The New And Improved Unofficial R65 Forum V2
General Category => General Announcements => Topic started by: livingdeadhead on October 31, 2012, 06:47:15 PM
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hi! , long time biker , new to bmw's! just bought my first r65 (1980) , in bronco brown which was an import from the usa, you think its possible to contact the last owner to get any history? thanks chaps 8-)
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Welcome to the forum.....another bronco brown rider ;)
(https://bmwr65.org/smf/proxy.php?request=http%3A%2F%2Fi285.photobucket.com%2Falbums%2Fll56%2F2dogs1cat_album%2FRbike2.jpg&hash=7617b70f1fea978991ada04b9d59e13fbd570422)
:^)
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Welcome to the asylum, livingdeadhead. Perfect screen name for Halloween. Nice looking R65. Appears to have been well cared for.
Did you buy the bike from a local dealer? That would be the place to start. It's my understanding that, in England, a bike's registration remains with it when it is sold. That would make it fairly easy to track ownership history for English registered machines.
Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way here in the Colonies. I have three Airheads and only know the name of the last owner because I knew them personally.
I can tell you a couple things about your bike's history... those are not the original carburetors. 1980 models had flat top Bings. You also have up-graded ignition wires and plug caps. Check your ignition coil/s as you may have newer items under the tank.
Whoa! You've got some history already. Cool. See, the plan is working already.
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Hi 'deadhead' !!
Welcome aboard, got a great looking bike there .
If you give me the last seven characters of the bikes serial number, I'll contact BMW North America and see if I can get any information about the bike .
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Welcome. The bike looks in nice condition.
As Monte has said you bike is unusual. The seat and final drive say it's a 1980 model but the carbs and air filter say it's an 81 model. That doesn't necessarily mean it isn't original. Perhaps it was built just before the transition. BMW were known to mix and match a bit when changes were made. It will be interesting to find out if you have points ignition (1980 model) or electronic ignition (1981 model).
Not being negative - just anticipating a possible future question. Is it hard to use your centre stand ?
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... Is it hard to use your centre stand ?
Good catch, Barry. The stand does look a bit "over center" due to wear. It probably has the OEM "Hernia Ball" foot assist. [smiley=furious3.gif]
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Hi welcome, the colour was sold in the UK what makes you think it is an import ? which part of the UK are you in you may have neighbors who can help.
Mine was Bronco when i bought it but very shaby and had a respray durring the rebuild ending up Silver Biege (that be "Champagne" to our Colonial cousins)
Lou
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LivingDeadHead, me too, quit counting at 75 shows. Now you need to become an AirHead as well. Same type of folk only smarter.
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the last owner was a sam dorsi of boulder colorado lou, dont know about the ignition yet! more worried about seat. yes it is hell on earth using the centre stand ! is ther a cure? or a mod? hi bob 6381921 is the number stamped on both engine and frame , is that the one? should there be more? thanks
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if its not a transition model maybe its been updated, tuned ? as post 81 had a bit more power didn't they?
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just had a quick look at stand and where the right hand bolt goes through its loose as tho it needs tightening, will try in daylight to see if it needs tightening .
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yes it is hell on earth using the centre stand ! is ther a cure? or a mod?
just had a quick look at stand and where the right hand bolt goes through its loose as tho it needs tightening, will try in daylight to see if it needs tightening .
The loose bolt won't help but it's unlikely to be the only issue. We could tell from the angle of the stand that it is going way to far over centre and that's not an uncommon condition on these bikes. It can be cured with a good used or new stand or by welding up the ends of the stand where they contact the frame stops. The transformation will be one of the best things you ever do to the bike. My only regret was I didn't do it sooner.
A search should find quite a few threads on stands as we have discussed it many times. Here's one.
http://www.bmwr65.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1287496448/5#5
6381921 is the correct number and confirms the bike as manufactured in Dec 79 and sold in the US. It will have actually been a 1980 model as the last few months of production were for the following model year. Still it's a long way from the transition to when those carbs and air filter were changed so a bit of a puzzle. As the engine has the same number as the frame it must have been modified. The 81 on engines also got bigger valves to boost power from 45 hp to 50 hp Torque went up a little too although at higher revs. I'm not sure how you would tell externally if your engine has the big valve heads.
http://www.bmbikes.co.uk/chassispages/enginechassis650.htm
http://www.bmbikes.co.uk/specpages/R65.htm
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The fact that you have a round master cylinder for the single ATE front brake also indicates that it is a 'transition model', as that was an earlier fitment. Checking the ignition system, as mentioned above would probably be a good indication on whether your engine is really a 1981 type as the airbox suggests. There is a 5 bhp difference and the lighter flywheel to boot, as well as nicsail bores and lighter starter motor.
I would agree about it being an import, the single front disk and the round reflector on the rear mudguard seem to confirm this. UK R65's are more commonly dual disk and no reflector.
Looks tidy though boyo.
Rev.Light
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as always , looks better in pics..... gimme some time tho!
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took the stand off see pics , looks brand new! what do you think? wish i could get the seat off as easy :-[
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My 79 looks a bit lighter in shade, it's what I think of as Ford Escort brown or (when I'm in sulky mood) kack brown. But it's been repainted at some stage so the paint may really have come from Ford UK.
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took the stand off see pics , looks brand new! what do you think?
I think it's been going too far over centre for a very long time !
The problem is the more the stand goes over centre the more stress is placed on it and the wear accelerates. See what I mean about the laminated construction mentioned in the previous thread. It really doesn't help with the wear does it. Hope you are good at welding. When those ends are built up with weld you can make them better than new.
Good luck
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dropped it off with a welder friend , didn't help with the loose bolt this had caused it to twist too , having him build up the ends it sits on too, dont think theres wear on the frame tho, hopefully be useable when done, mine probably looks darker cos of the white background?
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That looks like the centerstand I recently took off my '81, which I replaced with a later one I got from Rob V. The new one isn't really any easier to use, though it holds the bike up a bit higher which is nice for removing the rear tire. I think I'm just not good with center stands.
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try a plank of wood under the stand 1/2" makes a lot of difference with clearance.
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try a plank of wood under the stand 1/2" makes a lot of difference with clearance.
That's what I was doing. Don't have to now.
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got stand back! much easier to use , can spin both wheels . on the right side it makes full contact with the support on the left only about a third of the stand connects with it, probably why it bent and split . so, do i try to bend it a bit, have some more weld put on , or paint it and slap it back on?
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so, do i try to bend it a bit, have some more weld put on , or paint it and slap it back on?
Depending how much the stand tips were built up with weld you have to spend some time grinding them down gradually while doing trial fits. Add weld on one side if needed but be aware of stability issues. Initially I had far too much build up of weld and as a result the the bike wasn't stable on the stand. you could push it off too easily especially on a downward slope.
Unless it looks obviously distorted I wouldn't attempt to bend the stand.
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its sits fine heightwise , very stable , but the left side only rests on the edge of the stand, the profiles fine, just worried about the thickness.
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just worried about the thickness.
OK I get it now. If you look back at the photo I posted the ends of my stand were built up in thickness as well as height. You can see the weld on the outer face but it's also on the inner face to provide more area in contact with the frame stops.
http://www.bmwr65.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1287496448/5#5
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its only the left side, i think i'll get another bit of weld on .
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it is a points model by the way!