Speedometer

[NC Steve]

There are currently 2 R65 rear drives for sale on Ebay.
One is a 31/9 ratio, taken from an '80 model R65, being sold by what appears to be an honest merchant.
http://tinyurl.com/yw4qm8

The other is a 32/9, taken from an '82, and is being touted as a "low geared, sidecar drive", by a seller with a long history of strong reputability and knowledge on Ebay and in the BMW community.
http://tinyurl.com/2yr8da

Anyone have more knowledge of this?? Is the 32/9 really that much lower, or designed for sidecar duty? Would it net much difference, as most of us seem to have 32/9 rear drives?

My own '84 is a 32/9, and I'd love to give up a little off-the-line grunt for lower rpm at highway speeds.
Is it a realistic expectation to create a better freeway flier from a simple swap?

Thanks for any more help or info  

[Ed Miller]

I think the seller is saying that because R65s are geared lower than the bigger  bikes.  A person with an R100 who wanted to use a sidecar with it might like that final drive to lower his gear ratio.  If you want higher gear ratio you would want to get a final drive off of one of the bigger BMWs, though I think the R100GS are also geared lower.  I don't know their ratio.

I can't find the numbers on mine but I presume it is the original.  

Are you going to bid on that one, as I wouldn't mind picking up a spare if it goes cheap?

[NC Steve]

Nah, Ed, I'm not bidding, help yourself, and good luck!
Still can't help but wonder what effect a taller ratio, be it the 31/9 or something else, would have on the R65's highway capabilities... :-?

[Ed Miller]

I can get almost to redline in 5th gear on mine, on a really long very slightly up hill stretch not far from where I live.  I think that with a taller rear end I just wouldn't be able to wind it out as much.  I doubt it would be any faster.  I figure it must be rolling around 105 or so at those rpms; my speedometer would only read 85 though.