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[montmil]

Lou
ps Monte is that a label round your neck in the new avatar?? does it say return to sender?

You funny, Lou. And the answer is no. It's the mandatory 1981 R65 centerstand booster; 3/4-inch bit of plywood goes under the rear tire and makes it easier to grunt the bike up on the stand.  [smiley=beer.gif]

[Lucky_Lou]

Lou
ps Monte is that a label round your neck in the new avatar?? does it say return to sender?

You funny, Lou. And the answer is no. It's the mandatory 1981 R65 centerstand booster; 3/4-inch bit of plywood goes under the rear tire and makes it easier to grunt the bike up on the stand.  [smiley=beer.gif]

mmmmm gonna git me one o them bet it could be used under the stand on soft ground too...no flys on you guys.
Lou [smiley=idea2.gif] [smiley=idea2.gif]

[Altritter]

Well think of it like this Missile, it doesn't really matter because even if there were a BMW dealer in Delaware they still wouldn't work on an R65.  We have two "full service" dealerships in this market and they won't touch a bike more than 10 years old.  That seems to be the trend driven by BMW Motorrad, they want to sell more new bikes.  

[Sigh] How sad! That used to be BMW's distinctive competence, the willingness and ability of dealers to work on older bikes (plus the availability of parts for them). By contrast, in my geographic area (Virginia suburbs of DC) I used to hear rice mill jockeys lament that there's no advantage to riding a bike with a reputation for superior dependability and durability when (1) dealers refuse to work on a bike that's >5-6 years old, and (2) parts become difficult or impossible to obtain for bikes of the same age.

Makes me want to drown my sorrows.

[invincibleone]

So basically, I - living in the good first state of Delaware- would be totally screwed as there isn't a BMW dealer here?  

Well think of it like this Missile, it doesn't really matter because even if there were a BMW dealer in Delaware they still wouldn't work on an R65.  We have two "full service" dealerships in this market and they won't touch a bike more than 10 years old.  That seems to be the trend driven by BMW Motorrad, they want to sell more new bikes.   [smiley=furious3.gif]

 Oh I actually have a great BMW dealer fairly close that would be very happy to work on my LS, they are located in Jessup Maryland about 65 miles South of here; Bobs BMW. They claim to have the largest inventory of airhead spares in the US and to date I haven't needed a part which they didn't have in stock. Bobs has this promise of "Heritage Service" though I have been told they do try to avoid larger resto type jobs during the busier summer months.
 Altritter- you haven't ever worked with Bobs? The shop is likely about the same distance North of you as it is South of me.
 
That said I prefer to do my own tinkering; though its good to have them nearby, just in case.

[montmil]

As far as spares sources and availability, I feel we Airhead aficionados are still much more fortunate than our brethren whom worship in the Chapel of St. Lucas, the Lord of Darkness.

Monte

[Altritter]

Altritter- you haven't ever worked with Bobs?

Yes, I have. In fact, I bought my bike there a couple years ago. Both Bob's (Jessup/Fort Meade, MD) and Morton's (just south of Fredericksburg, VA, on US 1) service airheads & have good reputations. So does Battley Cycle (Gaithersburg, MD), though I don't know how much airhead work they do now. I'm pretty much equidistant (50 miles) from Bob's and Morton's. Problem with Bob's is that I haven't found a comfortable route to and from. It's either the insanity of I-495 around DC, or the Balt-Wash Parkway (which would be a good way, but for having to go through DC's nightmare of cycling hazards to reach it—steel plates, wheel traps, potholes, and literally tons of loose gravel on the streets).

I tend to favor an indie shop in Alexandria, VA, EuBMW (it sells a lot of mail-order parts, too). The current owner, who has a master's degree in engineering, took over the shop when his father died. (It was formerly Lap's Quality Cycle, a favorite of Washington-area BMW riders for decades). He currently has a number of vintage airheads on display or in for repair. Also, he has a to-die-for BMW/Isetta 650 in the shop for a rebuild. Cosmetically, it's gorgeous.

So, I think we're fortunate in this area in having a relatively large number of repair facilities available. I monitor the BMWMOA Airhead Forum, and from what I read, airhead riders in several other parts of the country don't have it nearly as good.