New member in Oz

[gregb]

Hi all

Thanks for signing me up. Found a 1985 R65 with panniers (see photo). Bit of an impulse buy, and probably paid too much, but it sure is giving me some fun. First BMW and first shaft drive after Japanese and Italian all my life.

Don't know what it is but there is something about this bike that makes me smile. Hard to put a finger on what it is but you know what it's like when something seems just right. It's under-powered for sure and not going to win any races, although it will scoot along well if I try. Lovely clutch and gearbox and the low centre of gravity is nice.

My pride and joy is a 1974 Ducati 750, but I now find myself getting out on the R65 more than I do on that, and that's not something Ducati riders would believe.

After fixing a few problems that might have been easier had I looked here first, it's all sorted and running well. Looks like my issues were all common ones - stripped rocker cover centre stud threads in the head, badly galled and stuck exhaust flanges, inaccurate and erratic tach, and a leaking carb plug on the top cap. And a few more. The disappearing drive shaft oil had me worried but that seems to settle at about 110mL and I've seen enough people say don't worry about that.

Maintenance seems generally easy compared to what I'm used to, but I have scratched my head a few times about why things were done as they were. Anyway, I'll have a few questions later and I look forward to happy days on the bike. Greg

[wilcom]

Nice bike, welcome aboard!!

[skippyc]

It's good to see a few more from OZ. I see youhave twin discs.

[jp9094]

Welcome to the group from an ex sandgroper ! Just curious, how did you sort out the stripped rocker cover center stud in the head ? I have the same problem.

TIA !

[gregb]

Hello Sandgroper, you are a long way from home.

This is actually a fairly straightforward fix and an easy engine to do it on. You need an M8x1.25 thread repair insert (helicoil or similar type). A kit with the right drill, tap, thread insert and tool is not expensive, and even a job at a machine shop should not be too much.

Luckily you can drill right through the hole into clear air, so that you are not working in a blind hole. But you need to ensure that you tape/cover all the rocker area so no swarf gets in there.

There are probably less elegant ways to fix it such as with a longer stud and a nut behind in that gap, but a thread repair is better for sure. Good luck.

[gregb]

It's good to see a few more from OZ. I see youhave twin discs.

Hello skippy. I don't think the twin discs were standard. The bike had a few owners and after I bought it I found the original owner lives in the next suburb and I worked with his son - small town for a million people. Anyway, he said he had the extra disc added from new. It does stop well.

[ged in oz]

Heya Greg. Nice bike! It’s looking very tidy.

I’ve had my R65 for about a year and a half now and after a lifetime of Ducati’s ( and Alfa’s (11), I’m just lovin the “simple by design” nature of the R65. I recently sold a very nice old Pantah because after spending time on the R65, the poor old Panty just didn’t do it for me anymore! I must be getting old..... But, they really are a very capable, enjoyable and reliable rig.

My bike is in a million bits at the moment, but it’s all coming back together again nicely and I really appreciate both the ready parts availability (overnight out of Munich’s in Perth to Nthn NSW - not so good out of Moto Bins in the UK at the moment - 4 week delay) and the wealth of knowledge out there, that are really valuable resources in keeping them on the road. Old Ducati’s just don’t really have that sort of knowledge base or parts access...

Enjoy the R65 mate and keep us all updated.

[drhooves]

Very nice bike, Greg.  Looks much cleaner than the '86 R65 I bought last September.  Hadn't considered dual discs, but the brakes are probably top of the list of improvements I'd like to make on my bike.

I share your experience on what a fantastic ride an R65 can be - I've put over 2500 miles on mine in just over 9 months, and that counts over the winter and in the shop for six weeks.  Had nothing but Japanese bikes up until 2015.  It motivated me to trade off a R1200GS for another "airhead", but didn't like the seating position of the heritage models from BMW - so, I ended up getting a 2020 Kawasaki W800 instead.

I had no major regrets in life until I bought the R65 - now I'm just kicking myself for not having shelled out some extra bucks back in the mid 1980s for one....