Hello

[2dogs1cat]

Good morning,
I became a proud owner Saturday of a '79 R65 with slightly over 16k on the odometer.  How did I come about this bucking brown bronco?  My home is out east in Dartmouth, Nova Scotia, but I'm working in northern Alberta looking after a shop full of aircraft technicians.  I considered shipping my bike out west but factored in the cost of shipping, safety inspection and then register and plate the two wheels and decided against it.  Watching everyone riding their motorbikes while I sat in envy started driving me bananas.  That was it, I had to find a motorbike out here somewhere.  I dropped in to say hi to Dave at Anderwerks and he introduced me to the R65 on display.  I asked him to carry out a pre-purchase inspection.  Wow.  That's all I can say.  We both said 'I do', and now I have two wheels, and will travel.  But first, a headlight protector and fork gaiters - not uncommon to be pelted with pebbles while trucks pass you by on Sunday rides.  I'm interested in wrenching and believe I've found one of many great resources on the net for scraping my knuckles.  I have a lot of threads to read here........where do I start  

Cheers,
2dogs1cat
:^)

[2dogs1cat]

[montmil]

Welcome to the asylum, twodogs,

That's a very clean looking first year R65. The hard bags are a bonus for trips. What's the mileage?

Since you asked,"...where do I start" I'd recommend you buy a Haynes and/or Clymer shop manual as an assist in getting to know the bike.

As the R65 is new to you, a maintenance baseline can be established by:
   *Changing all the lubricants- rear drive, driveshaft, transmission, engine
   *Fresh oil filter- the two-part bendy filter is recommended
   *Consider a transmission spline lube. Better shift ops and saves money down the road.
   *Flush the hyd brake system for the front disc
   *Adjust the valves
      Some may recommend re-torquing the heads but that's up to you. Research this topic.
   *Inspect and adjust ignition point gap
   *Inspect tires for condition and age
   *Remove fuel tank and empty completely. Inspect interior for rust and/or flaking liner
   *And the number one must do on all R65s... drum roll here...
       Zip tie the side panels to the chassis. They can and will fall off; especially the right side

That ought to keep you busy for a couple days!

There is a .pdf download of the R65 owners manual in the FAQs section. Spend some quality time with it. Both you and the bike will feel better. Trust me, my wife's a doctor

Monte

 

[2dogs1cat]

Welcome to the asylum, twodogs,

That's a very clean looking first year R65. The hard bags are a bonus for trips. What's the mileage?

Since you asked,"...where do I start" I'd recommend you buy a Haynes and/or Clymer shop manual as an assist in getting to know the bike.

As the R65 is new to you, a maintenance baseline can be established by:
   *Changing all the lubricants- rear drive, driveshaft, transmission, engine
   *Fresh oil filter- the two-part bendy filter is recommended
   *Consider a transmission spline lube. Better shift ops and saves money down the road.
   *Flush the hyd brake system for the front disc
   *Adjust the valves
      Some may recommend re-torquing the heads but that's up to you. Research this topic.
   *Inspect and adjust ignition point gap
   *Inspect tires for condition and age
   *Remove fuel tank and empty completely. Inspect interior for rust and/or flaking liner
   *And the number one must do on all R65s... drum roll here...
       Zip tie the side panels to the chassis. They can and will fall off; especially the right side

That ought to keep you busy for a couple days!

There is a .pdf download of the R65 owners manual in the FAQs section. Spend some quality time with it. Both you and the bike will feel better. Trust me, my wife's a doctor

Monte

 

Hi Monte,
Thank you for the welcome.
The R65 has slightly over 10,000 miles.  It was one of several bikes in the previous owner's collection.  All the fluids are fresh, but I don't think the valves have been adjusted or ignition point gap, tires are good for one more season, will check condition of the tank, and he has already zip tied the side panels.  I'll start hunting for a Haynes/Clymer shop manual.  The former owner did have an owners manual with the bike - I have some studying to do.  Thanks for your input.
:^)

[Lucky_Lou]

Welcome to the Herd.....beware the $2000 "O" ring on the oil filter...
Lou

[Barry]

Welcome.

Great original looking bike.  You hopefully won't have much to do other than the basics already mentioned.

Not issues unless they cause you problems but a few things to be aware off and maybe search for threads on:-

Might still have the original disc type engine breather which can be noisy.

Center stands wear and go too far over center making the bike hard to lift off the stand.

The bike looks like it was well cared for, hopefully by a knowledgeable owner. You'll know for sure by things like how the splines have been lubricated and if various fasteners have been correctly torqued. There are several which need a light and intelligent touch with the adoption of lower than published torque values:-

Don't even think about torquing the heads until you have researched the issues.

Earth cable clamp bolt/gearbox breather.

Front fork drain screws

Valve cover fasteners

Final drive/drive shaft drain and filler screws

Spark plugs


Don't mean to paint our bikes in a bad light.  If you are an Engineer you'll appreciate the subtleties of airhead ownership.