1983 R65RT

[drew857]

Hi there, My first post as the proud owner of a 1983 R65 in RT Trim. The bike has twin discs up front but does not have LS seat unit..the plot thickens. The Chassis/Engine No: 6410154 and a local dealer think it is a 248 R65T that was supplied in this trim to Police & Emergency Services in limited numbers. I am not a purest but it would be useful to know if this bike is merely a miss-match of parts or a genuine model as this will help with sourcing parts etc. Already encountered a problem trying to get a screen support that is not readily available and a normal RT support is too large and would foul on the instrument surround…  Any ideas or pointers greatly appreciated.

[wilcom]

Realoem.com says it's a European  R65 minted in 9/82

[georgesgiralt]

Hello !
I bought one like yours, new, in 1984. It was a 1982 model which sat unused in the dealer's shop for 2 years.
At that time, the R65 did not sell well because of the lack of fairing, and in France it was a mess.
So BMW devised an Rt fairing for the R65 and offered it as an option.
I bought it like that.
For her 30th birthday I naked her and restored it's pure look.
If you want to remove the fairing, you need the headlight, its support, a pair of flasher, a couple of fork guide for the brake tubing, and a lot of patience and work.
The front wiring is a little different(a little longer) and you have to reroute the parking light wires into the headlight. The headlight is the big bore model and too big for the R65 bracket. So you've to buy or exchange yours, bucket included...
Normally you've got the RT handlebar which is higher than the stock R65. But this is not a big problem. (you have to know this when ordering clutch cables or carburettor cables)
Hope this helps.
P.S; I had somewhere the French advert for the option, but can't find it at the moment...
P.S. 2 : The LS sold worse so to sell the last remaining stock a lot of them where refurbished with the RT fairing making them less rare than the plain R65 in RT disguise.

[marcmax]

I'd be interested in seeing what it looks like if you get a chance to post a picture.

[montmil]

Some BMW sources mention a few of these R65RTs showing up in the US.

This is a 1983 R65RT registered in Spain. No twin disc front end. Nice looking scooter.

[Barry]

Who knows for certain but there are a couple of pointers in the serial number lists.

1. R65TIC Authority models that might have been produced with a fairing have a separate batch of serial numbers and yours isn't one of them.

2. BMW list RT models separately for example R80 RT's have a batch of serial numbers of their own. No such batch of numbers appears to exist for R65RT's

So I'd go along with Wilcom and say it was manufactured in Sept 82 as a standard R65 and if it was fitted with the fairing from new it will have been done by the supplying dealer as described by Georges.

[georgesgiralt]

Barry,
Mine was. I recall seeing it in the shop without fairing. It took a couple of weeks to gather the parts and fit them. I was eager to get the bike, so I remember ! And I remember the huge amount of money it represented at the time.
At that time I had a choice between my blue with ATE callipers and a green one with Brembo's. I went for the blue... and about 10 to 15 years after I changed the calliper to brembo, because one of my ATE was beyond help.
So when, on Friday, went to the dealer to get the bike, I was like at one of my first date... I had to borrow money from my mother in law to get it... So ...  :-?
Fortunately the bike was easier to handle as I anticipated and it was the beginning of a long love story !  

[georgesgiralt]

I've got it !
Enjoy !  

[nhmaf]

We have (or had?) at least a couple members (trolle in Denmark? and a gentleman from Canada near Toronto (cannot recall his screen name) who have R65 bikes with RT fairings fitted up.  

I think that they look pretty good - the surprising thing about that classic fairing design is it seems to work quite well on the smaller framed bike as well as the larger one from an artistic perspective.

[Barry]

So when, on Friday, went to the dealer to get the bike, I was like at one of my first date...  

A wonderful feeling and a day you never forget. I did it 3 times - new bikes that is.

First time was quite an adventure when a mate and I traveled 200 miles from Manchester to London in his truck to pick up a pair of brand new T140V's with consecutive number plates. Wheeling a new bike up a long ramp into the back of the truck was scary to say the least. You must have seen the you tube videos where they attempt to ride it up the ramp under power and fall off.   We got them in somehow and roped them down as best we could then kept stopping on the way back to check they were OK.

Happy days.

[montmil]

Back to the subject regarding dealers adding the RT fairing to some R65 models, it's necessary to revisit the motorcycle industry of the late 70s and early 80s.

Competition from the land of the Rising Sun was intense. Even though BMW had introduced their most technologically advanced bikes ever, they were quickly outdated. Challenged on every front, the future of BMW's motorcycle division was in doubt.

One of my favorite books on motorcycling is The Art of BMW. Visually stunning photographs are accompanied by a complete history of the marque.

http://www.vintagemotorcyclesonline.com/features/stories/143-reviewed-the-art-of-bmw-85-years-of-motorcycling-excellence

[clonmore1]

Monte,

That Spanish bike looks very nice in that colour and with the RT fairing.

I really like the look of the RT and the fairing suits the smaller frame 65 well.

[montmil]

I like it, too, Chris. Especially when I recall longer runs on my naked R65s.

[clonmore1]

Would an 'S' cockpit fairing assist in reducing wind fatigue on a longer run Monte?

I really fancy one on mine with some bar end mirrors.

http://www.rizoma.com/universal/mirrors/en

Class Retro style.

[montmil]

Would an 'S' cockpit fairing assist in reducing wind fatigue on a longer run Monte?

Absolutely!

After four days and one night in Alabama, "Crunch" Crenshaw and I were making one last quick pass through the massive swap meet area at Barber Vintage Days when I spotted a bargain on an almost new sporty fairing. Quick measurement proved it would fit the smaller headlamp on the '81 R65 so it, and a buncha other treasures, made the eleven-hour run back to Texas with us. The dark tint windscreen sealed the deal.

Tossed the one-size fits all mounting hardware, bought some stanchion-mounted headlight brackets, fabbed some small brackets that utilized existing R65 mounting points and now have a sport fairing that does a good job in knocking off the wind. Tiny, streamlined LED turns sigs eliminated the big ones up front.



The '83 R65 is still nekkid.