The R80 engined blue R65 you show is worth considering - it appears from the pics to be fairly clean. The right sidecover appears to be still in primer so they at least bothered to buy a replacement for the one they lost or broke. The luggage/rack setup is OK, though I can tell you from personal experience that those krauser bags aren't as sturdy as the BMW bags on some of the other bikes in the lineup. Be SURE to use rockstraps or other safety straps around them to keep them on the bike if you get a bike with them! The R80 engine - if it is from 1981 or later, will have the lighter flywheel&clutch assembly of the 80s bikes and will rev up a bit faster than the 1970s era R80/7 or R60/7 will, but it still won't be as revvy as the R65 engine (but it might also be a little bit smoother). IF they didn't change out the final drive ratio to a taller ratio rear drive, the lower redline of the R80 powerplant would lower your top speed by a few MPH, but unless you are trying to go near 100 MPH, it won't be an issue. It could be a decent bike to investigate further, unless you want a numbers-matching bike. I don't know about the titling process in your state, whether the mismatched serial numbers from the engine and the frame would pose an issue or not - in my state, bikes that old aren't issued titles anyway, but the police still have to run the frame's VIN through the system to verify it ins't hot.
A private bike mechanic/used BMW dealer in MA also has an R65 for sale, 48K miles, but he is asking top dollar for it (he always does, but maybe he'd come down) His name is Duncan, and he is a fair guy, but he never gives anything away, in my experience. His current stock of bikes (including a blue R65) is here:
http://www.duncansbeemers.com/bikes/index.php ... but again, this is far from you.
A fellow on this forum, Will Mack had a nice, low mileage and freshly tuned up R65 for sale this fall (he lives in MA during the winter and does business with Duncan, too) and he lives up in NH near me in the summer. I haven't seen him on the forum in a while -- I'll try to send him an email to inquire. I would have no reservations buying his bike either.
This one in northern MA is alot more $$ than the one in Chelmsford, but it appears nice and incredibly originally. Still, I doubt anyone will pay his $5500 asking price for it - that is waay too much despite its condition:
http://boston.craigslist.org/nos/mcy/4468979069.htmlLooking down your way, I see a couple for sale on CL - did you check these out already?
This one looks pretty clean-but may/may not require some work
http://greensboro.craigslist.org/mcy/4480022788.htmlThis is / was an LS model bike, but apparently had the original Hans Muth fairing broken/lost/etc and someone put touring fairing on it. Still, has nice luggage, and comes with the LS wheels (rare and lighter and slightly wider for easier tire fitment) and dual front disks. Missing the sidecovers though ($65 each, in primer, new) and it still has the low LS bars on it so riding behind that big fairing may be tough on your wrists/back unless you have long arms (you won't have the wind on your chest to take the weight off).
The 1979 R80/7 with Wixom fairing and newer saddlebags is very classy looking. Like the R80-engined R65 posted earlier, it will have more low end torque/grunt than the R65 engine, but it is also slower to rev (heavy flywheel and clutch) and is taller geared and a slithly taller seat (don't know how tall you are). It looks like it was owned by someone who cared for it well, and has top-shelf new rear shocks. But, it may still have points ignition which you may not want to have to maintain or upgrade yourself (upgrade kits are very obtainable, but if you don't have the DIY skills to DIY it, the mechanics bills start to climb). It is a nice looking machine for a reasonable price though - but it also won't handle quite as lightly/nimbly as the smaller, stiffer frame&steering head arrangement of the R65 model.
The 1978 R60/7 is an interesting one - there weren't alot of them brought over that year, so it is a little bit rare, and they are smooth, docile machines. But, you probably aren't interested in its collectibility, and this one has non-original paint job and some other embellishments, including the downturned handlebars that don't make it a collector bike. Looks like stiff progressive shocks on the back too. If you really wanted an old style cafe racer look and wanted to put some more money into it, it would be a decent project platform to work with. The spoked wheels will be more maintenance for you too - which may or may not be something you want to deal with. Plus, it is in Tyngsboro, MA so again it is far from you.
Still, most* people selling on the MOA or IBMWR websites are honest dealers and will not knowingly unload a piece of #$%^ on you, so there is something to be said for hunting on those websites, too.
