My Very First motorcycle

[pcarrick]

Apologies

[montmil]

Wow! Thats'a BIG, uh... motorcycle.

[Barry]

Let's see if this looks any different then the rest of the r65's  

Looks like you have the original rear shocks and they are set at maximum pre-load - you a heavy weight Lowlander or have you been carrying a pillion ?

And you use the engine kill switch. My memory is not good enough to do that. I forget and crank away wondering why it won't start. On average I already knock the kill switch off accidentally about once every two years which is bad enough.

Actually it's probably good practice to regularly use the kill switch as the contacts get exercised which should keep them clean.

[Julio A.]

Is the paint still the original coat? That is one shiny R65.

And wow, I'm definitely painting my saddle bag carriers matte black soon.

[pcarrick]

It is the original paint. Always garaged and careful previous owner. Had some trouble posting pictures correctly:looks fine when viewed from an iPad not so on my laptop(pc). ? Being a new rider I have been schooled in the msf way. Drilled into me to use kill switch..remember being a newbie?

[pcarrick]

Previous owner was heavy..Should I reset them?

[Ron_S.]

Previous owner on my r65 was big and had the monoshock set on the heaviest setting.  I reset it to position 2 and it rides a lot better.  Plus, I have short legs and now I can reach the ground.  

[Barry]

Previous owner was heavy..Should I reset them?

I would experiment with each setting to see how the bike rides and handles.  For me riding solo on position 3 results in almost no laden sag and there should be some. The change in ride height is between position 1 and 3 is very noticeable.

The riders handbook states:

Position 1 for solo riding

Position 2 for passenger or heavy load

Position 3 for maximum load (I take that to mean carrying 425 lbs)


I always ride solo on position 1 and increase pre-load when caryying a pillion. It's needed because on the one occasion I forgot the shocks bottomed out on severe bumps.

[JPSpen]

Nice R65...

Something no one has yet mentioned.

BMW's are hard starting when the valves are tight..

Check those valves and get them set correctly...Mine went from almost not starting to starting instantly after the valves were set properly...

I also noticed your kill switch is thrown... The kill switches are not very robust.. You'll be doing yourself a favor to use the key to shut off the engine...Leave that kill switch alone....Or one day you'll have a "no start" because of it..

John

[pcarrick]

Appreciate the tip on the kill switch. Am having trouble with starts again. Hear it might be a timing issue. Very easy to flood the carbs. Don't have any luck with any combination.
I did take the bowls off and cleaned out the debris and sprayed everything with carb cleaner. Seemed to help somewhat. Also, I have played a bit with the idle stop set screw due to a very low idle speed requiring me to sit on the bike to keep it from dying at idle. But, now have I screwed up the synchronisation of the carbs: Backfires on re-starts  :-?

[Barry]

I have played a bit with the idle stop set screw due to a very low idle speed requiring me to sit on the bike to keep it from dying at idle. But, now have I screwed up the synchronisation of the carbs: Backfires on re-starts

If the idle is too low when cold then that's normal. It shouldn't idle properly until fully warmed up. You have to hold the engine on the the throttle until then.

If by backfire you mean popping in the exhaust that usually indicates a weak mixture and will disappear when the engine warms up. If it's a real backfire through the carb I'd be checking the ignition timing and advance mechanism.

[clonmore1]

Single disc?

[pcarrick]

Thanks, Barry. I am going to try and get it running and take it to a Bmw "Guy" in Sonoma and hopefully get things sorted out to some baseline spot for me as a newb. I have been having more and more difficulty getting it started since I purchased it last month. Being a total novice, it could be me. Who knows(?). The backfire definitely sounded like it was coming out of the mufflers based on the ring in the tail pipes ! [smiley=undecided.gif]

It is a single disc, 1983( DOB 12/09/83).

[pcarrick]

Just got my bike back. Carbs all cleaned out ,synched, adjusted idle. Carbs were misaligned (twisted). Also,valves were tight. The coil was defective causing it to intermittently fire on only the right cylinder.

The Gas tank is loose. Any good diagrams for removing and re-securing it?

[pcarrick]

Found the diagram here but searched google to end up back here : ) !

Might add that the visit to the shop set me back some serious coin. Guess I'll be learning the rest on my own time. Now I have an incentive to do my own servicing. It did include two new tires,tubes and a new coil. Good to have pro's nearby to get me on the road again. I bought it to ride it (At least in the beginning!).