new owner - new member

[sandiego87Mono]

Hello Inmates - I've been off a bike for quite a while and with the decision to get a motorcycle again - in the search for what bike to get - i found this forum.  It, and you if you read this or have posted in the past, is certainly a contributing factor in my purchase decision.  I am the happy new owner/steward of a 1987 BMW R65 (Monoshock) - I know some of the purists will love the short wheel base and style of the early bikes (i do as well) - the pragmatist in me chose this very lightly used machine as my new ride.

I have receipts for major service (seals, fluid changes, steering bearings, tank clean) done in the past few years and past two thousand miles from one of the locals dealerships - my first steps are to change all the fluids in the bike with refresh/forensic eyes.  From that its time to ride and see how it goes.

As a new airhead owner - i am open to, and hopeful for, suggestions as to other areas to inspect/investigate.  i'm not looking to make a lot of cosmetic changes to the bike, and am hoping for the reliable/authentic BMW motorcycle experience

Seth

[Barry]

Welcome Seth, 

That's a very nice looking bike and at only 10,000 miles you are unlikely to have many problems.  One thing that ages regardless of mileage and worth checking is anything made of rubber, particularly the speedo cable rubber at the gearbox end. 

[wilcom]

Hello Inmates - I've been off a bike for quite a while and with the decision to get a motorcycle again - in the search for what bike to get - i found this forum. 


Welcome aboard! In San Diego you have 365 riding days a year to put on the miles and with 10K on the clock you have made a good selection.

Check the date code on the tires(rubber stuff) They may look good but could have lost a lot of "stickyness" with age.

[Justin B.]

Welcome to the asylum.  Although the monoshock R65s loose some of the original R65's short-wheelbase nimbleness and lighter weight it more than makes up for it in lack of rear wheel spline lube jobs!  I miss my mono...

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

Welcome to the asylum.  Although the monoshock R65s loose some of the original R65's short-wheelbase nimbleness and lighter weight it more than makes up for it in lack of rear wheel spline lube jobs!  I miss my mono...

And tubeless tires...

[mrbuck]

Welcome to the forum....keep it stock...forget the farkle.

[Billmc]

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your find!
I notice you have vented "dual" front disks. Mine does not. Can anyone shed light on when the factory did that or if that is aftermarket?
Check that rear shock because even though it only has 10+K miles on it its 30 years old. Mine basically collapsed on the ride home from the seller and had to be replaced. Cost nearly as much as I paid for the bike!
It also looks like you have newer panniers attached, which is a good thing. Can you tell if they are from BMW ?
Having almost the same bike as you I can say it is one of the best, if not the best Motorcycle I have ever owned or ridden. It seems to do everything I ask of it and rewards me with being very accommodating.
In the 14 months I have had it back on the road since purchase and refresh, I have put a little over 5.5K miles on her and almost all of that is road trips and touring the back roads of the Texas Hill Country.
Like any older piece of rolling machinery listen to it, keep it clean, feed it a healthy diet of fluids and rubber, respect the engineering, stretch her legs, pay attention to its needs and ride it as often as possible and I'm sure she will pay you back in kind!

[sandiego87Mono]

Welcome to the forum and congrats on your find!
I notice you have vented "dual" front disks. Mine does not. Can anyone shed light on when the factory did that or if that is aftermarket?
Check that rear shock because even though it only has 10+K miles on it its 30 years old. Mine basically collapsed on the ride home from the seller and had to be replaced. Cost nearly as much as I paid for the bike!
It also looks like you have newer panniers attached, which is a good thing. Can you tell if they are from BMW ?

A few answers and another question -

the Dual disk was added by the previous owner - he bought the parts off ebay and had a local shop install them - i believe they are off a K-bike but i'm not 100% sure - vented floating rotors - regardless they look and stop great

the Panniers are BMW INTEGRAL side cases - pretty clean and nice - just have to find a set of locks for them - i believe these were designed for the K-bikes as well

the rear shock is one of the things on the top of my list before I start clicking off the miles - currently I've changed all the fluids and checked all the bolts and done a few reconnaissance ride - my first ride of 50 miles or so will be this weekend

My question(s) are what about the monolever bikes is similar to or stolen from the K-bike design when they were released?  front suspension? do they have anything else in common?  Also - any specific rear shock that is best for the bike? 

thanks for the help in advance

[Matt Chapter]

the Panniers are BMW INTEGRAL side cases - pretty clean and nice - just have to find a set of locks for them - i believe these were designed for the K-bikes as well

the rear shock is one of the things on the top of my list before I start clicking off the miles - currently I've changed all the fluids and checked all the bolts and done a few reconnaissance ride - my first ride of 50 miles or so will be this weekend

The integral bags already have locks, lift the small rectangle inside the clasp and you'll see the keyhole.  Now whether or not you have the key is an entirely different question!

For my money (and at the recommendation of a local suspension tuner), I went with a Progressive monoshock when my stock shock went out.  The price was not much more than OEM and the quality plus adjustments are well worth it.

[edgeoftheworld33]

I am new here too.  My first post.  I rode for a few years and then stopped...minor accident, small child etc.  Fast forward 14 years and I decided it was time to ride again.  I had kept my bike all those years and after spending WAY too much to get it running again, I rode it for the first time this past weekend.  I also have a silver 1987 R65.

[sandiego87Mono]

great bike and great community!!  As you will learn the silver ones are the fastest

I see you have the dual disk upgrade with the brake pipe running under the fender between the two brakes as well - what size is your master cylinder?

[Tony Smith]

I'd guess the master cylinder being 13mm.

The K100 twin-spot calipers will bolt straight on to a mono. Actually they will bolt straight onto a twin-shock too, but you would have to make custom carriers for the discs.
 
The discs on the Op's bike are most probably after-market as they are semi-floating on bobbins, something that wasn't done on K-bikes until after they went to 4-spot calipers. They could of course be the genuine article, but who can afford BMW's price for a complete new disc assembly?