R65LS worldwide production numbers

[bruce_launceston]

I have been trying to find out how many R65LS's were imported into Australia.

I contacted the BMW Archive in Germany and while they could give me the exact day that my bike rolled off the production line and he day it arrived in Australia they couldn't say how many R65LS's were sent to Australia.

The best info I have is from REALOEM.COM and I can share the following information:

The first EUR/AUS R65LS #6357001 was built in 03/1981,
the last EUR/AUS R65LS #6254679 was built in 03/1985, that makes a sub total of 4,679 bikes.

The first US R65LS #6370001 was built in 06/1981,
the last US R65LS #6371713 was built in 02/1985, a sub total of 1,713 bikes for USA.

That makes a total production run of 6,392 R65LS's worldwide. (Wikipedia claims 6,389, maybe they broke 3?).

My guess is that if only 1,713 went to the USA, then only a fraction of that number would have arrived in Australia where the total population in 1985 was only 15.75 million compared to 263.8 million in USA and Canada for that year.

If they were exported on a per-capita basis there would be only 102 in Australia! Obviously they are exported as per dealer orders so there would probably be more than that but how many is still a secret. I will have to try and find someone at BMW Australia that can be bothered to do some research for me, I don't like my chances.

My bike is #6354564, it was the last R65LS off the production line for 1984 and was built on 5th December 1984, it was delivered to Australia on 15th April 1985, I bought it second hand with 2000km in December 1985.

Cheers from trivia land,
Bruce

[steve hawkins]

Its not snowing heavily where you are is it?

Steve H

[bruce_launceston]

Hi Steve, sorry hasn't snowed where I live since about 1972.
Todays temperature max 25.2 degrees C (that's about 77 degrees F) and no rain today.

[plc]

Bruce,

I would love to live in trivia land. Is that an unofficial name for Tasmania?

I wrote the Wikipedia article and used bmbikes.co.uk as the  reference. I assumed it was correct. I suppose my point is that your research is more likely to be accurate than the Wikipedia article.

Wow if you are right my bike is one of only 102 in Australia, that is rare. Why is t not worth a fortune?? Don't answer that.

All the best,
Paul

[R65LUST]

Wow Bruce. . . thanks for the research!  I would love to know when my bike was completed and where it was shipped.  I'll have to contact ze archive meister.  Haben sie die linkie?

What we really need is a current list of LS's.  Hmmmm.....

[Semper Gumby]

You have the last LS?  Good for you.

(really like the rellow and black)  

[bruce_launceston]

Hi Bill

No, only the last EUR/AUS one for 1984, they built a few hundred more in 1985.

Cheers

[Ed Miller]

"What we really need is a current list of LS's.  Hmmmm..... "

The R65 directory has a whole bunch of R65s, but I can't remember if it's searchable by sub-model.  And I'm certain not all R65s are on it.  Mine is.

[Bob_Roller]

It would be interesting to know how many R65's are still registered, and being ridden .

My personal experience in seeing R65's on the road, is 2, I saw one exactly like my '81, in San Diego October 1987, then in June of last year, my neighbor on the next street got his silver '82 LS back on the street, after having been pushed to the back of the garage since 1983 .

I've seen more Ford GT40's on the street in Phoenix, than I have R65's .

[darrylri]

Well, I got my '81 R65 inspected by a retired cop I know, so I can get insurance and then get it titled in California on Tuesday.

I bled the brakes on Friday, so the bike is street worthy.

Unfortunately, it's supposed to rain here for the next week, and absolutely pour for the next couple days.  As I used to live in Seattle, this may not keep me from trying it out.

So, if you visit Santa Cruz Bob, you could see another one pretty soon!

[Altritter]

My personal experience in seeing R65's on the road, is 2

That's 2 more than I've seen here in Never-never Land (the Virginia side of the Washington, DC area), and I've been watching for other R65s ever since I bought my bike in October 2007.

Judging by the membership of this organization(?) , I have a preliminary hunch that the nearest R65s of any configuration are those of VaSteve (relatively nearby) and Yikes (likely >100 mi. away). (Hint-hint/Nudge-nudge: If there are any others in the neighborhood, please acknowledge, either publicly or by PM.) The situation doesn't especially lend itself to a shared Tech Saturday, particularly if a bike has a problem to the degree that its long-range mobility is impaired. (That's what makes this group such a welcome wonder—many of us need each others' knowledge, because even most members of the airhead group at large are not familiar with our mounts.)