Original Cost

[BigJohn]

Anyone have any idea what these bikes cost when new?  I'm curious to know what my '81 R65 would have gone for at the dealer.  I'd love to see a scan of the dealer price sheet if someone had one.  Thanks!

[NC Steve]

John, someone else will no doubt chime in on this later, but you might want to take a look at this site too, for specs, prices, production numbers, etc.

http://www.bmbikes.co.uk/specpages/R65.htm

[donbmw]

Can't remember the price when I bought my 1982 R65 it was around $3200.00 with the BMW bags and mount.

Don

[nhmaf]

Gotta dig out some financial inflation data for the past 2 decades to figure this one out precisely, as I am now intrigued..

On the surface, it appears that our bikes have almost the same $$ monetary value as they did when they were new,
except when one factors in for the inflationary factors of the past quarter century, that $3200 in 1982 dollars is worth
over $6500 in 2008 dollars...

Now I gotta go lie down..

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

My 1979 model year I bought in the spring of 1980 as a leftover.  It cost $3600 (USD) new.  I am pretty sure it was the 1980 model year that BMW dropped the price by at least $400 to better attract buyers.

I will admit I was a little disappointed at the time, but in retrospect, I have enjoyed it even with it's front coil falling off (but the 2nd gen's all cracked...).  Mostly I am happy to have an airhead with the clam-shell air filter housing.  Although that could be easily retrofitted to a later bike, I suppose.

[Charlie in NJ]

Big John, I paid just about $3,600 when I bought my '81 new.  I'll start diggin' - I have all the original paperwork, including a little glossy flyer that had the list prices of all the models.  I think something similar is posted on Duane Ausherman's site, but I'm sure it's pre-1981.

[seniorchiefSS]

My 73 R75/5 cost 2300 naked as a baby. My 84 R65 with a dealer installed rifle sport fairing and bmw hard bags mounted cost 4600 new. My currant 82 R65LS modified cost 2100 in 2006. makes you wonder ??

[Bob_Roller]

My '81 R65, purchased in January, 1981 from Abt BMW, ( which is now Chicago BMW/ Harley) was $3295US, before taxes and registration.

The bike came with a Vetter Windjammer fairing, it didn't take long to learn, that I was not a 'fairing person', I returned the fairing to the dealer, in return for a replacement headlight bracket, that was cut to allow installation of the fairing.

A lot of people said I was crazy to pay that much for a 650 cc bike, at the time the Japanese bike manufacturers were dumping bikes into the US market.

You could get a 650 Yamaha for $1800US, new from a dealer, at least in the Chicago area, where I was living at the time.

Like Rob Valdez has said, at the time of the purchase, it was a lot of money, but this has been the most reliable vehicle I've owned, and I still look forward to getting on it and exploring the desert southwest, any chance I get.

I have an '02 R1150R, and this bike is a quantum leap from the R65, but still thoroughly enjoy riding the R65, it's only 100 pounds lighter than the 1150, but it feels 'weightless' compared to the bigger bike.

[Ed Miller]

You big spenders!  I've never bought any vehicle new.  I've been trying to talk myself into buying a 2005 F650GS Dakar, but it's 6 grand!  Do the modern BMWs hold their value like the airheads have?  My most expensive vehicle was my CRX, for $2300.  It had 120,000 miles on it at the time.  

I calculated that the savings in gas between my R65 and the F650gs would pay for the bike in 19 years.  

[Bob_Roller]

Ed,

The newer oilhead bikes, don't hold their value as well as the old airheads.

Keep an eye on Craigslist in your area, especially near the end of the riding season, when riders tend to put bikes up for sale, after they find out that maybe a motorcycle isn't the best transportation for them.

That coupled with the financial distress that people are feeling today, you may snag a great deal as cold weather approaches.

[montmil]

Anyone know a formula that might show the bike's original date purchase price adjusted for inflation and then stated in today's dollar? Now that would be an eye opener.

Just remembering riding to the "service station" with my mom in her Coupe deVille and buying "Hi-Test" (premium, or ethyl, as it was called) for 25-cents/gallon.  Mortgage payment, home owners insurance and taxes on our brand new North Dallas home ran $100.00/month on an $18,000.00 purchase price.

Don't get me started on groceries... and college tuitions... and  

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

Don't get me started on groceries... and college tuitions... and  

And pay rates - then vs. now...

[trolle]

And we were so poor that we had to walk barefeet 10 miles to school in a raging blizzard every day year round except in summer when the sun shone every day ...

greetings from a showery and partly sunny north

trolle

[montmil]

And we were so poor that we had to walk barefeet 10 miles to school in a raging blizzard every day year round ...trolle

Uphill. Both ways.

[trolle]

and against the storm!

greetings from a partly sunny and cool north

trolle