ago.
These apparently are wet-transfer decals. That's bad news because the decals are relatively fragile and subject to chipping.
Capital Cycle *might* stock these. Morton's has some colors, but not all. Bob's BMW had two versions in stock about 2 weeks ago. (Can't remember which ones.) I'll try to learn more.
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Hey, Melena...try your sewing box for black elastic. I use the skinny elastic say 1/4 to 3/8 inches thick and they are just tired in a knot through the vents and have held my battery covers on since I got the bike in 2003.
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Did a lot of calling & emailing and found only Motorworks to still have a later model decal. Unfortunately it's in Silver, which probably wouldn't show too well on my Polaris Silver covers.... :-[
The people at MaxBMW tell me they are going to update their parts listing soon to show them as no longer available
I've emailed lucidchaos and asked for their help. Maybe they can make me up a set.
Bill, can you get a close up of your brother's battery cover (maybe with a ruler for size comparison)? Then I can send it to them as a model.
Thanks,
Ed
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Has anyone checked with A&S, http://www.ascycles.com/Illustrated_catalog/R65(78-85)/catalog_frameset.html , or Hammersley BMW, http://www.webparts.com/fiche.php ?
Or Bob's BMW too, for that matter.
Everyone seems to show the decals in stock, but I'm guessing they might be using up their existing inventories... :-?
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Hey, Melena...try your sewing box for black elastic. I use the skinny elastic say 1/4 to 3/8 inches thick and they are just tired in a knot through the vents and have held my battery covers on since I got the bike in 2003.
Thanks Sue! What a great idea! [smiley=thumbsup.gif]
I've got some black elastic that will do perfectly. And it would be really easy to replace when needed!
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Did a lot of calling & emailing and found only Motorworks to still have a later model decal. Unfortunately it's in Silver, which probably wouldn't show too well on my Polaris Silver covers.... :-[
The people at MaxBMW tell me they are going to update their parts listing soon to show them as no longer available
I've emailed lucidchaos and asked for their help. Maybe they can make me up a set.
Bill, can you get a close up of your brother's battery cover (maybe with a ruler for size comparison)? Then I can send it to them as a model.
Thanks,
Ed
Bob's shows them in their catalog...
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Hi Ed,
I forwarded your request to my brother and I am sure he will be happy to do this when he can find a spare moment. Once he sends it, I will post it for your purusal.
Bill
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I'm all for somebody getting them punched out of vinyl, I'm thinking of doing the same for my '95 RT as the cost for factory stickers is ludicrous! [smiley=furious3.gif] [smiley=furious3.gif] [smiley=furious3.gif] [smiley=furious3.gif] [smiley=furious3.gif]
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I'm all for somebody getting them punched out of vinyl, I'm thinking of doing the same for my '95 RT as the cost for factory stickers is ludicrous!
I thought Sue found someone up in Canada that could repro them?
edit: A long time ago.
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I think any place that makes those big vinyl banners/signs you see strung up everywhere could probably make them
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From my notes: try www.lucidchaos.net had decals for my R65LS..3 of them for $7.95 in all colours. NOW let's go and see if they still exist or maybe BMW strongarmed them???!!! I'll be back after checking.
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They still exist it seems and although the site seems under construction they have left a contact email address: decals@lucidchaos.net Pretty logical eh? Let us all know what you find out re availability and price too. Thanks! If they still have the R65LS design, it would surely make them cheaper than some company starting from scratch, I figure.
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Re: the cost of factory stickers...
Bob's lists the white '79-'84 at $6.39 ea, and the silver at $6.79.
I really don't see a problem here.
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There are several threads of thought going on here and I think the one that sparked the decal discussion was the apparent unavailability of most of the monoshock decals and the extreemely high price for those that are still available.
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I have called all the dealers who still list the Monoshock R65 decals as available. They have called Germany and confirmed that my decal is no longer available and will update their database eventually.
Lucidchaos says they will make a pattern as soon as I can give them an image with approximate dimensions. Thanks Bill.
Motorworks (and probably some others) have NOS leftovers. Just haven't found the blue ones I need yet.
I'll keep you posted.
Ed
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Hi Ed,
My brother took and sent the photos:
http://picasaweb.google.com/bill.cochran/Decals
If you want the originals just let me know and I will email them to you.
Hope this helps!
Bill
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Thanks Bill. They are just what we need, but maybe it would be better if you email them. They turned out to be very small files. 5KB. Hard to make out.
My email is ejb<at>mindspring<dot>com
Again, many thanks
Ed
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Hi Ed,
I just attached and sent them. Let me know we can do anything else.
Regards,
Bill
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Gottem. They're perfect!
Thanks,
Ed
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Capital Cycle stocks emblems for 1979-84 models. CC's online catalog shows one BMW part number for all 1979-84 R65s: 46 63 1 239 098. The color is white. Catalog price is $7.23 per emblem. I called (703-421-6861, check web site for toll-free number) and learned that BMW has raised price to $9.95 each.
CC's catalog lists the following for 1985-87 models:
51 14 1 452 668 Blue $24.44
667 Silver $20.24
669 Red $20.24
I ordered the white for my 1981 on Monday, and they arrived today. CC ships really quickly via UPS (not cheap, but fast).
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Yes, The catalogs still show the late model battery cover emblems but when they call Germany the decals are no longer available. Still haven't heard from the custom decal place.
Ed :-/
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<<The catalogs still show the late model battery cover emblems but when they call Germany the decals are no longer available. Still haven't heard from the custom decal place.>>
Thanks. I put the late-model part numbers on the end of the string as an afterthought, in case someone was inclined to try to be lucky with a dealer. Also, to be honest, I forgot to ask the guy at CC whether he had any of them in stock.
Regarding the early-model white emblems: Am I correct in assuming that these are the old-fashion wet transfers? I haven't used wet-transfer decals since I was a little kid making model airplanes from kits. These look a bit different from the old style. Is the technique still the same?
Thanks for all the information, everyone.
John
(Signing off, unless specifically queried.)
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The dual-shock stickers are vinyl as well. I have a set of metallic gold ones I bought for a paint job that somebody backed out on, guess I'll have to paint something red so I can use 'em! Did the LS have the regular r65 emblems on the covers in addition to the specific LS decals? My LS was missing side covers so I don't know...
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I received a set of white stickers from Bob's.
Now I have to decide if I paint my side panels,
paint all my bodywork,
or just clean them and put them on as is.
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Rob, Now that's a decision I wasn't considering. Maybe I should order two sets (if I can afford it). Then I can add the first set to the already repainted (long time ago, I guess) covers. Hold the second set for when I bite the bullet & restore the bike completely. :-/