R65RT 1981 for sale here. Comments Please

[suecanada]

Just wondering what you guys would think of me purchasing a 1981 R65RT I assume imported years ago from Europe. It has 73,000 miles on it with that scaled down R100RT fairing that was offered as an option to R65 and R65LS owners in France? way back when. There were none brought to North America so it would be rare here. I see that it has 73,000 miles on it which puts it is the same league as LRB so one would want to ask about some of the more major work that could be creeping up for attention. The guy is selling it because it is too small for two up with his wife and he'd like to get a R100RT for sale now at my "new" mechanics shop. LRB is in there getting all spruced up for next Spring!!!  Maybe the R65RT would be more suited to packing gear than the LS and the fairing should be a great service as long as it doesn't slow things down to a crawl.  Just a thought!! $4,200.00 asking price.

Still hard to beat the F650GS but ya gotta admit they are harder to work on but probably don't need to be worked on for awhile. But I hate bucket and shims!!!

[drewboid]

$4200 sounds high - I bought a 1984 R65 with 45000 miles, notchy head bearings, and bags for $2400 three years ago. My /6 needed the carbs cleaned and had a few other problems although it ran - it went for under $2,000. Although a totally different machine my R1100R with full bags and ABS was only $3700.  I don't know how prices run in your neighborhood but I would negotiate hard to get him down to a more reasonable price.

the fairing sounds great - I've had the National Cycle Plexifairing and the smaller Deflector screen and was happy with both.  they did not seen to slow me down and I do like a windshield in front of me.

[Justin B.]

Sue,

That would be a fun and unusual bike! I seem to remember marketing hype (way back when) extolling the virtues of the RS and RT fairings due to wind tunnel testing during development.  I think the R65 version, which I think was for police use in a few European countries, is minus the "glove-boxes" so would weigh a bit less.  I would estimate the fairing adds 30 pounds or so.

At that mileage I would start worrying about valves, transmission bearings, timing chain, etc., unless there is a verifiable service history indicating these items have been taken care of.  It's unusualness might cause it to be worth a bit more but if all of these maintenance issues have not been attended to it's too high in my opinion...

One more thing, '81 being the first year of the plated cylinders some had problems - including my '81 R100.

[nhmaf]

Hmmm,

RT faired R65s are fairly rare - I wonder if Justin would sell you his !?!?    There is a fellow down in southern Maine who
has been trying to sell an R60/6 or /7, with the fairing from an 84 RT mounted on it - I have yet to see how well this looks on that R60..

If I were to buy another R65, I think that I might go for a monolever framed bike - a larger, "full size"
frame would suit me a bit better, I think, plus one would get out of the potential valve seat issues, etc.
There is one that appears to be in need of just a little cosmetic TLC for sale on fleabay in  Massachusetts -
the fleabay auction just ended without reaching their reserve, but I'm sure that they still have it at the dealer:

http://tinyurl.com/3p3ys9

.. no fairing, but it has already got bags and mileage is 32K, and needs a recover on the seat..

And, if one did wear out the engine on the monolever bike, fitting an R80 or R100 engine is no problem either !

[Justin B.]

This is what can happen to 1981 cylinders.    Notice the spot where the plating flaked off, this was about 80k miles at teardown.  Needless to say the compression on this cylinder was about half that of the other side.  

Of course, this didn't happen on all '81 engines but there have been quite a few cases...

nhmaf, min has an RS looking fairing on it...

[Ed Miller]

Yuck!  I was afraid I would find that on mine, but they're both fine.  

[Justin B.]

It only added a couple hunnert to the pile I already dumped into it!    One of these days I'm gonna learn...

[suecanada]

Still not doing anything about the RT. Think I need to sleep on that for awhile longer. Doesn't seem to turn my crank. May just wait until I get a crack at a good used F650GS twin again or go dealer used or something OR get another LS maybe in Silver so I have a set. Ya see I love the LS. I also loved the gas mileage on the F and the hp. was a boon. So much to think about!!  Right now I am very happy to have LRB and me and no body else to have to worry about!

[steve hawkins]

I am not a fan of the RT fairing, but only on a style basis, as I am sure it works very well on the right bike - i.e. one with enough power to push it along.

But I am of the oppinion that it is too large and heavy a fairing to be put on an R65.  It is not a 'scaled down RT' you are looking at, as it is almost as big and heavy as a R80/100 RT.  What you have is a large and heavy fairing on the bike least able to cope with it with regards to power and performance.  Its a weight issue - and its all at the front.  No other mods were done to the bikes to account for the extra weight.

It is my understanding that, in the UK, RS and RT fairings were put on R65's at the dealers (i.e not supplied by BMW as a model in its own right) to broaden the apeal of the R65 to those who were too short in the leg for the R80/100.  Others are just converted by owners.  They do come up on occasion in the UK in both RT and RS format.  Do not be kidded that it is a rare and valuable model.

I would not pay anywhere near that price for any R65 - well perhaps a very clean, very low mileage LS, and the first thing I would be doing is losing the large fairing.

The R65 is a middle weight bike with just enough power to be fun - why make it into a heavy weight bike that is a bit down on power?

Horses for Courses and all that - Just not my cup of tea!  

I am sure in the right circumstances it make a lot of sense to some...Just not to me.  City commuters, mainly and single tourers.

But hey, I stripped my R100 of its screen and luggage, before my 'clonk', for a similar reason.

Steve H

[suecanada]

That caps and gowns it!!! I am NOT getting any R65RT.