The New And Improved Unofficial R65 Forum V2
General Category => Chit-Chat => Topic started by: quackster on April 05, 2009, 07:01:24 PM
-
Hello to members of the forum! I just brought home today two (yep, TWO) 1986 R65 models, one in apparently excellent condition, with about 50K miles that has been sitting in a garage unused for approximately 2 years. The second is either a parts bike, or for restoration. It had been involved in an accident about the same time the other bike went into involuntary storage. The woman who owned both bikes husband died last year, so she decided to part with them. the one that may become a parts bike, but which I'd like to restore, has damage to the front headlight, and to the top front fork assembly that holds the headlight. The damage to the fork assembly is a rather large dent in the left fork tube.
I rode a BMW R60 for a few years which I purchased new in 1965, an old Earles forks version, and I've wanted another Beemer Bike every since then. I've been away from motorcycles for many many years, and these bikes, once checked out (and the second bike hopefully restored) will be given to my son and daughter in law.
Questions: how is parts availability? The "parts bike" is also missing the left side cover for the battery compartment (white) as well as the back white plastic fender trim and rear tail light. As I said, I'd like to restore it if possible. I'm in central Virginia, about 1/2 way between Richmond and Charlottesville off I-64. Any suggestions as to parts and service would be appreciated. Thanks!
Oh, and one other question... the R65 in good condition is a black version, fairly basic, with a simple windshield and the longer handle bars. The "parts" R65 has shorter handle bars, a white version, and had a small upper front faring with two gauges in the faring, and also this bike has no rear view mirrors, which I find interesting, but they might have been on the faring. Is there a difference in models between the long handle-bar version and the short version? I've also tried to find an owners manual on the internet but no luck so far.
Thanks Again.
-
BD
Parts availability is excellent and there are a number of discount / used outlets that will have parts for you as well as dealers. I use a dealer near you and have been satisfied with price / service.http://www.webparts.com/fiche.php Be sure to select the button that says "Mobile Tradition" when looking at their parts fiche.
The bike with the small fairing and short bars sounds like an LS model. Does the fairing look like this?
(https://bmwr65.org/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.realoem.com%2Fbmw%2Fthumbs%2Ft%2Fk%2F4.png&hash=bf944760870868415551ed2a1e8ba43ea0ab52c5)
Manuals are still available. Have a good look at this sites 'BMW Technical Q&A, Primarily R65' section you'll find info on manuals at the top of the page there.
rich
-
Welcome aboard !
You've come to the right place! There is a growing number of monolever R65 owners here, too. Many of the parts on the monolever bikes are the same as the R80 and R100 models of the same vintage/frame, so that may help you with locating bits like fenders or sidecover panels, etc on your '86 bike. I would imagine that because they all used the same frames at that point, the fork tubes and handlebars are also interchangeable, but we've got some R65 mono-owners who will chime in to correct me if I'm incorrect.
It is also possible to get new forks tube fabricated here in the US by a small shop called "Forking by Frank" or something like that - if you cannot find an affordable NOS or good condition used tube:
http://www.frankmain.qpg.com/
Hmm, if both bikes are 1986 models, then it cannot be an LS model as they stopped production in '84 and were only of the dual-rear shock frame vintage, and the '86 bikes would have been monolevers.. Perhaps if you can give us the frame&engine numbers, we can help show you how to determine the model year/build date of these bikes.
-
Possibly has an "S" fairing mounted? They had a clock and voltmeter...
-
Wow! Thanks for the quick responses. You guys are great! I'll pull the serial numbers off the frames of both bikes tomorrow. I think they are within 50 serial numbers or so off the production line. I can easily see how the farings could be different, and the one on the white R65 does have a clock and a voltmeter in it. There is also a short windscreen on the fairing as well. Also on the white R65, it looks like the telescopic portion of the front fork is in good shape, but I probably won't know until I begin tearing it down. I did pick up the general manuals for that vintage BMW, the Clymer and the Haynes both, and I've been sort of looking them over, but as previously mentioned, I just brought them both home today. This should be fun!
-
A whole new world awaits you, enjoy the trip, these guys are quite knowledgeable (for bike riders anyhow), I know there are many little tricks that you will pick up on, as i have , as you read more and more.
-
Welcome aboard! Takes some snaps and let us see your new treasures.
Monte
-
I'll try to post a couple of photos today. I still need to identify the models of the R65. I should be able to get both serial numbers and a couple of photos posted some time today. Again, thanks to all who have responded so far. This is going to be fun!
-
Welcome aboard, Duck.
It seems that we are starting to see a resurgence of the fairly scarce "Mono" models. I understand that only three hundred-some-odd were imported to the states. Your profile doesn't mention your location. Where are you located?
Factory service manuals can be ordered from many BMW affiliated sources, as can parts.
Check the top of the right swing arm for the bikes' serial number and build date (if the foil label is still there).
Once you have the info, there is a wealth of info and advice on this forum. Try the search engine here. If it gets too frustrating, just ask and we'll be glad to address individual questions.
A great source of part numbers and illustrated parts breakdowns can be found on www.realoem.com
You can indicate that you're looking for "Motorcycle" info, and enter the last seven digits of your VIN, to gain access to a bunch of info.
I haven't been able to locate the out of print Owner's Manual, but you can still get the R80 version which is pretty close.
Post pictures and remember that you have a lot in common with a great many of us who returned to riding after decades of missing it.
;)
Best,
Ed
-
:)Well, no pictures yet, as I have to take my wife to a doctor's appointment today, but serial numbers are as follows: WB1046200G6128022 for the Black R65 and WB1046201G6128062 for the White R65. My research, thanks to a good internet search engine, says that the Black one was produced on 08/85 and the white one in 09/85, both for export to the USA. That doesn't tell me much about the differences in the seats, faring, etc., but at least it gives me a place to start. If any of you can add any information to the above, that would be great! Hopefully I'll have pictures up by this evening. Keep those posts coming! If I should post more specific questions in different ares of the forum, don't hesitate to make suggestions to me. I've been on a few forums before, but I'm a newbee on this one! Oh, and an answer to the previous question as to my location, I'm in Virginia, about 1/2 way between Richmond and Charlottesville just a couple of miles off I-64.
-
I think that they were both "standard" R65 models at that point, and shared the same frame as the R80 that year. Because of that, any of the accessories, such as an S-style fairing or different seats which would fit the R80 model would also fit the R65. Alot of BMW owners liked to customize their airheads over the years, and the S-fairing styling was-and still is- rather popular. This isn't a bad thing by any means - just shows you a few of the possibilities that were possible with what was a very good "standard" bike.
When you get some pics posted we can tell if the S-fairing is BMW stock or one of the aftermarket copies - still not a bad thing either way, really. A pic of the seat and the underside of the seat will help us determine its source.
Enjoy!!!!!!!!
-
Well, no pictures yet, but IT RUNS! ......at least the Black R65 does! I checked the controls, oil level in the crankcase, turned the key on, the headlight turned on, thought "what the heck, I'm not going anywhere with it, let's open the fuel lines, set the choke and hit the starter"... and it caught after two tries and fired right up, It took about 3-4 minutes to warm up, then I backed off the choke and it settled down to an idle of about 1000 rpm. After it warmed up, I revved it up to around 4K just to listen to the motor. There was a bit of noise, which I suspect were valve and lifter noises (mechanical lifters, right?), but it sounded great, considering that it hadn't been run in at least two years that I know of. I didn't want to press my luck, so I shut her down after about 6-7 minutes.
Back to the white R65, I'm pretty certain that it is an "S" faring on the bike. It's a bit crumpled up, damaged during the accident that put it in storage permanently, because it does have the clock and voltmeter. It's also a bit more rounded than the diagram of the LS faring posted by MrRiden earlier in the thread. Now I need ti see how I can get the damaged faring off, as well as the front headlight, so I can see what needs to be done and what parts I need. I don't intend to try to start this one right away. I did take the battery out of this one also, found that it had an internal fault, so it will need replacing.
I'm excited that the one at least runs! I'm a very happy camper this morning. :)
-
Congratulations! And welcome to the world of R65s. Yes - they will take enormous abuse and still run. Don't be too concerned about valve noise - one BMW airhead motto is "noisy valves are happy valves". With the valves sitting right out in the open it is easy to hear them and also easy to check the clearances.
So change the oils, set the valves, clean the goo out of the bottom of the carb float bowls,and check the timing. then get out there and enjoy!
-
Well, I spent a little time working on the White R65 on Sunday. Yes, I know it was Easter Sunday, but we went to church and then went over to our Daughter and her husband's for dinner. I squeezed in some "quality time" with the R65 in the early morning before church. Here's what I think I have figured out....
First, based on previous comments in this thread, the faring appears to be an "S" faring. It does have a clock and voltmeter, and I have removed the badly damaged faring, but was able to remove both gauges from the faring, so they will be re-usable. There are safety labels on the faring next to the gauges, but I think they came on the faring. Either that, or they are decals.
Second, I have managed to almost remove the damaged front headlight assembly. I will need to replace both headlight support brackets, as both were badly bent, however (hooray!) it seems like the front fork was not damaged at all. I'm assuming that the headlight brackets can be removed from the top of the fork assembly, but haven't yet checked the after-market shop manuals to see how that is done. I was able to save the reflector from inside the headlight assembly, so will need the housing, and the front chrome trim ring. Now I just need to figure out how to easily and safely disconnect the wiring.
Third, I'll need the back white plastic trim piece that goes over the fender, at least one new front turn signal assembly (the left, which was missing), and the white trim side pieces that go along side the battery compartment. I will probably need some front brake parts as well, hopefully just hydraulic hose, maybe a cable, and definitely a master cylinder cap.
Am I looking at big bucks here for what I need so far?
Thanks, everyone. As I said earlier, this is going to be fun! In fact, it's fun already!
-
Personally, I think you should just enjoy the black runner you've got up and going, and let me take that old crashed up parts bike off your hands, for a very modest sum, of course. Who needs all those headaches, and besides, you can't ride but one at a time, right? ;)
Seriously though, I'd be up for a mono that needs a little TLC, so if you decide to skip all that agony, expense and frustration [smiley=wall.gif], keep me in mind, ok? I'm just over the hill, in NC...
-
Thanks NC Steve. I didn't know how few were imported when I picked these up. I took some pictures yesterday (finally!) and may be able to get them posted tonight. I'm heading out right now to do some shooting with my Son. A quick update.... I pulled a few more damaged parts off the white bike yesterday, and determined that the headlight assembly was OK with the exception of the chrome ring on the front. Can a person find one of those used? The only sad part was that I was finally able to get the gas cap off and the inside of the tank is rust, rust, and more rust. Can they be cleaned or is this a "must replace" item? Also found one bad throttle cable (left side) etc. More to follow... again thanks for everyones comments so far.
-
If there is no rust-through the tank can usually be cleaned and re-lined. There are several kits available with probably the POR-15 kit at the top of the preference list. Although not required by the POR-15 you can usually completely de-rust the inside of the tank with Muriatic acid.
The chrome ring is a relatively scarce item but they do pop up from time-to-time on e-Bay. Or, you could straighten yours, smooth it with filler, and paint it!
Cables are reletively cheap from sources such as Moto-Bins and Chicago BMW...
-
Well I read the thread about posting pictures, and I tried to comply but couldn't get the file to attach to this post, so I posted it in the Photo Gallery Section on Coppermine. Let me know what you think of it. I'll add a couple of more pictures of "Black Beauty" before I log out. I'll probably be posting technical questions in the correct part of the forum from now on, so stay tuned......
-
From bigduck 1: << I'm in central Virginia, about 1/2 way between Richmond and Charlottesville off I-64. Any suggestions as to parts and service would be appreciated. Thanks! >>
Welcome! Perhaps I can help with your service question. In Charlottesville there's a guy named Anton Largiader, who is a favorite of many of the Washington area BMW riders, particularly for major work. I've heard a lot of good things about him, though I haven't used him myself. He advertises in the BMWBMW (BMW Bikers of Metropolitan Washington) monthly magazine. (Check bmwbmw.org for a pdf copy of their magazine.)
Anton advertises that he works on "classic twins (1970 and later)", K bikes and oilheads, and offers roadside rescue service.
His contact data: anton@largiader.com. (For security reasons, I suggest you email him and ask him for his phone numbers.)
I'm sure there's a BMW dealer in Richmond, but I don't know who or where. I know there's one (Morton's), south side of Fredericksburg on Rt. 1. (Closest reference point is I-95 Exit 126.) Don't know if Morton's cares to work on old airheads. Worth a try because their service department has a pretty good reputation. (From Gum Spring, it might be a fun ride taking the diagonal rout over the twisties to Morton's.) Hammersley in Lynchburg does a big internet parts business.
Hope to see you around. I hope to make a run down Rt 15 to, and beyond, Palmyra one of these weekends.
John
-
Sorry to report that there is no BMW motorcycle dealer in Richmond. (They would have mada a lot of money off of me.) I am still too much of a novice to know any good mechanics to recommend, but if I were in Gum Spring, I'd be tempted to give Anton a try as he seems to be pretty well regarded and is close to you.
Over the past couople of years I've had my bike, I've had pretty good luck repacing faulty parts with used ones I've snagged on Ebay - starter switch, muffler, left and right heads (to fix a stuck valve), speedo, starter relay, bean can. Between the Clymer and Haynes manuals, the Airheads site and of course the Disorganized r65 Forum, there's no lack of information to learn what the cause of a problem is and the best way to go about fixing it.
I'll be looking for you on the road! [smiley=thumbsup.gif]
-
Anton is a regular poster on IBMWRs digest as well so he is quite helpful even when he ain't makin' a dime...
-
Yikes and Justin - thanks for the information on Anton. I had stumbled on his website when researching the purchase of the two R65s. I think that for the first check-out on "Black Beauty" I'll run her up to Mortons in Fredericksburg. After that, I'll probably check out Anton in Charlottesville for the white R65. Neither one is licensed right now, so I'm using my son's pickup truck as a "ferry" for now. I'll let you know how "Black Beauty" does on her check-up. I have an appointment for next week. Wish me luck! Check out the pictures in the Photo Gallery. I'd like some feedback. Thanks.
-
Just looked at your pics and WOW! Great looking pair of Monos you got there. They look really clean. The black one is set up nice with the luggage, crash bars and windshield. Somehow, the seat on the black bike looks a bit lowered to me. Maybe it'd just the light in the picture. Can't really see the fairing on the white one.
Aside from any crash damage, the white bike looks to be in pretty good shape too. And the black bike probably won't need all that much once you get it cleaned up and tuned. You are not that far away from having two nice r65's! One black, one white. Very cool! I'm really beginning to understand that you need two bikes, so you can have one running while you work on the other one.
Be interested to hear what Morton's has to say.
John M
-
Looks right smart for a "barn-find". All of my "find" should have been left where I found them... :P What's the car?
-
Thanks Yikes. The faring on the white one is definitely an "S" faring. I've already pulled it off the bike which is why you can't see it on the picture and hopefully I'll find one to replace it. The instruments are both OK so I'll just need the faring and the attached windshield. I hope there's one out there somewhere.... And yes the seat is a bit low on the black bike. It was ridden by a fairly short woman - I don't think she was much over 5 feet tall if that! I think I will eventually give it to my daughter-in-law, but if I keep it and ride it for a while, I may have to replace the seat to bring it up a little. There weren't any alterations on the frame that I can see, so it's probably just the seat. Maybe I can just swap the seat out with the white one. The seat on the white R65 is a "Corbin" which I presume is an after market seat, but I haven't looked for any information on them yet. I will leave the Black R65 at Morton's for a few days and let you know what they say when I get it back. Did I tell you that they both are only about 50 serial numbers apart on the assembly line? The white one also has the shorter handle bars and heated grips probably both options or possibly after-market upgrades.
Justin, regarding the car..... it's also a bit of a classic. It's a 1974 Saab Sonnet III, another "barn find" from a few years ago. I found it on a farm in Iowa, mechanically in great shape, original interior, with about 35K miles on it. I have a little work to do on it, the starter needs replacing and I have a leak in the carb, so a rebuild is in order or a replacement (I have a spare). Saab only made about 10K of this model between 1970 and 1974, this is one of the last ones made (within the last 100 or so), and it will eventually be in a few car shows. I'll take a picture or two and add them to the photo gallery over the weekend just for fun.
-
A quick update... the Black R65 is at Morton's in Fredericksburg for a complete service, state inspection, etc. Hope to hear something about it either tomorrow or Wednesday. A question on the "S" faring that was on the White R65.... is it specific to the R65 or was this common on other BMWs of that time frame? The gauges are still good, and I'd like to try to find a used "S" faring for that bike. Any suggestions?
And by the way, will have a pic on the car posted for you shortly, Justin. Sorry for the delay....
-
"S" fairings were factory installed on "S" models of the 900 and 1000 cc bikes such as R90S and R100S. They are often copied and people have stuck them on just about everything with two wheels! But, they were never a factory option on any R65 AFAIK.
-
Thanks, Justin. Good to know about the "S" farings. I may just settle for a stock windshield, which it seems is what I have on the Black S. Nothing new yet from Mortons. They are doing a full service, and the only thing that they found that might be worrysome is some water in the transmission fluid. I'm having it drained and replaced, along with replacing a couple of main bearings, which might be over-cautions, but then my daughter-in-law will be riding this bike as well, and it might end up to be hers eventually, and I want it in tip-top shape. I'm not as concerned about the white R65. If it's restorable, I'm going to work on it at home in my spare time. Will advise once I pick the black R65 up from Mortons....