In addition to the changes Justin noted, here's a generally accepted description of the basic differences between the model years, excerpted from the larger site,
http://www.roadkill.com/~davet/moto/R65.faq.html CHRONOLOGY
1979:
* R65 introduced in USA.
* Colors: "champagne" (pale gold) and "bronco" (brown)
* Single front disk brake w/ATE caliper, rear drum.
1980:
Detuning (leaned) carburetion changes for emissions, with no other changes to make up for it, resulting in a slight performance loss. BMW RA calls the 1980 R65 "the worst BMW ever made."
1981:
* Colors: turquoise blue, red, ?
* Dual front disk brakes with ATE calipers.
* Hundreds of small improvements to all BMW boxers, from which the R65 benefitted as well. Major improvements:
o Electronic ignition
o 40% lighter flywheel (revs & shifts easier)
o Nikasil lining in cylinders
o Plastic airbox & "pure air" system (allows richening of carburetion while still meeting emissions regulations)
o Larger valves (by 2mm each)
o Additional crossover pipe in exhaust
o Larger oil pan (increases oil capacity by .2 quart)
o More cushioning in driveshaft Y throttle cable with splitter instead of two cables. (Many don't consider this an improvement.)
1982:
* R65LS introduced.
* Slight carburetion changes (idle jet & needle position) to all R65s.
* Non-LS R65s all have a single front disk brake, with ATE caliper.
* R65LS gets the dual front disk brakes, with Italian Brembo calipers. (See r65ls.faq)
1983:
* Colors: turquoise, black, ?
* Every year, BMW fiddled with the needle position and idle jet on the carburetors, but these bikes remained basically the same.
1984:
Last year of R65LS and dual-shock R65 model.
1985:
* R65 gets the same monoshock frame as the other boxers.
* Few are imported; post '84 R65s are rare in the USA.
* For '85 and newer, get the R80 or R100 instead. Great
* chassis, more cojones.
Of course, these are U.S. model differences, but should serve as a good general overview.
Good luck! [smiley=thumbup.gif]
