Relics Resto

[Glen]

Hi All
Gleaning through all things R65 here is quite the undertaking.. So much information and love for these machines...
I purchased mine from a mate who has a running R65..He had the one I have now as a parts donor.
I had found it at a local BMW shop some years ago and called my friend and said " hey a beat up old R65 for decent cash" We took the trailer and picked it up..It ran, albeit rough...
It sat for 4 yrs in his garage
His attention turned to K75 bricks.. Still that lowly R65 sat.. until
he decided it needed to be free...
It found its way to my garage...
And found its way into boxes...
So its undergoing love
My plans are to have a fuel miserly, reliable, commuter, grocery getter, mini weekend tourer, cottage dirt road runner... Basically a do everything bike..
This is my first crack at a proper rebuild.. Ive dallied with other bikes (mostly Japanese) but it was mostly clean ups... carbs, chains etc.
Here she is before tear down..

[AlfromNH]

I'd say that's a nice starting point, I look forward to following your progress!

[Sosyal]

Nice bike, especially with those functional side stand and Reynolds centerstand as well as the kick starter.

Waiting to hear more.

[Glen]

See, This is great! Comments about things I didnt notice.. Sidestand that works. The centre stand. I appreciate any comments or direction given as Im a newb with this bike!
I know I could have started off with a worse off bike. And Im fortunate that its coming apart nice and easy (except for the exhaust nut cut off)
The Gent who owned it before took good care it seems.. But ridden hard and put away wet.. And sat for some years.
The carbs were clean on the inside.
The most glaring issues jumping out at me were, Push rod seals spewing oil all over the place ( figure great rust protection practice)
And the steering head bearings seized. (right turn was almost non existent)
Well I pulled the bearings, and the brown grease that they were packed in turned to cement. They then sat in a nice vat of degreaser for some hours, dried and repacked with viper grease..Good as new..
Anyway, enough chatter.. Here are some pics.. More fun when parts get here!
And as Ive said, I want to keep the look of the bike with some mods.. I dont like chrome or shiny bits, wont be too specific with "proper" Motorrad (speedo, tach etc) parts. Just a good solid ride

[montmil]

Re: Photo #1

The red tape-wrapped bit is the Voltage Regulator. BTW, the red tape is OEM. The next item forward is the Ignition Control Unit (ICU). Easily detached after disconnecting the wiring loom. There must be fresh Heat Sink Paste twix the ICU and the heat sink bracket it is attached to. Refresh the paste. Should that simple ICU service not be done, the ICU can/will overheat during a nice Springtime ride, stall out the bike and force you to wait until it cools down before the engine will refire. It's available in small tubes at Radio Shack, if you have such stores in the Great North.

Quite a few owners replace the VR with a plug n' play solid-state unit for improved reliability and increased battery performance/life.

Those OEM metal spark plug caps need to go. Wires likely, too. Old plug harness and caps often have grounding issues with sparks jumping from cap to cylinder heads. NGK is a popular replacement cap.

Re: Photo #2

Those Bings may look "clean on the inside" but after years of sitting idle, they will not make you a happy camper. It's a given that the jet passages are clogged with old fuel and varnish, the rubber o-rings -of which there are many- are now hard and cracked and the diaphragms are possibly toast. Plan on a full strip and rebuild doing one carb at a time. That way, you'll have a reference if/when you get confused. Be advised, the enrichener circuit components are "handed" left and right and are not interchangeable.

Now, go get busy. Spring approacheth!  8-)

[Glen]

Montmil
Advice heeded and more tasks added to my to-do list..Cheers!!. If the snows melt sooner than later then this beastie will carry my carcass around town.

Re: Photo #1

The red tape-wrapped bit is the Voltage Regulator. BTW, the red tape is OEM. The next item forward is the Ignition Control Unit (ICU). Easily detached after disconnecting the wiring loom. There must be fresh Heat Sink Paste twix the ICU and the heat sink bracket it is attached to. Refresh the paste. Should that simple ICU service not be done, the ICU can/will overheat during a nice Springtime ride, stall out the bike and force you to wait until it cools down before the engine will refire. It's available in small tubes at Radio Shack, if you have such stores in the Great North.

Quite a few owners replace the VR with a plug n' play solid-state unit for improved reliability and increased battery performance/life.

Those OEM metal spark plug caps need to go. Wires likely, too. Old plug harness and caps often have grounding issues with sparks jumping from cap to cylinder heads. NGK is a popular replacement cap.

Re: Photo #2

Those Bings may look "clean on the inside" but after years of sitting idle, they will not make you a happy camper. It's a given that the jet passages are clogged with old fuel and varnish, the rubber o-rings -of which there are many- are now hard and cracked and the diaphragms are possibly toast. Plan on a full strip and rebuild doing one carb at a time. That way, you'll have a reference if/when you get confused. Be advised, the enrichener circuit components are "handed" left and right and are not interchangeable.

Now, go get busy. Spring approacheth!  8-)

[montmil]

Love the Hinckley Bonnies. No relics, those.

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

Those OEM metal spark plug caps need to go. Wires likely, too. Old plug harness and caps often have grounding issues with sparks jumping from cap to cylinder heads. NGK is a popular replacement cap.

Before you throw away your old ignition wires, take the time to de-solder the caps that are inserted into the coil.
These are superior to any crimp-on type, can sometimes be hard to find, and will last you over many sets of wires.

[Glen]

Ill have to look closer... I thought you just pulled them out?

Thanks/

g

Those OEM metal spark plug caps need to go. Wires likely, too. Old plug harness and caps often have grounding issues with sparks jumping from cap to cylinder heads. NGK is a popular replacement cap.

Before you throw away your old ignition wires, take the time to de-solder the caps that are inserted into the coil.
These are superior to any crimp-on type, can sometimes be hard to find, and will last you over many sets of wires.

[montmil]

Rob is correct about the  plug wire terminals that go into the coil. Perhaps you can pull 'em outta the dumpster. If not, do I as did...

Find any oldskool auto parts store and ask for ignition wire-to-ignition coil terminals. Be sure to ask the oldest and senior employee or the owner. They will know where these items are, "back in the back".

Any Twenty-Something working there will be clueless. Watch for the blank stare.

[montmil]

When I replaced the old spark plug wires and plug caps on the '81 R65, I used black silicone rubber with copper core and NGK caps sourced from Florida-based MikesXS.

http://www.mikesxs.net/

Yes, It's primarily a Yamaha XS650 supplier but there are many bits offered that cross pollinate with BMWs. A set of copper-core plugs wires is $5.50. NGK caps are $4.00 ea. 30A 4-pin relays for dual horns or lights are $4.75. Lots of bulk wiring terminals, connector blocks, weatherproof covers... I bought a buncha stuff that's come in handy over the years.

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

Ill have to look closer... I thought you just pulled them out?  

You pull the wire out of the coil - correct.

After you pull it out, look at the end of the wire, you will see a copper contact with some solder in the center of it.  That is the good stuff.

I was going to mention Mike's XS, as that was my go-to guy for wires and caps over the years.

In Canada (OP) they go by the URL of http://www.xs650direct.com/

They also have outlets in the Netherlands, Japan and Germany.  I'm not sure which one our members in S.E. Asia/Australia would use.

[Glen]

Ok whew
I started giving them a little pull and then a twist.. Didnt budge, so I didnt fudge with it..
Now I know...
And that XS site- wow, very cool.. Prices good as well..

Im gonna have to call this resto the BMWR650org rebuild!!

First box of goodies!

[Rob Valdez 79 R65]

I started giving them a little pull and then a twist.. Didnt budge, so I didnt fudge with it..  

From the photos of the original condition, you may need to spray some PB Blaster or some such in there to loosen things up.  They are worth it!

[Glen]

Well.... Took left jug off. Very straight forward- and joy of joys it came off easy. I did have a touch of resistance on valve cover. Head and cylinder pulled off together under hand strength. I stopped - used large screwdriver half twist to break head away from cylinder.
All parts to be cleaned ( and engine) by hand. No bead blasting.
I wanted to take piston out but clip seemed to be a bit of a chore. Ill try fit cyl over piston as per manual when going together.
Plug showed heat damage but ive seen worse.
Here is piston and valves.
No idea of real mileage. Odo claims 80k km.
Any comments re: condition?
Im doing one side at a time. All parts secure and going back in their particular places
Also there was no cyl base gasket/ but a residue of liquid gasket goo everywhere.... All rubber orings disintegrated on touch