Hi from a noob

[John W]

Hi all from Queensland, Australia.

I will be picking up my 1980 R65 the day after tomorrow and it will be my first airhead.

My current bike is a 2006 R1200GS, that I bought new, and I am heavily into adventure riding, either single or two-up with the missus.  It has been a great bike and in the 75,000km I've put on the clock, it has taken us all over a fair part of this big country.

My main intention was to cafe the R65 as I love the look of old airhead cafe bikes.  Talking with the owner though, who has had it from new but can no longer ride it due to health problems, I might not have the heart to modify it.  Could be a restoration coming up on this one.

I'll get some pics up when I can and see if you guys can give me some inspiration.

Cheers.

[MichaelSydney]

Hi John, welcome and congratulations on the R65.

It is your bike and you should do as you please, but nice if you are considering keeping it original. I agree that the airheads make great looking cafe bikes but I find that people love the looks of my stock bike, it is a very useable older bike with classic looks.

Looking forward to the photos.

[marcmax]

Hi John, Welcome to the asylum.

As much as I like the classic look of an airhead I also like the practicality of some modernization. I have an R65LS and I absolutely detested the little wedge fairing on it. A purist will tell you all kinds of reasons for keeping it stock but for me I want to make it my bike and not like all the others. I went the cafe route with mine and yes I liked the way it looked and yes it got ohs and ahs from folks. But lets face it, rear sets, throaty exhaust and low clipon bars are not very practical.

I now have it semi custom. Gone are the rear sets and loud exhaust but I still have the bump stop solo saddle and no airbox starter cover. I like the look. Bobbed rear fender and full front fender and an "S" fairing make it a more practical daily ride.

In the end it is all about what you want to ride. Even when they were new people were customizing them to their liking so why should now be any different.

[montmil]

Glad to have you with us, John. Post up a photo of your R65 as soon as you get it home. [smiley=thumbup.gif]

[Tony Smith]

Hi all from Queensland, Australia.
Cheers.

If I can be of any help to you in Cairns or environs, give me a call. Oh and welcome...

[ShutterPilot]

You get my vote for keeping her stock if possible. Almost every other racer at Bonneville this year came by and commented on my R65, most starting with something like "why on earth would you put that beauty out on the salt"? She garnered a lot of attention, which was nice since a lot of work went into keeping her bone-stock for our particular class. I think seeing a stock R65 out on the salt, where so much is modified for the sake of speed, was a treat for many, it certainly was a treat for me to get so many compliments.

[montmil]

Yo, ShutterPilot,

You mentioned that you did not clean off the Bonny salt prior to leaving the Flats. Just wondering what the corrosive salts have done to your R65. And your van. That stuff is truly nasty.

[ShutterPilot]

The van, thankfully, was a rental. After our experience, I'd NEVER put anything I didn't absolutely need to out on the salt. I grew up in the snow belt south of Buffalo, so I know salt and corrosion, and this was decades worth of salt accumulation and corrosion in a few days time. The stuff dries on pretty thick and hard - we were picking hard chunks off with screwdrivers after each days end. We were conscientious and ethical - we spent a loooong time and many dollars cleaning the underside, engine, everywhere to get every last bit of visible salt off the van before heading back to NC and turning it in, but still....

The bike too has suffered greatly, much to my dismay, even though it was completey misted with ACF-50 before heading out. Many a veteran racer told me in the pits to stay after the salt accumulation, and to disassemble the bike right after racing to get to all the salt or I'd have no bike for next year. Sadly, I didn't heed their advice closely enough and I have a LOT of reparation and restoration work to do. I've soaked the bike several times over with Salt Away, followed up with ACF-50. After much scrubbing and polishing, the carb moving parts STILL want to seize up, and the steering head sticks in the last position I place it in, and salt continues to weep out of the tire bead and rim. major disassembly is in order - I just have to make the time and money to get to it.
If you scroll down all the way back to the studio shots before I headed out - you can see how polished and shiny everything USED to be (sigh)
Photos are here:
https://www.facebook.com/shutterpilotracing/photos_stream
If you go racing at Bonneville - rinse your machine throughout the day, pre-treat and post-rinse with Salt-away as you go, and perform a day-long, thorough, semi-disassembled rinse at the car-wash before you head home, or you'll be starting over like I am.
But was it all worth it? Absolutely. I just may not be able to return till 2016 with all the work I made for myself by being inattentive, but I AM planning on going back. The national record certificate hanging on the wall insured that.

[thrang]

That salt damage is amazing, I had heard that the stuff was bad for your bike but seeing effects it even after a through cleaning with salt away is a chilling lesson.

[ShutterPilot]

I don't know if there are additional minerals in the Bonny salt that makes it uber-corrosive, but it certainly acts much more aggressively than all the road salt you'd normally encounter over a northeast winter(s). As soon as we hit humidity near the Mississippi on the way back, things started corroding quickly. I could kick, kick, kick myself for letting this happen, especially after all the warnings. But it was so hard to keep after it, after a full day of racing under the beating sun on the white salt, you just wanna crash and get some sleep before the next morning's 6am queue. But next time, I'll be one of the old guys telling the noobs "make sure you really keep after the salt on your bike or else..."

[Burt]

Very impressive SP.  I admire your dedication and achievement in obtaining that record for our wonderful little motorbikes.  

But that salt really sux.  

[nhmaf]

Welcome aboard!   Post up a pic when you can and heed the warnings if you're thinking of racing on a salt flats, anywhere!