Considering R65

[considering_r65]

Hello all,

Perhaps you can help me, I am the owner of a newish BMW but have always been an Airhead fan and have spotted a 79 r65 for sale.

Are there any "Gotchas" I should look for with the r65?

What is a reasonable price for an 79 R65 with low miles

Did it come in black that year? (I read somewhere that it was not avaliable in black that year, and i need to know if this thing was painted)

Any other things i should be mindful of would be helpful here, Thanks in advance

JD
06 R1200RT

[SCJJR65]

Welcome, JD!  Glad to have you as a member!    [smiley=thumbsup.gif]

Lots of knowledge and experience with the R65 from people who hang out here.  Our moderator, Rob, happens to have a 1979 R65 that he bought new back in the day, and probably can answer most, if not all of your questions.  I'm sure you'll hear from him soon, most likely, since he checks in fairly regularly.

See if you can find out how many previous owners the R65 you mentioned has had so far.  That might give you an indication if it's been taken care of or not.  The more hands it's been passed thru, the more likely it may have been with someone who may have neglected it.  If you can find out its maintenance history, so much the better.  If it has been maintained on a semi-regular basis, the number of miles isn't that big a deal.  My R65 just turned 141,000 miles on it, and it continues to run fine.  (Of course, I've spent a great deal of money replacing stuff on it that wore out over the years, too!)  

What model of "newish" BMW do you have right now?  Are you planning on keeping it if you buy a R65, or are you going to sell it?

The R65 is one of BMW's most underrated and (in our opinion) underappreciated bikes in their long and glorious history.  They may not be the fastest or best handling, but they seem to do most everything quite well.  I think you will love owning an R65!

Keep us posted on the bike you are interested in, OK?

[Bob_Roller]

Welcome to the forum! Well, you're looking at a 28 year old motorcycle, with probably no maintenance history. That in itself would scare most people away! First of all , the odometer probably doesn't work, so the mileage is at best unknown, or at least questionable. A realistic price for a bike in good condition is around the $2000 area ( for what's it's worth, Kelly Bluebook value for trade-in , is $1455 and retail is $2125 ). With unknown mileage and maintenance history, you could  spend in the area of $1000 to get it into reliable condition again , and that's doing the work yourself, as there are not too many COMPETENT shops that work on these old bikes , let alone do the repairs right . What spot on planet earth do you call home? It's possible one of us here is within proximity of you, and could help you make an informed decision on this bike. For checking the color, at least on my '81, open the seat, remove the tool tray and at the back underside of the tank on the right side, there possibly is a decal with the paint or color code.

[considering_r65]

Thanks for the info guys.

from what you are telling me about price, this may not be the bike for me.  A buddy of mine that has a couple of r75's said i shouldnt pay over $3000.   I can get this one for about $3500 but it is very clean and claims to have a mere 21000 original miles on the o-meter.

It has good brakes, good tires and greal looking black paint..... but did the 79 come in black? Has it been repainted? does frame and engine match?  all things to consider that I have yet to investigate.

[Bob_Roller]

$3500 seems a bit high without knowing anything about the bike, but I have seen '79 and '80 low mileage R65's sell for that much on eBay ( but just because someone on eBay paid that much, doesn't mean it's worth that much ! ), but I guess it all depends on the area that you reside in. Keep us informed on this bike. Also if you don't have any airhead riding experience, after getting off of your oilhead, it is quite a change of riding on the R65 , the 27 year difference in technology is very evident.

[considering_r65]

Yea, bit of a step back in time but fun too.  I intend to keep both if i pick up the r65 too.  I may make a 3k offer take it or leave it, we;ll see what happened.

Thanks for the info

[NC Steve]

$3500 seems awfully high for a '79 standard R65, unless it's pristine, but that's a subjective call, I guess.  Still, ...

But, for the record, the '79s came in either Bronco Brown (a favorite here on the board!), or a silvery champagne whose correct name I don't recall: no black.
Good luck!

[scottyintex]

check www.bmbikes.co.uk/index.htm this is Phil Hawksley's BMW motorcycle information sight............. he says the bike your looking at did come in an Avis Black. Also the BMW  Motorcycle buyers guide put out by MBI publishing company considers the R65 among the best BMW's ever built. I know I really enjoy mine!!!!!!!!!!

[Bob_Roller]

There were additional colors available in europe at that time, red, black, azure blue and I think silver. But the only colors available in the US were bronco brown and silver beige. Not to say someone may have taken delivery in Germany and brought it back to the US, or even after 28 years , is it the original tank ! Without a complete history from the previous owner(s), anything is possible.

[Rev._Eddie]

Maybe I'm missing it, but I don't see anywhere on that site that it shows black as a color for the '79 R65.

I have many European, US and other brochures and have never seen black listed
as an R65 color prior to '81.

On the '79-'80 models with their unique seat cowl,
the painted cowl part numbers were 52-53-1-238-xxx  

Beginning in 1981, the new style painted seat cowls had part
numbers assigned that were 52-53-2-301-xxx

Additionally, the only black color I find referenced is the #519 Avus Black.
Color code 519 included two pinstripes--#101 White and a Medium Red
That color came out in 1981.

In addition to the Bronco and Silver-Beige colors mentioned, there were a few '79-'80 models
brought to the US in a color called "Light Red" (also referred to as "Hell Red" in some brochures).
This red color had a #104 gold pinstripe---as opposed to the Canyon Red models w/ white stripes,
or the Henna Red (again w/ white stripes) brought to the US during the '81-> later years.

I'd suspect that a black '79 has been repainted.

 
Eddie

 

[Rev._Eddie]

A quick check for speedometer originality on a '79 R65:

It was the only year that the R65 speedo went to 120mph AND had the tripmeter reset knob on the back.

1980 Speedos only went to 85mph (thanks to Ms. Claybrook et., al.).
1981 was the first year that the tripmeter reset knob was a pushbutton on the face of the speedo.

R65 speedos are not known for longevity.
If the one you're looking at has either of the later features, the speedos been replaced.

Eddie

[Bob_Roller]

Hey Rev Eddie, if you go to RealOem.com, and search for the '79 model year for painted parts, you can find 21 different colors for european models this includes police and military applications. Also, I must have an oddity as far as the speedometer is concerned, as I have the trip odometer reset on the back of the indicator, mine is an early '81 model the 9th off of the production line for US bikes. I am the original owner, so I know it hasn't been replaced.

[Rev._Eddie]

Yes, Realoem does show all those colors.

If you'll double check, you'll see that you get that same list of painted
parts in 22 colors no matter what year of twin-shock R65 you look up.
It's just a standard painted parts list that comes up every time.

If you look at the only black (Schwartz) listed, it's the # 519 color.
Look at the part number for the seat cowl piece in that color--it shows only the '81->later
style seat cowl part number, meaning that's not a part for the '79-'80 models.


It is not uncommon for the first handful of bikes in a BMW production year to
still be using parts from the previous years models.

I'd assume the assembly lines would keep using whatever box/bin/pallet of widgets
they had until it was depleted, then the new styles would be brought in.

As the Spandau factory was receiving their parts in shipments from the supply warehouse,
it wouldn't necessarily be feasible to return a small supply of items.
That and human nature of taking the easiest method......


Eddie

[Bob_Roller]

I didn't look any further into it, it could be that the black mentioned was for the frame only.

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

I don't remember the website, but you can enter your VIN number and get your mfg. date?

No doubt I have it on My Favorites at home.