The New And Improved Unofficial R65 Forum V2
General Category => Chit-Chat => Topic started by: D Mann on November 20, 2013, 09:32:52 AM
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Hi everyone my name is Dave and am so new I don't have an R65 yet. I have been away from riding for almost 30yrs and have the itch to get back on two wheels. I have always wanted a BMW and decided that was the way to go this time. I have been looking for an R65 but they are kind of hard to find. It may be because it is getting cold here in northern Illinois. I have decided to keep looking and use the winter to educate myself about the bike so I can at least look like I know what is going on when I get one. I have found a lot of great info here already and want to thank all of you for sharing your knowledge.
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Hi, Dave. Welcome to the R65 Asylum; where there ain't no real escape.
You already know about eBay and Craigs List but check out the Internet BMW Riders Market Place. http://marketplace.ibmwr.org/ R65s turn up fairly regularly.
Buy something so we can see some new pictures. We love photos.
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Welcome to the forum.
A few things to help you in your search that don't turn up in the regular technical discussions: 1981 and up bikes have a bit more horsepower, a lighter clutch carrier (flywheel), and nikasil plated aluminium cylinder sleeves (very, very long lived and better heat dispersion than cast iron). Don't let the odometer scare you too much (provided it hasn't broken). These bikes are finally broken in when others of the same vintage are often laid to rest.
Aftermarket suspension in the rear is a big plus. Most people seem to dislike aftermarket springs in the front forks.
Winter is a great time to buy a bike! They get much more expensive in the spring when the demand goes up, especially when they are in turn key and go condition.
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Thanks for the tips.
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Good luck with your search, and welcome aboard!
They are out there, but harder to find certainly as the cold weather also now means that the prices they can get for them are lower. But, they do pop up, and if you have the garage space to store it, you can do some serious negotiating in the price if it appears high. I like to use Searchtempest.com for scanning all the Craigslist and ebay listings within a specified radius - a useful tool when scouting out old motorcycles and/or their parts.
Here is an R65 in apparently decent shape near me - but I Realize that it is not likely in your range of transportability -
http://nh.craigslist.org/mcy/4106976356.html
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Here is an R65 in apparently decent shape near me - but I Realize that it is not likely in your range of transportability -
http://nh.craigslist.org/mcy/4106976356.html
My '81 R65 has a small fairing on it, similar to the '83 on Craig's List. But that doesn't make my bike, nor the one for sale, a quote 'cafe racer'.
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Well, Monte, you are quoting the same guy who wants "BEAMER" in the subject line of inquiries. Is he selling a BMW or a flashlight?
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"BEAMER"
I always heard that bikes were "beemers" and cars were "bimmers"... anybody confirm this?
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I always heard that bikes were "beemers" and cars were "bimmers"... anybody confirm this?
You nailed it ;)
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Mike PM'd me about one near me. I don't want to link to it or someone may snatch it up.
I am most likely going to check it out for him since it is only an hour from me, and I have to go to that town for other business anyway!
The ironic thing is - I was just looking at the pictures of it, and it has a swingarm bearing cap missing!!! And I just gave one away!
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I got my bike off craigslist, but it wasn't listed. I put up a "WTB" ad with what I was looking for and the seller contacted me. That strategy might be even more helpful this time of year(in this part of the world), when people might not bother trying to sell a bike.
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Well I found my bike. It was listed on craigslist out of Indianapolis. That is a little farther than I wanted to go but it was the best one to come up. I found it using searchtempest.com that someone on this site recommended.
I am very grateful that Rob Valdez volunteered to go check the bike out for me. It is really great he took the time to travel and look it over for me.
Now all I have to do is get a weekend without a winter storm blowing so I can pick it up.
I want to thank everyone for their help and interest especially Rob. You guys are the greatest.
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Oh pshaw. I think most of us on this forum would have done the same.
My biggest measuring stick on looking at this bike was comparing it to mine the last time it was still running. This one has it beat. I had no problems recommending it.
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It looks well specified. Dual disk front end, post 81. Panniers and rack.
Great start point.
Rev. light
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Should it lean over like that? :o
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Perhaps the side stand should be looked at.
Tony - you have a 'surefoot' that has been set so that your bike does not lean that far as I deliberately set the leg longer.
But it is a good point. Please check your stand for wear. My stand broke, and caused some unfortunate damage to the paintwork on my bike. It is the stand itself you need to be looking at, where it connects to the frame, rather than the frame itself. If it is very wobbly, then it might point to a potential issue.
Cheers
Rev. light
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The PO replaced the bushing in the side stand before I picked it up. The bike no longer leans over so far but the side stand is still very stiff. Here are a couple of pics,I just got it home Sunday night.
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It looks great! Not quite the heated facilities of the PO!
You should still look into one of the aftermarket sidestands. The sooner you buy one, the longer you will have it to reduce the price per mile/year.
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The 81 came with dual discs as standard equipment. Is it an 81?
Very nice looking bike - looks like you scored a good one!
Once shimmed the side stand on my bike works well. Only complaint is how far it sticks out - it's been a bit scary scraping it in left handers sometimes.
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I had to shim my side stand and wonder if they left the factory with built in slop.
Besides being in a lousy position which makes the stand awkward to deploy I find the dual springs are too strong and want to whip the stand up before I rest the weight of the bike on it. I removed one spring which makes it a lot more user friendly. I'm aware there is a safety implication should the one remaining spring break and perhaps 2 lower rate springs would be a better solution.
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It is an 81 with a build date of 9/80. I was too the dual brake was a factory option, but who is to say what has happened in the last 30yrs.
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Sorry, that should be I was told the dual brakes were a factory option.