Hello from a new member and a few questions.

[sirwompus]

Hi there. I've owned this 1979 for almost two years now. Brought it home on a trailer and got it running, been riding and fixing it up slowly. It's got about 23k miles and is largely original and complete. Most recently I refreshed the forks with seals and fluid and solved an electrical gremlin (make SURE your coils are firmly clamped and that the front coil is clamped to the frame). Anyway, I usually hang out on ADVrider because it covers the needs of my other motorcycles but thought I'd try you guys on a few simple questions.

1. I recently installed new side covers and painted them flat black for the time being. I've toyed with the idea of matching them to the rest of the bike but wonder if my 'rot' paint is fairly faded. Would it be a bad idea to try and use factory paint? Maybe just better to get a shop to match it?

2. One or more push rod tubes are leaking. It seems I need to pull the head to replace them which makes me want to just keep living with it. In the VW world there are spring loaded tubes that don't require the head to be removed. Anything like that in airhead land?

3. What factory style grips do you guys like?

[montmil]

Welcome to The Herd, Sir. We're all friendly fire here so you'll be among R65 friends.

regarding your questions:

1. Yep, the red tank and tail piece may be faded enough that you would be hard pressed to match the paint with OEM color. Check with a local auto body supply store and start looking thru automotive colors, especial Japanese autos. You may find a very close match. Some shops can even provide these paint colors in rattle cans. In the mean time, black is always appropriate with Airheads.

2. Push rod seals can be classified in three levels: Weepy, Seepy and Leaky. Replacement requires yanking the cylinders, new gaskets and o-rings, plus holding your tongue just right. Not difficult, really. Just some busy work. You'll have to decide what' best for your scooter.

3. Magura OEM-style grips are available. They have a sort of square cross section. I run them on my R100S but have dense foam grips aftermarket grips on both R65s. Found 'em at a Cycle Gear store. They are quite comfy.

[nhmaf]

Welcome aboard - that bike looks pretty nice in the California sun!   You might possibly be missing your acorn nut on that right valve cover..   don't worry, it is more decorative than functional.

I think the two-tone paint job looks fine - I've got an LS model that came from the factory with the sidecovers painted black anyhow.

The PRT seals are a nusiance - we usually live with it until we cannot stand it anymore and it reminds us of older H-D or British twins and just clench our teeth and do it.     I'm going to be doing this chore on my 78 R100/7 shortly.   I'll take pics and post up some tips, and I thinks we've got some others who have already done so somewhere on this website.

[sirwompus]

Good eye nhmaf. The acorn nut is missing but in it's place is a bolt that goes through to.. Hard to describe but I think some know the mod for a stripped center valve cover stud.

[montmil]

The usual, easy fix is to install a Helicoil in the stripped cylinder head, add a new stud and acorn nut. Too many folks over-tighten that acorn nut attempting to stop an oil dribble. All they accomplish is what you have with your R65. The two studs n' nuts on the fore and aft locations do the yeoman duty securing the gasket.

I recently removed the valve covers from my '81, dbl-nutted the threaded studs and removed them. A check with a feeler gauge showed less than dead flat gasket surfaces. I have a granite surface plate. Some 150 grit wet/dry paper was attached and with a little water and some firm figure-eight sanding action, the aluminum covers now seal much better.