The member photo gallery is now integrated and live!!  All user albums and pictures have been ported from old gallery.


To register send an e-mail to admin@bmwr65.org and provide your location and desired user name.

Author Topic: Wish I still had this!  (Read 2226 times)

Offline Tony Smith

  • Mt. Olympus Resident
  • ****
  • Posts: 2331
  • Graduate, Wallace and Gromit School of Engineering
Wish I still had this!
« on: April 13, 2018, 08:35:15 PM »
We all I suspect harbour tales of the ones that got away, the ones we should have kept, and even the ones we should have bought when we had the chance.

I was given this and was too bloody stupid to know what I had and sold it for a song.

Only after did I discover that in the late 70s the local BMW dealer offered my uncle a brand new R90s in exchange.

1978 R100RS| 1981 R100RS (JPS) | 1984 R65 | 1992 KLE500 | 2002 R1150GSA |

Offline wilcom

  • Mt. Olympus Resident
  • ****
  • Posts: 1499
Re: Wish I still had this!
« Reply #1 on: April 13, 2018, 08:58:28 PM »
what model is it Tony? It looked in fine shape
Joe Wilkerson
Telephone man with a splash of Data
Menifee, CA

Present:
1984 BMW R65LS "Herr Head"
past:
1982 BMW R65LS
1979 R65
1980 R65
1982 R80RT
1974 R90/6
1972 R75
1964 R50/2
19xx R27
ZX-11

Offline mrclubike

  • Mt. Olympus Resident
  • ****
  • Posts: 1437
  • Jungheinrich Master Tech
Re: Wish I still had this!
« Reply #2 on: April 13, 2018, 10:31:03 PM »
I had to sell My IIA after my daughter was born to pay down dept
Should have  figured out some other way and kept it
 That was 20 years ago
I still wonder where it is
Chances are it is still on the road
We are are both the same age 56
« Last Edit: April 13, 2018, 10:33:04 PM by Mrclubike »
1982 R65 running tubeless Snowflakes
2004 R1150R

Offline Tony Smith

  • Mt. Olympus Resident
  • ****
  • Posts: 2331
  • Graduate, Wallace and Gromit School of Engineering
Re: Wish I still had this!
« Reply #3 on: April 13, 2018, 11:27:06 PM »
Quote
what model is it Tony? It looked in fine shape

It's a 1952 R68. It was pranged a couple of times and later or "pattern" parts were used to rebuild it (like the wrong front guard and rocker covers). They only made around 1,400 of the model all told and it nearly sent BMW broke - the first BMW bike capable of a sustained 100mph at a time when a bike merely capable of reaching 100mph, never mind staying there, was spoken of in hushed tones. I believe that aside from the very earliest models that the R68 is the rarest model.

I am a fool for parting with it, especially as I didn't have to, I just thought it was old and uninteresting.
1978 R100RS| 1981 R100RS (JPS) | 1984 R65 | 1992 KLE500 | 2002 R1150GSA |

Offline wilcom

  • Mt. Olympus Resident
  • ****
  • Posts: 1499
Re: Wish I still had this!
« Reply #4 on: April 13, 2018, 11:45:42 PM »
Quote
I just thought it was old and uninteresting.

I hope my wife doesn't fall into your foot steps, I'll be a gonner ;D
Joe Wilkerson
Telephone man with a splash of Data
Menifee, CA

Present:
1984 BMW R65LS "Herr Head"
past:
1982 BMW R65LS
1979 R65
1980 R65
1982 R80RT
1974 R90/6
1972 R75
1964 R50/2
19xx R27
ZX-11

Offline Tony Smith

  • Mt. Olympus Resident
  • ****
  • Posts: 2331
  • Graduate, Wallace and Gromit School of Engineering
Re: Wish I still had this!
« Reply #5 on: April 14, 2018, 06:50:18 AM »
Quote
I had to sell My IIA after my daughter was born to pay down dept
 

In the 70s I had a IIa wagon that I didn't miss when I sold it - it was a diesel and ony going down very steep hills would it ever trouble a speed limit.

In the mid-80s I owned a late Series II - an ex-army range control vehicle, when i bought it I had lots of plans, all of which came to naught  when I purchased a later lot at the same auction. I did somee minor repairs to it, registered it and flipped it for a little more than it owed me.

The last Landrover I owned was far and away the most interesting - one of three 110 forward control units ought for evaluation by the Australian army. The one I got was a rolling chassis with missing engine and the wrong axles (from a series II) under it. I rebuilt with a 4.00lt local leyland variant of the Rover V8 and fitted Range Rover gearbox and axles to it.

It was a bit scary at highway speeds due to me miscalculating some of the steering geometry, but off road it was an incredible piece of machinery, I sold it when it was time to settle down and buy a house - wish I hadn't.
1978 R100RS| 1981 R100RS (JPS) | 1984 R65 | 1992 KLE500 | 2002 R1150GSA |

Offline skippyc

  • Lives in Foothills of Mt. Olympus
  • **
  • Posts: 355
  • Shouldn't have sold them old bikes.
Re: Wish I still had this!
« Reply #6 on: April 14, 2018, 05:42:08 PM »
It was just old stuff. Why did we sell it, I ask myself all the time. Vincent black shadow, Victoria bergermiester, Moto Gelera, BSA A65 and the BMW75/5.
And yes there was no financial reasons to do it.

Offline mrclubike

  • Mt. Olympus Resident
  • ****
  • Posts: 1437
  • Jungheinrich Master Tech
Re: Wish I still had this!
« Reply #7 on: April 14, 2018, 10:15:49 PM »
Quote
Quote
I had to sell My IIA after my daughter was born to pay down dept
 

In the 70s I had a IIa wagon that I didn't miss when I sold it - it was a diesel and only going down very steep hills would it ever trouble a speed limit.

In the mid-80s I owned a late Series II - an ex-army range control vehicle, when i bought it I had lots of plans, all of which came to naught  when I purchased a later lot at the same auction. I did some minor repairs to it, registered it and flipped it for a little more than it owed me.

The last Landrover I owned was far and away the most interesting - one of three 110 forward control units ought for evaluation by the Australian army. The one I got was a rolling chassis with missing engine and the wrong axles (from a series II) under it. I rebuilt with a 4.00lt local Leyland variant of the Rover V8 and fitted Range Rover gearbox and axles to it.

It was a bit scary at highway speeds due to me miscalculating some of the steering geometry, but off road it was an incredible piece of machinery, I sold it when it was time to settle down and buy a house - wish I hadn't.
O the 2.25 ltr were horribly slow
I drove one with a 2.5 Chevy 4 cyl (maybe a Holden in your parts) and is was better on the freeway but lacked the low end grunt of the LR engine off road
1982 R65 running tubeless Snowflakes
2004 R1150R