New to the R65 & considering an LS - opinons?

[CaptainDistraction]

Hi Everybody!

I was delighted to find this forum when I Googled "R65LS" (as well as Noemi Berry's FAQ page).  I have several years of experience with k-bikes, oilheads, and those "other" BMW airheads, and now I am thinking of trying out an R65.  I think it would be perfect for my present needs, or as my wife would say, my present "wants".  I am considering purchasing a 1980 R65LS.  Is there anything in particular that I should watch out for as I consider this bike?

I took a look at it today and this is what I was told/found:

38,000 miles on a working odometer

1980 by owner's report, I have not seen the paper work yet and I forgot to write down the VIN

Bike (and current rider) went down on the left side to avoid a collision.  Both left signals were replaced, left tappet cover replaced as well as the right (so they would match), some scrapes to bottom of left muffler, very tiny scrapes to the black headlight nacelle (as Noemi calls it - are those really unobtainable as new?).  Nothing out of the ordinary noted on the frame-steering neck gussetts.  He is selling because that slide really shook him up and he hasn't been on the bike much for over a year (he did try to get back on...)

Matching numbers with "LS" stamped into the frame

Pushrod tube seals and the shelf under the clutch are dry/free of oil.  Right base gasket looks like it is weeping.

Lots of smoke out of the left pipe when starting and for a minute or so afterwards.  Current owner says it was in the garage on the sidestand.

Centerstand tang bent

Nice red liner in the fuel tank.

Metzlers front and back in very good condition

Bags were off during the accident, but beat up none the less.

Thanks in advance for your replies (won't it be sad if I don't get any?)

David

[Bob_Roller]

David, welcome to the forum, by the picture, it's a great looking bike in better than average condition. First off, the LS wasn't made until the '82 model year, get the VIN post it here, or there a few sites on-line to give you the date of manufacture. We have another member here, Xeffer, that resides in South Africa. With the age of the bike, you can expect to perform maintenance on it, like brake lines, carb rubber parts, fuel lines, transmission input spline lube, steering head bearing clean, lube, or possible replacement. Wheel bearing cleaning inspection and lube. Just to mention a few of the major ones, unless you have proof of these having been done recently. The R65 is no power house of a bike, but it makes up for it being a nimble bike that is at home in twisting , turning roads.

[billygoat]

 Nice looking bike but... make sure you check to see if the frame is bent and ride it to check for steering wobble and trueness. There are two triangle pieces on the frame attached to the either side of the headtube etc. where the frame number is stamped. There may be a crease on one of them if the frame has been crashed bad enough. I found this out after I bought my bike and had it checked when I painted the frame. I can ride all day with one hand and can take my hands of at any speed. I do not recommend this! But it did have a wobble when I bought it at 55 MPH! If the bike rides nice then buy it! the tanks looks great and it is a LS model. You get he electronic ignition! 1979 and 1980 models use a points can. My bike is a 1980 I wish I had a 81-83.

[nhmaf]

Welcome !

As Bob pointed out, it can't be a 1980 model year, most likely a 1981, though these could have been
built in the factory as early as Sept 1980.   from the photo it looks to be in decent shape.  Does it still have the
(2) black plastic "inner" covers in the fairing (these slip over the top 6" of the fork tubes and cover up all the nut
and bolts, turn signal stalks, etc. that would otherwise be visible inside the small fairing).   The fairing is a bit of
a challenge getting apart to perform service on the handlebar.fork/headlight area, and some of those black plastic
bits have little tabs that are easily broken off, or  small screw holes that are easily cracked through.   But, with
care it can be handled.  Certain parts, such as the (2) inner black plastic side covers for the fairing are no longer
available anywhere, unless one comes across someone who is parting out an old bike.   The LS models are
pretty nice, especially if you have one that already has luggage and brackets - there are a few different luggage
racks that fit the R65 models of this period, but only one of those would fit the LS (others would run afoul of the
extended tail piece behind the seat, but with some imagination and a saw, others lugge frames could be made to fit).

If it has been on the road regularly, some things like fork seals, etc. will probably be in better shape than if it
were just sitting.   Pull the spark plugs and check that they aren't oily, and should be the same colour, etc.  If well
maintained, 38000 miles or 38000 kms is no challenge at all for these engines.    Not knowing your climate, but if it
is dusty and dry or muddy and moist, the splines in the drivetrain should be looked at shortly unless  the owner has
evidence that they have been recently serviced/lubed.

This bike isn't as stable at high speeds as a K bike, but it will also turn on a dime in the tight twisty bits if well set up.
Its center of gravity is much lower than a K bike too, it only has about 50 BHP, 40% to  50% less than a K bike, but it
is much lighter as well.   It also seems to rev much quicker than my 1988 R100 would, and can potentially run more
smoothly, though its lower gearing definitely makes things more buzzy than the big airheads once over 100 Km/h.

[thrang]

If its a good ride and you can afford it buy it!

In comparison to a K they are loaded with charcter, and when looked after are reliable as a wood burning stove. A well sorted R65 also has one big grin inducer, they are great for catching out the plastic fansastic crowd on a twisty road as they handle miles better than other Beemers of their generation.

Obviously with a bike of this age you do need to get your hands oily every now and again but for me is part of the fun of running mine. If you've got a reasonable handle on bike mechanics then there's very little to be afraid of in the engine, and as a machine they are capeable of clocking up some silly high mileage for very little expense.

[CaptainDistraction]

Thanks for all of the opinions and advice so far!  I know the shop where the owner states the work was done, so in case he doesn't have the records they might remember what they've done to it (in general).

The gussets (triangle pieces) at the steering head are nice and smooth - I think it really was only laid down at relatively low speed.  And I'm really glad the owner came through it without a scratch.

I will get the VIN and post it here.  I hear what you are saying that it can't be older than 1982, but sometimes things were sold/done differently down here in South Africa.  We shall see.  IF it is a 1980 or maybe a 1981, then I can register it with SAVVA, the South African Veteran and Vintage Association.  It would get a little metal plaque to affix somewhere on the bike and would be allowed to enter all of their sanctioned events...

I will take a close look inside the fairing to see if everything is there and if anything seems broken.  Hopefully the accident didn't cause any as yet unseen damage in there.  Regardless, I don't think it would deter me from purchasing it.

I hear what all of you are saying about the K bikes.  Back home in the States I have a K75C, now without the little cowl - swapped with a naked headlamp.  It is not the prettiest bike in the stable, but ever since I sorted out the bad starter relay with a custom built one, it has been quite a smooth and dependable ride.  So smooth that on my first few rides I would stall at stop signs because consciously and subconsciously I could not hear or feel the engine running - I would just forget to pull in the clutch - I thought I was coasting in neutral.

I'll keep you posted (pun intended) - thanks for the advice!

David

[dewjantim]

There must have been something wrong with that K bike being so quiet. Every one I ever heard (including my own 85 model) had a loud gear whine which sounded like a turbine engine. Maybe some of those straight cut gears were worn??? I really do like K bikes though, my favorite being the K75 with the sporty little quarter fairing......Dew.

[dewjantim]

Oh yeah, I forgot, that is a good looking R65 LS. Buy it, they are among the rarest BMWs ever built. For some reason, my LS runs a lot better than my R65 standard did in the 1980s. On take off and for short bursts of acceleration, these bikes will keep up with or outrun any of the other airheads. Now, top-end is another matter.......Dew.

[CaptainDistraction]

Hi,

I took another look at the bike...

VIN 63525**, so through the online BMW VIN Decoder and Phil Hawksley's site, it rolled out of the factory in March 1982 (when I was 10 years old) and was destined for the ROW market (Rest of World / non-USA)

The owner has all of the service records from when the bike was prepped for sale to him, the work that he requested done before he agreed to buy it, and the repair work from the accident

It has chrome bag mounts on it that show no evidence of being hacksawed to fit, so hopefully those are the correct LS bag mounts.

The left side black inner fairing piece is a bit loose, so maybe something is broken in there, but it is certainly not a deal-breaker

I do believe that I will be bringing this bike home to my garage!  Thanks for all of your help!

David

PS Dew - That 1987 K75C did not have worn gears.  It didn't have worn anything.  It had only 8,000 miles on it when my neighbor asked me to take it off his hands (and out from under his porch) when he saw me working on a /5 in my yard.  He thought it needed major work when the starter would not stop trying to start the bike.  I figured it was just a bad starter relay and was right.  It did quickly eat up another stock starter relay, but ever since I replaced it with a custom improved relay made by a friend, I've not had any trouble, regardless of how low the battery has been allowed to go.

I think my earplugs and helmet contributed to the bike's quietness, but I always heard the engine on all of the other BMWs I've had...