Bob_Roller wrote: << The newer oilhead bikes, don't hold their value as well as the old airheads. >>
I've had difficulty understanding the market for airheads in general, and R65s in particular.
There seems to be a paradox regarding R65s: Everyone praises them, but the market price has been slow to respond (unless you find one at a BMW dealer -- more about that later). Is this a mindset peculiar to BMW people: I love the bike, but I won't pay a premium for an especially good specimen?
I live in Virginia. By state law, property must be assessed for local property tax purposes (real estate and personal property) at 100% valuation. I just received my first personal property tax bill for my 1981, valuing the bike at $2975 US. Would I accept anything near that valuation in an unforced sale? Not a chance! Still, when I look on the MOA Flea Market web page, I see R65s offered for not much more than that amount. I vaguely recall one R65, accompanied by a photo that looks *really* good cosmetically, offered for about that amount, complete with touring cases and fairing. So, while I'm not about to second-guess a favorable tax assessment, I can't help but wonder why R65s that look so good and are purportedly so well maintained (and that includes some belonging by our compadres in this forum) are on the block for so few $$. Are we R65 owners not being hard-a$$ed enough in pricing our wares?
The dealers certainly don't have that mentality. The mindset of at least two dealers in my area is to keep an unsold R65 until it reaches Vintage status, if necessary. (One dealer did reduce the price of a Bronco '79 by a considerable amount at about the time I was shopping for mine. I passed on it because I wanted twin front disks, the Bronco color is one of my less favorite colors, and the bike was bleeding fluids from one or more sources. (The sales rep admitted that there was a small leak from a seal.) I've seen several R65s in area dealerships, and the least pricey of them was $4K (and it was below my expectations.
Now, I recognize that there are hidden costs of buying a bike, particularly in a private sale. Transportation costs, the uncertainty factor regarding the bike's advertised mechanical condition and degree of assembly (rather disassembly), and the PITA factor are three prominent ones. My auto mechanic (until he retired) once hauled a trailer to a remote (from our area) part of Ohio, only to find that the airhead that had been advertised as pristine and running was actually in a state of complete disassembly. So, I guess ya pays yer money and ya makes yer choices.
In my situation, I decided that life's too short to go seeking the Holy Grail of an R65 in Concours condition and low miles for $2,000 US. Also, I specifically did not want to go the project-bike route, thereby infuriating a spouse with 1/2 the garage converted into a parts area & shop, not to mention the time, heartburn, learning curve (see heartburn) and sheer uncertainty involved in completing (?) the project. So, when I found an '81 in good condition, dealer-maintained to include recent scheduled service and some major items serviced or replaced, with low mileage, I knowingly paid quite a bit more than $2975 for bike, equipped with Konis (interestingly, the dealer did not tout the shocks), and Shoei cafe fairing. Add to that a pair of touring cases and their mounting frames, plus a few other farkles, and I've spent significantly more than the commonly-advertised price of an R65. (For the same rationale as that underlying the bike, I chose not to try searching the internet lists and auctions for the bags & farkles.)
I just wish I could spend more time on it to bring down the average cost per hour of riding. This summer has been complicated by eye surgery, with more to come this fall (when the surgeon returns from vacation), so that I can continue to ride when my driver's license is due for renewal. I suspect I'll be required to take an eye test for the license, and I passed the previous one by only a small margin.
