hi!

[livingdeadhead]

hi! , long time biker , new to bmw's! just bought my first r65 (1980) , in bronco brown which was an import from the usa, you think its possible to contact the last owner to get any history? thanks chaps 8-)

[2dogs1cat]

Welcome to the forum.....another bronco brown rider  



:^)

[montmil]

Welcome to the asylum, livingdeadhead. Perfect screen name for Halloween. Nice looking R65. Appears to have been well cared for.

Did you buy the bike from a local dealer? That would be the place to start. It's my understanding that, in England, a bike's registration remains with it when it is sold. That would make it fairly easy to track ownership history for English registered machines.

Unfortunately, it doesn't work that way here in the Colonies. I have three Airheads and only know the name of the last owner because I knew them personally.

I can tell you a couple things about your bike's history... those are not the original carburetors. 1980 models had flat top Bings. You also have up-graded ignition wires and plug caps. Check your ignition coil/s as you may have newer items under the tank.

Whoa! You've got some history already. Cool. See, the plan is working already.

 

[Bob_Roller]

Hi 'deadhead' !!

Welcome aboard, got a great looking bike there .

If you give me the last seven characters of the bikes serial number, I'll contact BMW North America and see if I can get any information about the bike .

[Barry]

Welcome. The bike looks in nice condition.

As Monte has said you bike is unusual. The seat and final drive say it's a 1980 model but the carbs and air filter say it's an 81 model.  That doesn't necessarily mean it isn't original. Perhaps it was built just before the transition. BMW were known to mix and match a bit when changes were made. It will be interesting to find out if you have points ignition (1980 model) or electronic ignition (1981 model).

Not being negative - just anticipating a possible future question.  Is it hard to use your centre stand ?

[montmil]

...  Is it hard to use your centre stand ?

Good catch, Barry. The stand does look a bit "over center" due to wear. It probably has the OEM "Hernia Ball" foot assist.  [smiley=furious3.gif]

[Lucky_Lou]

Hi welcome, the colour was sold in the UK what makes you think it is an import ? which part of the UK are you in you may have neighbors who can help.
Mine was Bronco when i bought it but very shaby and had a respray durring the rebuild ending up Silver Biege (that be "Champagne" to our Colonial cousins)
Lou

[luxlogs]

LivingDeadHead, me too, quit counting at 75 shows. Now you need to become an AirHead as well. Same type of folk only smarter.

[livingdeadhead]

the last owner was a sam dorsi of boulder colorado lou, dont know about the ignition yet! more worried about seat. yes it is hell on earth using the centre stand ! is ther a cure? or a mod? hi bob 6381921 is the number stamped on both engine and frame , is that the one? should there be more? thanks

[livingdeadhead]

if its not a transition model maybe its been updated, tuned ? as post 81 had a bit more power didn't they?

[livingdeadhead]

just had a quick look at stand and where the right hand bolt goes through its loose as tho it needs tightening, will try in daylight to see if it needs tightening .

[Barry]

yes it is hell on earth using the centre stand ! is ther a cure? or a mod?

just had a quick look at stand and where the right hand bolt goes through its loose as tho it needs tightening, will try in daylight to see if it needs tightening .  

The loose bolt won't help but it's unlikely to be the only issue. We could tell from the angle of the stand that it is going way to far over centre and that's not an uncommon condition on these bikes.  It can be cured with a good used or new stand or by welding up the ends of the stand where they contact the frame stops. The transformation will be one of the best things you ever do to the bike. My only regret was I didn't do it sooner.

A search should find quite a few threads on stands as we have discussed it many times.  Here's one.

http://www.bmwr65.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1287496448/5#5

6381921 is the correct number and confirms the bike as manufactured in Dec 79 and sold in the US. It will have actually been a 1980 model as the last few months of production were for the following model year. Still it's a long way from the transition to when those carbs and air filter were changed so a bit of a puzzle.  As the engine has the same number as the frame it must have been modified.  The 81 on engines also got bigger valves to boost power from 45 hp to 50 hp Torque went up a little too although at higher revs. I'm not sure how you would tell externally if your engine has the big valve heads.

http://www.bmbikes.co.uk/chassispages/enginechassis650.htm
http://www.bmbikes.co.uk/specpages/R65.htm

[steve hawkins]

The fact that you have a round master cylinder for the single ATE front brake also indicates that it is a 'transition model', as that was an earlier fitment.  Checking the ignition system, as mentioned above would probably be a good indication on whether your engine is really a 1981 type as the airbox suggests.  There is a 5 bhp difference and the lighter flywheel to boot, as well as nicsail bores and lighter starter motor.
 
I would agree about it being an import, the single front disk and the round reflector on the rear mudguard seem to confirm this.  UK R65's are more commonly dual disk and no reflector.

Looks tidy though boyo.

Rev.Light

[livingdeadhead]

as always , looks better in pics..... gimme some time tho!

[livingdeadhead]

took the stand off see pics , looks brand new! what do you think? wish i could get the seat off as easy