Is THIS my first Airhead?

[Barry]

The 81-85 R65's had larger valves which boosted torque although inevitably at higher revs. As a result power went up from 45 to 50 HP. These are figures for the high compression European engines. I've never seen figures for the US low compression engines.

LS's are much rarer than standard R65's.

[Barry]

I don't consider airhead engines to have noisy valves especially considering the heads are stuck out in the air and unlike most bikes the tank is  not between you and the engine. You might notice one side being a little louder than the other while riding as the staggered cylinder arrangement means your knees shield one side more than the other.

If after checking valve clearances you still think the tappet noise is too loud check that the rockers have no significant end play. The end play clearance should be close to zero and if you can get a feeler gauge in there, it's too big. The usual visual test is that if you try to move the rocker longitudinally on it's shaft you should see the oil film move and no more. The other thing that impacts on valve noise is the contact width of the valve seat, so high mileage engines may seem noisier unless the heads have been refurbished.

[Bob_Roller]

Just keep searching the classified ads in the area newspapers, Craigslist, Cycle Trader, etc....

They don't come up for sale too often, there were at best 7,000 brought into the US and Canada .

Last year was '86 or '87 and very few of the last generation ' monoshock bikes were brought into North America .

[Luca]

You've got a lot of great info here.  While $3500 is no bargain, it is the start of spring, and I wouldn't be too worried about the miles.  The R65 can stack on miles like the rest of em... and at least you know this machine hasn't been sitting still for 15 years while everything dries up and corrodes in place.  Plus, you can offset the cost by selling the ATE calipers.  The peace of mind you get buying from somebody you know and trust can justify a few bucks on the price tag as well.

btw, if you keep shopping around '81 can be a bad year for the R65 as BMW used crappy materials in the valve seats.

While the LS does tend to cost a bit more, you do get the unique wheels.  The front rim is wider, the rear drum is bigger, and I'm pretty sure they are both lighter and stronger.  The wheels are much easier to clean, too, if you're into keeping things shiny.  I also never get any high speed wobbles that some airhead folks talk about... maybe the "30% less lift" from the front fairing and the bigger contact patch actually do something?

Regardless, the best reason to get an LS is if you like the LS.  Mine fell into my lap, but if I had to do it again I'd go for another.  I like oddball, uncommon stuff.  I like the styling (Hans Muth also designed the R90S and the Suzuki Katana), I like that the only other two I've seen have been at motorcycle shows, and  I like that it seems to strike up friendly conversations with complete strangers.  I'm willing to pay in that luggage is harder to fit and some of the LS parts are NLA.

P.S. Don't be to wind the engine out; they like to rev.  It's gonna vibrate like you read about around 5K and then smooth out again.  Makes for a smooth 75-80mph in 5th gear.

P.P.S. Mine cost $600 and had 5300 miles on it