Noob here, with some R65 questions

[JimJ]

Hey all...figured this would be the right place to make a first post

Here's my situation. I'm looking at getting into motorcycling. I'm 22, a college student, and I want something that'll not only be an economical commuter for when I feel like that but also something I can take up on the great mountain roads we've got around here (I'm in Blacksburg, VA). I'm not a terribly big guy - 5'8", 150lbs. My questions...

- Is an R65 way too much bike for me to learn on? I'll be taking the MSF class of course, I expect to take my time doing a lot of practicing before even thinking about heading out on public roads.

- Secondly, I've got about $2500 to spend this fall...is that a realistic budget to find one in good condition? I see a lot of ads for airheads out there on IBMWR.org and elsewhere but a good majority of them are well over that. I'm thinking maybe in the off-season prices will relax a little.

Thanks in advance!

[msbuck]

Personally, I think it would be a good bike for you to start on.  Glad to hear you're planning on taking the classes.  Once you take the BRC, you'll have a better feel for the bike.  Sit on one, see how it feels.  I'm a tiny one for the R65 and it was my second bike, but for someone your size I think it would be just fine.  Not enough power to get you in trouble, but enough to have fun with.  

I would like to think you should be able to find one for that price range.  You may have to spend some time waiting for the right one to come along.    There are nearly as many of these around as the some of the other airheads, but you'll find them with patience.  This form will be a good place to watch as when they do pop up someone usually makes a post about it.  

You can have plenty of fun on this lighter, nimble bike.  Good luck!

Oh, and WELCOME to the forum!  8-)

[montmil]

After a couple decades of nothing but off-road riding, I discovered R65s and the street. Here in Texas, we can avoid the motorcycle "M" endorsement Practical Test at the Dept of Safety by showing your MSF diploma. It was worth the effort. School provided goofy 125cc YamaKawaZuki chopper wannabie motorcycles. Pretty funny...

The R65 will do all you want it to do. Usually stone-axe reliable but strongly encourage you to buy both the Clymer and the Haynes service manuals. The different viewpoints and service tips are worth the duplication.

$2500 can get you a nice R65... unless you just have to have a concours winner right outta the box. You may have to range far afield to find a suitable purchase but there are many folks here abouts that might offer to go check out a potential buy.

Good luck with your search. Stick around here and ask questions. We're all friendly fire.

BTW... Have you looked at the forum's Trading Post? http://suraklyn.com/yabb/YaBB.pl?board=Tradingpost

Found my R65 on CraigsList. It was a "must sell, I'm in distress" good deal for me! Consider cutting a couple classes and research this site for tips on what to look for during a pre-buy inspection.  

[smiley=beerchug.gif] College guys...  

Monte

[drewboid]

The R65 COULD be a good bike for you - depending upon how quickly you learn, who is teaching you, and your skill level. A 250 is often recommended for beginners but will be quickly outgrown and will not be good on your hills. My fiance began with the R65 and still loves it after 3 years. She did drop it often in the first year though.

Don't discount the other small airheads - R60/6 /7, R75/6 /7 etc. The R75 has the same 50 HP but is slightly heavier and not as nimble. May be a little cheaper. Be prepared for minor repairs to start with. My R75 needed a carb rebuild (I drove it home on one cylinder) and my R65 needed steering bearings (they were notchy). Both fixes were accomplished in an afternoon of work in the driveway. With a little luck you should be able to find something in your price range.

[not-so-fast-ed]

Welcome aboard!

I agree with the above.  The R65 is a great bike, be it first, or (in my case) last.

If you are at all mechanically inclined you can do almost any service or maintenance task yourself.  Just pick up the manuals, do your web searching, post your questions here, and invest in a few tools.  If you're lucky, the bike should come with almost all the tools to do standard tasks.  maybe even the manuals.

I also tracked mine down through craigslist.  You need to go around the surrounding states/citys craigslist ads and see what's out there.   Fall, Winter can often be a time to find nice bargains.  But anytime is a good time to start looking.  Took me 3-4 months to get a feel for what I wanted vs what was available.  Still, I needed to invest in a bit of maintenance and replacement of worn items to get it where I was comfortable with its condition.  Many people might think my investment might have been misplaced, but probably none on our forum.

If you see one advertised in a location that is a reasonable distance from you, post it on the forum and you may find one of us located close enough to go look at it for you.  

Good luck,

Ed    8-)

[JimJ]

Thanks all. Glad to know at least I'm heading in the right direction

I plan on doing as much work on it as I can learn how to do, I'm very hands-on in that way. Hopefully I can find something in the Raleigh, NC area, that'd be nice...my folks live a little west of Durham and I spent the summer there making a section of the walk-in basement a nice little shop for when I'm there and need an enclosed space to work on the bike

[tagordon]

Welcome aboard JimJ
Troy

[Altritter]

Welcome, Hokie Jim! (I'm assuming; after all, you could be at Radford U. rather than VaTech.   ) I grew up in Lynchburg & was one of the relatively few males in my high school class who did not go to Tech, so I have standing to use the local dialect.

When I returned to riding a year ago on Labor Day weekend after multiple decades of no activity, I specifically looked for an R65 after a considerable amount of study. Here's why:

I'm shorter than you, considerably older, and have become more comfort-loving than I once was. I found a 65 locally, bought it, and have never regretted my choice.

The R65 has more than enough low-end torque for slow riding on the hills in and around B-burg. It's extremely responsive, agile, and stable, and can hold its own in both comfort and handling at speeds up to 65, perhaps more. (YMMV) It has an unusually low seat height for a BMW, making it an excellent choice for a smaller person. The bike is very light for a 650, weighing 452 pounds, fully fueled. At 5'8", you should have no problem with a standard seat and shock configuration. But if it feels uncomfortably tall, the seat can be altered or shorter rear shock(s) can be installed to lower the bike another 1/2" or so. As a writer pointed out on another web site, it doesn't have a lot of expensive plastic and chrome, so it doesn't cost a fortune if it gets dropped a few times. Summary: if you want a bike that's a lot of fun at sane speeds, I think if you can find an R65 in good shape, it would be perfect for you. (If you want something to scream up and down I-81, that's another matter.)

Someone has already recommended Haynes and Clymer. I agree, but I suggest also finding an owner's manual for the specific R65 configuration you end up buying. BMW exported several versions to the USA 1979-1987. (There were more versions worldwide, but they weren't officially sold here.) I say this because my Clymer's, despite covering my R65 (among other sizes for the period), talks about things that are totally different from what's on my bike. The correct owner's manual can clear up the ambiguity. There are folks in this forum who know far more than I, and can help you find a manual and give you technical help when the time comes.

You might check out Blacksburg & Roanoke to learn whether there is a BMW community, hopefully with some airhead owners. The R65 is extremely owner-maintainable (except for a few major tasks), but there's a learning curve that the manuals sometimes don't address adequately. Lynchburg has both a fair number of riders and a dealer (Hammersley), but that's a long ride if you need to have work done. (Some Carolina dealers might be closer.)

Good luck & keep us posted.

John

[BigJohn]

My advice is to go for it, but!  If your budget is $2.5k max then negotiate the price as close to $2k as possible.  No matter how good the bike looks you are going to need to buy a few parts to make it right. There seem to be a lot of '81 R65s around and if you can find a nice one (like I did) they can be had for about the low $2ks. I had to travel 300 miles or so but it was worth it after I compared it to others that were for sale closer.  Craigslist and IBMWR are probably your best resources for used bikes. I've looked at a couple of R65s for $1.5k or less and they were pretty rough so take someone who knows when you go to look! Get as much service history as you can. Have the clutch splines been regularly lubed? Has the gearbox ever been apart? Any play in the rear wheel drive splines?  Regular oil changes and services? These things and more can cost thousands to put right so check them out as much as possible. BMW bike parts are surprisingly affordable but a lot of small things that don't look like much can add up in a real hurry. Let us know what you find!

[JimJ]

Welcome, Hokie Jim! (I'm assuming; after all, you could be at Radford U. rather than VaTech.   ) I grew up in Lynchburg & was one of the relatively few males in my high school class who did not go to Tech, so I have standing to use the local dialect.

Yup, VT it is Feeling the crunch on campus now, can't wait for all the people who are going to drop out to do it and for people to stop going to class as much...at the end of the semester it's so much less crowded

(If you want something to scream up and down I-81, that's another matter.)

That road is scary enough on four wheels, I don't want to find out what it's like on two. If I was heading back to NC I'd probably take Rt. 8 or something through Floyd and then head east to Martinsville...won't be in any hurry, and on a bike I can imagine I'll appreciate winding, slower roads better anyway

[balibeemer]

Welcome, you have just joined a great forum. Go for the R 65 - you won't find a better all round bike

Colin Anderson

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

The best advice I can give you is *ear plugs*.
The wind noise generated at speed quite high.  I wish I had known about them back when I was your age.

My favorites are EAR EARSoft Grippers.  They used to make them cordless, but now you have to buy them corded and pull the cords out.  




Good luck with your search.

Don't expect the bike to be trouble-free right out of the gate.

[Semper Gumby]

Hi JimJ

Welcome to the Forum.  R65 have been driven all over the world, in deserts on sand, in snow and in torrential rain.  Mine traveled from Jacksonville to SanDiego in 44 hours and 36 minutes.  It's a great commuter bike that can also go the distance.

If I had my druthers I would have a late model mono (1985 -1987) but I have had my 1980 R65 since 1991.  

TTFN,

[NC Steve]

Welcome, Hokie Jim! (I'm assuming; after all, you could be at Radford U. rather than VaTech.   ) I grew up in Lynchburg & was one of the relatively few males in my high school class who did not go to Tech, so I have standing to use the local dialect.

You might check out Blacksburg & Roanoke to learn whether there is a BMW community, hopefully with some airhead owners. The R65 is extremely owner-maintainable (except for a few major tasks), but there's a learning curve that the manuals sometimes don't address adequately. Lynchburg has both a fair number of riders and a dealer (Hammersley), but that's a long ride if you need to have work done. (Some Carolina dealers might be closer.)

John

I've learned this year that the Roanoke/Blacksburg area has an excellent group of riders, may of them Airhead jockeys. Take a look at http://twinvalleyriders.com/ , and check out their forums, tech info, etc. They're a great bunch of guys who love to ride, on all shapes and sizes of machines, and include our very own J. Hirst, who took my own lovely '84 R65, "Blue", and broke my heart.  

Also check Morton's BMW in Fredericksburg, which I'm told by the locals is a better shop for actual service work. Hammersley reportedly concentrates mostly on new bikes and internet parts sales. Carolina BMW down here in Greensboro is a good shop too, and many of the TVR boys visit there on occasion.
http://www.carolinaeuro.com/

[scottyintex]

I think the R65 would be a great cycle for you to start learning on. I started on a R27....250cc  but then I was 58 and my learning curve was a bit......wider..slower than yours. I live in the Texas hill country..........while not mountain roads........there  are many twist ,turns, sharp bends, steep hills and sudden  dips.  The R65 can be a little bit under powdered on a really long, sharp climb.
       However,  the bike is so nimble.......so sweet handling in all those turns. The R65 has to be the most  nimble of all the airheads..........certain more so that her larger brethren.
      Also...while you dream of mountain roads.....you may find that your cycle becomes your every day transportation in a urban environment...more mundane but necessary. In a Urban environment the R65 excels. I shoot out of the hills into the heavy traffic of Austin and the bike is at home in both worlds. But I do avoid the interstate. I say go for it. I later added a sidecar to my R65  which is a whole different world.......with good and bad dimensions added. Good luck!........Oh, I am 5 foot 9.........160 pounds and the bike was a really good fit for me..much more so than most of the airheads.