Yet another new member from California

[subco]

From Sacramento, CA

It was a beautiful morning when I dragged my wife to the park for a run. She reluctantly accepted and I enjoyed the jog while she was less than thrilled about being there so early.

Eventually we made it back to the car and as I started to drive out of the park, I saw this motorcycle in the distance. Judging by the caution the rider had and the speed, I came to the conclusion that he was practicing/learning.

I parked to the side and wave him down. When he stopped I said "nice bike, what make/model is it? " He said it was his friend's and didn't know what model or year, but by then I had already seen the big BMW logo and a R65 numbering near the engine.

Months passed and I was typing the same search daily on CL 'for sale' section: BMW R65, until finally... last SUN I picked one up.

Here is the bike. I will be posting on the appropriate section since there is plenty I wish to improve/update on it.



I already added a hundred and some miles and 2 or so hours of riding. Much different experience than my first bike.. a 2005 GS500 (400 and some cc's I believe?)

In any case, I will be bothering you people with my questions since I am a bit rusty (last time I rode was in 2009) and although I try, I wouldn't say I am a natural when it comes to mechanics.

[arvo92]

Few of us are natural with mechanics.  Most of us just have to learn to be patient, calm and carry on... I have observed that my mental state drives the success whilst working on the motorcycles.

Nice looking bike. And you are able to drive it immediately You are already better off than some of us buying our first beemers (finger pointing towards myself)

Lots of luck with the bike. And you are right. R65 is one of the sexiest bikes, I fell in love to a advert I saw and could not get the picture of her out of my mind anymore. 2 weeks later I dragged her home caveman style.

Ride safely!

[montmil]

Welcome to the party, Salvador.

You did not mention the model year of your R65. There are several visual clues in your photo that would indicate mods by POs which were not OEM to the bike but obscure the year's identity.

Grab the last seven digits of the VIN and visit this website to determine the bike's month and year of production. http://www.realoem.com/bmw/select.do?vin=6387284&part=&kind=P&arch=0

Best thing you could do for the bike right now would be a complete change of lubricants: engine, transmission, driveshaft and final drive. Perhaps fork oil, too. We can talk clutch and final drive spline lube another day.

[subco]

Thanks for the feedback!

@Arvo A.
Back in 2005 I knew nothing about motorcycles, so I enrolled in an MSF course and then purchased my first bike.
I guess because I had no preconceived notions about riding and only learned the "proper way", I was able to ride again so easily even after 3+ years without touching a bike.

Literally 30 minutes after I purchased this R65, I was riding for a couple of hours in order to bring the bike to my city. I was surprise at the muscle memory and the good state of the bike.

@montmil
My title says 1981 R65, but after I used the VIN with the link you provided, I got "10/1980 248 R65 USA", so I guess its a 1980 after all. Not sure if that's a bad thing.

I'll follow up on a separate thread to ask a number of things I want to do to the bike (broken headlight replacement, inaccurate speedometer maybe, engine cleaning) but I am unsure if I should (repainting), if certain things are normal (engine vibration, idling, stiff throttle, etc) and many more.

Thanks for the welcome message. Another image:



Yes, previous owner went down on it. engine, clutch, speedo plastics and headlight witnessed the event. But no leaks as far as I know.

[steve hawkins]

It is generally what we refer to as a 'post 81' as you have a plastic airbox, domed top carbs and later final drive.  The change actually happened mid to late 1980, but most did not reach the market till 81 (??).  You just have an early one.  There was a period where parts from the earlier models were being used up, which is why you are sporting ATE front brakes.  You are lucky to have two up front.  Most only have 1 in the US of A.  As mentioned above by esteemed friends, a full lube change is in order as well as a flush through of your brake fluid.  Unless you are happy with the bike's service history.

Looks like a bike you can get your teeth into - in that it is a good runner with a little detailing to be done (missing side panel and a good clean) - you are even blessed with a set of Koni rear shocks(or they could be ikons) by the looks of things.

Cheers

Rev. light

[AlfromNH]

Very nice looking bike, congrats and welcome!

[montmil]

With your R65 being a mid-year kinda changeover, it will be interesting to discover if you have a points ignition or the Hall sensor electronic unit. The ignition "bean can" is under the engine's front cover. Two Allen screws and you're in. IIRC, the points system has a condenser on the outside of the bean can. That would make the I.D. easy.

IF and when you should wish to remove the front cover, first disconnect the NEG battery cable at either the transmission attach bolt or at the battery. Under the engine cover, there are exposed electrical "hot" terminals that could be shorted with contact from the aluminum engine cover. That could get $$$...

Do you have a shop manual as yet? There's a pdf owners manual available in the FAQs section -check the 2nd page- that is helpful. Most owners ultimately invest in either a Haynes or a Clymer or both commercially available service and repair manuals.

[Luca]

My title says 1981 R65, but after I used the VIN with the link you provided, I got "10/1980 248 R65 USA", so I guess its a 1980 after all.

The bike was made in October of 1980, but it is a 1981 model year.  The BMW factory went on vacation for August and when they came back started making next year's bikes.  Car manufacturers do the same thing.  You can buy a 2015 car at the end of 2014.  As for the carryover parts from the earlier bikes, you can thank Henry Ford for popularizing the "empty bin policy."  The "248" part is the engine code-the R65 and R45 have a BMW type 248 engine.

There is a recent thread in the technical forum about oil changes and the $2000 o-ring.  You'll want to read up on that before changing the oil filter.

Sharp bike!  Welcome aboard.

[arvo92]

I have the same thing as you do. My bike is '81 but produced in 10/1980. European version and have the same dual ATE's in the front, plastic airbox and domed bing carb tops. The same hands might have put both of our bikes together

Yes, previous owner went down on it

Why did the previous owner went down on the bike? I seriously reccommend taking a close look at the front brake discs. See if they might have any radial cracks in them. If you observe even one, dump the disc!!! Also take a look at the brake pistons and observe whether the brakes re-trackt properly if you loosen the pressure on the front brake lever. I only say this because my first ride with my R65 thaught me this lesson the hard way.

[subco]

Thanks everyone, I have started a new thread with more details about the current state of the bike. It is also the thread where I will update every time I perform maintenance. So expect many pictures and videos.

Feel free to visit: http://www.bmwr65.org/cgi-bin/yabb2/YaBB.pl?num=1397278519

I have the same thing as you do... The same hands might have put both of our bikes together

... I seriously reccommend taking a close look at the front brake discs. See if they might have any radial cracks in them. If you observe even one, dump the disc!!! Also take a look at the brake pistons and observe whether the brakes re-trackt properly if you loosen the pressure on the front brake lever. ...

That is valuable input and I thank you for it. I will look for radial cracks becuase I am not exactly planning on going down soon, so anything to minimize that risk.

[BenjisMoto]

Welcome Salvador! I am in the east bay and anticipate riding through sac very often this summer! PM me some time and we can meet up!

[livingdeadhead]

AND its one of the best colours i've seen ! nice bike !

[azcycle]

Welcome, and great score with the r65!

[clonmore1]

Pretty colour, very nice!

[Julio A.]

My title says 1981 R65, but after I used the VIN with the link you provided, I got "10/1980 248 R65 USA", so I guess its a 1980 after all. Not sure if that's a bad thing.

BMW changed their model year production during September as far as I can remember. My R65 is a 81 model, but was manufactured during November 1980.

And nice turquoise green btw. I knew they existed, but I have never saw an actual picture of one before.