An introduction! - Aussie 81 R65 LS!

[AussieDamo]

Hello everyone! I'm an Australian living in Sydney and i've just bought my first bmw!

It's a 1981 R65 LS with 12 000km on the clock (previous owner suggests 40-50 000) For the past 10 years she's been kept running and maintained mechanically but aesthetically needs some work!

I plan on riding and enjoying it for a while so i don't want to do any major work that will keep it off the road for a long time. My plans are to make it more of a care racer but nothing major. I just know i want a brown leather seat and have it painted silver or black.  

So can the knowledgeable people tell me what ive bought? The seat looks bizarre to me and i guess there was some fairing at the back that was removed.

Oh and current problems i have no idea how to fix are...
Brake light works however nighttime rear light doesn't
No light inside the gauges at night
Fairly hard to keep engine running (and also to start) while cold

Thanks

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

Welcome!

You found the right place!  Folks here will help you getting it fixed up as your budget allows.

It appears to have wheels from a later/different model.  I can't think of which one right now.

Yeah, the seat is, uh, "unique".
It would be interesting to see if the OEM tail section is under the rear cover.
Is the seat comfortable at all?

As far as the fairing goes, they are easily broken and expensive to replace.  That is about all I know about them.

For your other technical questions, feel free to post in the Tech section below.

[nhmaf]

Hi and welcome aboard!

We are always happy to have new members - and we seem to be getting a good number from your part of the world these days!

Alot of these airheads acquire varying degrees of 'customization' over the years - nothing really wrong about that, and many a previous owner's vision of beauty and function has clashed with the subsequent owner's.   The ability of these older bikes to be so easily customized with parts swapping (with varying degrees of fitting well) is a testament to their adaptability, longevity, and creativeness (and frugalness) of their typical owners.

On your "new" bike, it looks like someone made up some type of instrument gauge covers as without the fairing, the stock LS has naked gauge backsides and water, etc would get into them without some binnacle/cover installation.   Those are LS wheels, but with an interesting paint/polish treatment for sure! I think I like it - must have been a job of polishing the rim areas.  It looks like the valve covers are from a URAL!   The chromed rear taillight assembly seems to indicate that it is not, in fact from any R65 that I am aware of - which might explain something about your lighting issue.   The front disc brake calipers appear to be ATE, which would be right for a 1981 model year bike.  I would guess that the seat is actually from a /6 or /7 model - either of them are longer than the R65 stock seat and would tend to overhang like that, and have a bit of a reverse taper on the end, though the interesting 'cover' job is, well, interesting.  The paint is, of course, not original or BMW stock color, but these bikes don't look bad in the Bronco Brown, or something approaching it.

As with any new-to-you motorcycle, unless it was bought from a reputable dealer or your closest friend whomo you know works on motorcycles ever week, I'd recommend doing some basic maintenance on it soon so that you establish a baseline of service on the bike and get to know it a bit more.    Not sure how handy you are with a spanner, but any starting/idling issues are most often related to tuneup needs: valve adjustment, carb cleaning, synchronizing, cable adjustments, clean air filter, etc.

Do you have an owners manual with it, or any service books?   We can show you to a PDF copy of the owners manual to get you started with some of the basics.

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

I had not noticed the taillight before.  I wonder if the replacement was precipitated by the too-long seat?

And now that you mention it, those do look like Ural valve covers.  When I first saw them, I just assumed someone had ground down the fins and polished them.

Damo - if you decide to replace them at some point in the future, you can decide if you want the original (for the period) squarish covers, or the more classic style "peanut" cover that was used by BMW just before the R65 came to be.

[montmil]

First things first on any new-to-you motorcycle. It's all about safety of operation.

Change all the lubricants, front to rear, to establish a baseline for future work:
 Â  Front fork fluid
 Â  Engine oil and filter
 Â  Transmission oil
 Â  Driveshaft oil
 Â  Final drive oil
Check, confirm and/or set valve lash
Check spark plugs for condition and/or replacement
Check air filter
Carburetors:
 Â  Remove float bowls and check for water or debris
 Â  Confirm fuel flow into enrichment reservoir (possible hard start reason)
 Â  Check condition of fuel lines and fuel filter, if fitted
Tire pressures and condition of the rubber
Battery terminals clear of corrosion and tight

Your hard start issue could be as simple as a clogged fuel port. Probe the 'jet' with a thin, single strand of copper wire. This small reservoir feeds the enrichment (choke) circuit in both Bings. If clogged by float bowl sediment, cold starts with be sans joy.



Check page two in the Technical FAQs section for a pdf copy of the owners manual. Good place to start your new R65 adventure.

Welcome to the asylum. Resistance is futile.

[AussieDamo]

Thanks very much for the replies, really appreciated!

Looks like i've got a real confused motorcycle to work with!

Regarding the seat, there's some hard handle or bar in the rear 'cover up' area, ill have to pull it apart and see. The underside has an OEM warning sticker on it so it must be off another model. It actually very comfortable despite it's appearance.

Funny i have valve covers off a Ural! I'll order some of the squarish type covers soon, i think they look best on this model.

I'm not too good with a spanner but I enjoy learning so fingers crossed! I've got a copy of the owners manual on PDF so I'll get into the maintenance side of things.

[AussieDamo]

Thanks Montmil as I am completely new to motorcycle maintenance that's a great list for me to start with!

[montmil]

Thanks Montmil as I am completely new to motorcycle maintenance that's a great list for me to start with!

Knock us up with any and all wrenchin' questions you might have. Lots of knowledgeable folks on this forum more than willing to assist you with answers or ideas.

BTW, If we 'uns don't know the answer, we'll just make up something. Trust us. What could possibly go wrong?

 

[Bengt_Phorqs]

Knock us up with any and all wrenchin' questions you might have. Lots of knowledgeable folks on this forum more than willing to assist you with answers or ideas.BTW, If we 'uns don't know the answer, we'll just make up something. Trust us. What could possibly go wrong?

True enough.  Monte's motto is "If it ain't broke, we can fix that!"

[Bob_Roller]

Why don't you post the last 7 characters of the bikes VIN, that can determine what is was originally before the previous owners altered the bike .

[Luca]

If it started life as an LS, it shouldn't be an '81.  Production was from 82-85.  Given that you've got dual ATE calipers, I'm willing to bet it's an 82 if an LS.

The black bars and black headers are LS correct, as are the wheels, although they have been repainted.  Red LS's came with white wheels and silver LS's came with silver wheels.

Looks like your front fender has been replaced or modified, given the mounting points.

When going through Monte's list, keep these things in mind:
1)Be extremely gentle with the fork tube drain plugs and the final drive inspection (fill level) plug.  They all strip easily.  They don't need much torque, just enough to keep from leaking.

2) Know about the $2000 o-ring.  This is part of your oil filter change, and if you don't squish that o-ring enough then you engine will pump oil from the sump... back into the sump.  It's a $3000 o-ring if it wrecks the crankshaft.  The man, the myth, the legend, Snowbum (www.bmwmotorcycletech.info) has an article on this, as well as many, many more airhead technical articles.  Don't be worried, just careful.

3) When checking the valves, look through the spark plug hole at the edge of the valves.  They should have some meat around the edges.  Worn to a sharp edge means they will need replacement.

4) I'd add that you should clean and apply fresh thermal compound (the stuff you put on computer CPU heat sinks) between the ICU and its heat sink.  It is located along the backbone of the frame under the tank.

Also, you should know that the LS rear brakes are LS only.  Don't get shoes for a regular R65 when the need arises.

If you ever turn the key to the on position and the "Gen" light doesn't come on, your battery will not charge

Lastly, if you don't know the last time the clutch splines were lubed, you should plan to do that soon.  This is a 3 year/15k mile maintenance procedure, but an important one.  Takes a bit of time, but it's not that difficult.

Congrats on the purchase.  This is a great bike to help acquaint you with wrenchin'

P.S. Nothing odd about warning stickers under the seat.  I've got a "Protect your investment, use genuine BMW parts" sticker, as well as a paint code sticker and some other warnings/specs.

[AussieDamo]

I'm starting to get nervous!

My compliance plate says date 12/81 #6351405

[nhmaf]

No worries Aussie- if the bike shows as being manufactured in 12/1981, that actually makes it a 1982 model year model.   The bavarians would always shutdown the factory for the August holiday, and shortly after restarting in September, they would begin the next year's production run, so a "1982" model could be built anywhere between September 1981 and the start of August 1982..

BMW did have a strong tendency to use up stock until they were out before switching to the newer parts, so a number of earlier 1981/1982 models came with ATE brakes, though BMW "officially" switched to using Brembos in this time period.

Just make a list of the tasks to do with your bike, and we can help you prioritize them and perhaps help you choose some of the easier tasks first, so you don't instantly jump into the deep end of the pool for starters..   There may be some other BMW R65 owners or other BMW airhead owners around the Sydney area who would be willing to lend a hand and help - airheads are usually a helpful bunch, especially if you buy them some beer after their job!

[Julio A.]

Hi AussieDamo.

I looked at your valve covers very closely and they are NOT from a Ural. There are some fins of the original square design still intact. Looks like your LS took a fall somewhere in the past and the owner had it ground down to conceal the scars.

If I recall correctly, the night time lights are wired together with the gauge lights. The simplest thing to do here is to check the fuses inside the fuse box under the tank if there are any that needs replacement.

The weird thing at the back of your seat is the void created by the removal of the rear seat cowl. the LS version has a longer cowl with two grab rails that also partially cover the rear brake light.

Last time I went to Australia, my cousin took me to a series of bike wreckers. I saw a couple of front LS cowls that needed a fresh coat of paint. They were asking at least 250 aud for one. Got pair of calipers  instead.

[nhmaf]

By Jove, Julio has good eyes!   And I agree - someone really went to town on grinding down and polishing those valve covers so smooth and shiny!  I can see the vestiges of the 3 horizontal ribs on the very front and rear edges.. good news for you!!